Paul Poiret

Paul Poiret was a Frenchman who took the fashion world by storm in the early 1900s.  Many of his pieces were clearly Oriental-inspired and featured luxurious fabrics, beaded accents, sheer materials,and lush drapery and layering.  

His designs were often considered scandalous, as well!  During the conservative Victorian era, his 1910 collection shocked people with the flowing freeness of the clothing and lack of "proper" underclothing, such as corsets and girdles.  His works led the way in what became common 1920s trends.

"Irudrée" gown, ca. 1923

Many of his designs were created for the type of body his wife Denise had.  She was, in the early 1900s, considered unfashionably tall and slender, but Poiret said that he saw all the potential in her!  (She was also not much of a fashionista before they met, much to the surprise of Poiret's friends when he married her.)  Poiret dressed her beautifully, and he rejected the androgynous, waif-like model trend of the 20s.  He preferred his wife's figure; she was clearly still a woman, and many of his garments flattered what he considered a gorgeous, womanly, feminine shape.  (Which I think is sweet.  I wish every man would always find his wife that beautiful.)  Though they later divorced, she always held Poiret's work in high esteem.

Denise in one of her husband's creations

Poiret was an innovative, creative designer and also an entertainer.  He held lavish costume parties and designed many costumes for movies as well.  He was also the first designer to recognize the importance of designing for movie actresses both onstage and off and used the press to help his agenda of making fashion a modern art, influenced by artists such as Matisse.

Some of his most famous and revolutionary designs included the lampshade skirt and *gasp* trousers for women in the forms of pantaloons and harem pants.

costume from his famous "Thousand and Second Night" party, 1911

However, as time went on, Poiret only stayed ahead of the trends for so long.  By the time that skirts were becoming shorter, athletic wear and practical clothing for women was coming about, he refused to change with the times and continued to swath women in yards of fabric which, in comparison to the clean-lined, shorter dresses of the 1920s, seemed bulky and impractical.  He ended his life in poverty because of the 1929 stock market crash, but his influence on women's clothing is still unmistakeable.  Where would we be if he had not had the counter-cultural boldness to create corset-free, comfortable garments for women way back in 1906?  What about taking on the idea of designing for actresses on and off screen and helping foster the now inextricable bond between film and fashion?  Though much of the world doesn't realize it, we owe a large style debt to Paul Poiret!

(This video is in French, my apologies to everyone who doesn't speak French... including myself.... but it has some great original fashion film footage:)

You may recall this scene from "Downtown Abbey" where the shocking harem pants are debuted!

What do you think of Poiret's fashions?  Are they too gaudy for you, or do you enjoy the luxury?

For more information on Poiret, check out:

New York Times- "What to Wear to a Revolution"

Metropolitan Museum of Art- Poiret Collection

"Paul Poiret: The Master of Haute Couture"

Art Noveau, Part 2