Our Little Art Museum: Paul Poiret (1879-1944): French Fashion Designer

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Paul Poiret, (born April 20, 1879, Paris, France—died April 30, 1944, Paris), French couturier, was the most fashionable dress designer of pre-World War I Paris. More than any other designer of the twentieth century, Poiret elevated fashion to the status of an artform. (Source) His contributions to twentieth-century fashion have been likened to Picasso's contributions to twentieth-century art. (Source)

1923 Paul Poiret '' Les Idees Nouvelles de la Mode'' Pochoir Art Deco ''Tres Parisien''

Les Idees Nouvelles de la Mode ~ Tres Parisien, 1923

Brand: Paul Poiret

Pochoir Art Deco

Illustrator: Germaine-Paule Joumard

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Working with fabric directly on the body, Poiret pioneered a radical approach to dressmaking that relied on the skills of draping rather than tailoring and pattern making. He advocated clothing cut along straight lines and constructed of rectangles. It was an approach that effectively established the paradigm of modern fashion, irrevocably changing the direction of costume history ~ his most significant achievement. (Source)

Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
Paul Poiret (French, Paris 1879–1944 Paris)
Date: 1913
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He freed women from corsets and replaced them with the brassiere. He invented such startling creations as the "hobble skirt", a vertical, tight-bottomed style that confined women to mincing steps. “I freed the bust,” boasted Poiret, “and I shackled the legs.”

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Paul Poiret (French, 1879–1944). Evening Dress, 1910.

Forest green and ivory striped silk, black silk chiffon,

white cartridge pleated linen, brocaded ribbon.

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at

The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Paul Poiret's early designs were revolutionary because the upright,columnar silhouette differed markedly from the prevailing S-curve line. One of his signature decorative techniques was to use folkloric textilesand trims that he collected in his travels. Here the collar and cuffs arefashioned from a traditional French pleated linen bonnet. Ribbonlike those adorning festive folk costume encircle the raised waistline. (Source)

He created "harem" pantaloons, and "lampshade" tunics. (Source)

Paul Poiret (French, Paris 1879–1944 Paris)
Date: 1911
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His modernity was expressed through the structural simplicity of his clothing, which has been overlooked because of his narrative and decorative strategies. But it signifies a pivotal moment in the emergence of modernism. (Source)

Paul Poiret (French, Paris 1879–1944 Paris)
Date: ca. 1920
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After serving as a designer in the house of Parisian fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth, Poiret opened a small shop in Paris in 1903. By 1907 he had been instrumental in reviving the Empire style, popular in France during the reign of Napoleon I.

Two (Empire-style) Dresses, ca. 1810
French, White cotton
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Inspired by a widespread interest in Eastern art and Russian ballet, he created flamboyant, theatrical designs. His evening gowns, turbans, and harem pants appeared in brilliant shades of purple, red, orange, green, and blue.

Between 1904 & 1924 ~ he irrevocably changed the feminine form with his new fashion designs by dismissing the use of corsets and eliminating layered petticoats. He introduced the first modern straight lined dress the beginning of his extraordinary success in the field of Fashion inspiration.

Designer: Paul Poiret, 1879-1944

Evening Dress
Medium: Gold silk chiffon, beads and rhinestones
Date: c.1926
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"Irudree"
Paul Poiret (French, Paris 1879–1944 Paris)
Date: ca. 1923
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Paul Poiret was a significant exponent of Art Deco commissioning many well known Artists of the time who illustrated his designs. It is also known that he worked with the Artist Raoul Dufy.

Paul Poiret & Raoul Dufy (textile), Evening Cape, 1925.

Orange "lame" with jacquard print.

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The design of the artist, Raoul Dufy, is depicted on this one, large

piece of cloth. Dufy, who had been working to become an artist,

began designing textiles. He left many textile works, and was a pioneer

of artist-designed textiles. Aiming for the crossover of art and fashion,

Poiret unsparingly offered support to young artists.

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Poiret was extremely influential in the pre-World War I period, but his popularity waned in the 1920s. (Text Sources # 1 + # 2)

Paul Poiret, Coat "Mandarin", c.1923.

Wool twill Black with chain-stitch embroidery of chrysanthemum,

bird, and wave patterns, wing collar, lining of black "crepe de Chine."

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Like a picture, this wool coat is decorated with embroidery all over Beauvais. Fine chain stitch was used to create patterns of bamboo fences with chrysanthemums, cocks, pine trees, water patterns, clouds and waterfalls. The word "mandarin" originally meant a high-ranking official of Qing dynasty China. Paul Poiret coat named this "Mandarin". The motifs are symmetrically placed in the Western style, showing Poiret's eclectic line very well. A 1923 issue of "Femina" featured a snapshot of a lady wearing this coat, and many other fashion journals covered chinoiserie and China in the same year. For a Chinese-style party Held at the Opera House in the summer of 1923, Poiret dressed up as a mandarin.

