As much a history of Manufacturing and Ready-to-wear as a family saga, this book traces the career of tailor Alexis Lavigne, a formidable visionary who cleverly built the technical foundations for Fashion. A lifelong innovator, Alexis Lavigne dedicated himself to analyzing the human body to advance and promote Paris fashion, thanks in large part to his inventions which included the tape measure and the dress form. By opening a workshop and then transforming it into a school, this humanist launched what would become Paris' oldest fashion school. Here is the little-known story of a school that was perpetuated by his descendants and then continued by those dedicated to his spirit. 170 years of innovation at the service of Elegance and Well-Being