The House of Doucet was founded in 1816 as a lace and bonnet mercantile. Around 1877 the grandson of the founders, Jacques DOUCET (1853-1929), transformed the business into the first ever haute couture house. Doucet was greatly influenced by his collection of 18th century art and his designs often reflected the Romantic Age in his use of laces, ribbons, and flounces. His rich clientele of actresses and women of the world - Réjane, Sarah Bernhardt, Liane de Pougy, La Belle Otéro - ensured him a fortune and enabled him to satisfy his passions as an art lover and a bibliophile. He trained Paul POIRET (1898-1901) and had Madeleine VIONNET among his assistants. In 1925, the financier Georges Aubert took control of the House Doucet and brought about a merger with the House of Georges Dœuillet. After the 1929 crisis, the new Dœuillet-Doucet company lasted until 1937.