At the height of the Ballet Russes in 1910, influenced by Serge Diaghilev and Leon Bakst’s extraordinary stage costumes, he became enchanted and bewitched with the treasure troves of Russian, Near Eastern and Far Eastern costume ideas from which he borrowed.

Which One, Dress by Paul Poiret
Fashion Plate By Georges Lepape
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Sorbet, a skirt and tunic, Paul Poiret, 1912.

Victoria and Albert Museum , London (Source)

Paul Poiret was much influenced by the art and design of the Middle East and India. In about 1910 he visited the V&A to study Indian turbans and, just weeks later, his haute couture adaptations were on sale in Paris. For his Thousand and Second Night fancy dress ball of 1911, Poiret dressed his wife in a wired lampshade tunic over harem trousers. This was to provide the inspiration for his more restrained `Sorbet' ensemble of 1912. (Source)

In 1911 ~ A European Tour including St. Petersburg was arranged. He was the first Courtier to travel with his models to show his new clothes, and the first to offer a range of perfumes, cosmetics and toiletries named Rosine (after one of his daughters).

La Rose De Rosine, Parfums De Rosine, 1912.

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In 1912 ~ He orchestrated the first Fashion Show. Another outstanding achievement was to open a Design Art School for poor Parisian girls. He named this after his daughter Martine. He used many of their designs and converted them into fabrics for cushions, curtains, rugs, wall coverings as well as garments. It is also known that he had a most generous and kind personality. Paul Poiret’s strong character and talent remains a legend in Paris. (Text Source)

Paris
Paul Poiret (French, Paris 1879–1944 Paris)
Date: 1919
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Quote from Paul Poiret – “It was my inspiration of artists, in my dressing of theatrical pieces, that I served the public of my day.”

Le Bal
Paul Poiret (French, Paris 1879–1944 Paris)
Date: 1924
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“Am I a fool when I dream of putting art in my dresses, a fool when I say dressmaking is an art?” Poiret believed that an artist was someone who put himself into everything he did and he breathed his passion for fantasy and his rare individuality into each endeavour – writing, printing, theatrical, interior design, schemes for fabrics, perfumes, and design of dresses. (Text Source)

Bois de Boulogne

Paul Poiret (French, Paris 1879–1944 Paris)

Designer: Textile by Raoul Dufy (French, 1877–1953)

Date: 1919

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Paul Poiret, "Marrakech", 1924. Evening dress.
Satin silk embroidery blade silver, chinchilla fur, silk velvet.
© Photo Les Arts Décoratifs Les Arts Décoratifs Paris / Jean Tholanc © ADAGP, Paris.
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Designer: Paul Poiret, 1879-1944

Evening Dress
Medium: Polychrome brocade, gold lace
Date: c.1912

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View from the Back.

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“Arrow of Gold” Evening Dress by Paul Poiret, 1924-25, Paris

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Paul Poiret (1879 - 1944), " Samovar ". Evening dress, 1919-1920.

This dramatic gold and black evening dress, called 'Samovar', is

composed of a figure-hugging, low-waisted bodice attached

to a gathered lace skirt. The black bodice is embroidered with

radius gilt strip in meanders, and the machine-made lace skirt

is worn over a petticoat of two gilt and black tulle fabric.
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Paul Poiret (1879 - 1944), Mantle, ca. 1913.

Hand-sewn yellow and black wool cloth.

Victoria & Albert Museum © V & A Images.
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This mantle is made of bright yellow wool and lined with black cloth. Based on a deconstructed kimono, it is composed of two rectangles on the shoulders folded and joined on one side with a stylized bow. It illustrates how Poiret was ble to combine uncommon harmony with the bold colors of Fauvism, Cubism and the vision of the exoticism of Eastern garments. The striking costume of the Ballets Russes HAD made fashionable Fauvism.

This mantle was worn by Miss Emilie Grigsby (1876-1964) who was a wealthy independent American who cam to England from New York. She was living, established by writers Which was frequented and the military. She was regarded to be one of the great international beauties, with extremely pale, transparent skin and golden Almost hair. She was the subject of Frequently articles in the New York Times falling on the early 20th century. Her clothes Were Purchased from designers in London, Paris, and New York, and elegantly Demonstrated year avant-garde approach to style. While MOST of the clothes of hers Held by the Museum are from the 1920s, the collection includes aussi ag roup of 1910s clothes Such as this mantle associated with Paul Poiret, who was a personal friend of Emilie Grigsby.

Historical significance : This illustrates how mantle Poiret was ble to combine uncommon harmony with the bold colors of Fauvism, Cubism and the vision of the exoticism of Eastern garments.

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