Josephine Baker adored him. Cher would have loved him. Liberace would have hired him. He was George Barbier, the creator of flamboyant, glittering, over-the-top costumes for flamboyant, glittering, over-the-top people. Barbier's designs were visual glories, often adorned with paste jewelry, flowing...
[more]Josephine Baker adored him. Cher would have loved him. Liberace would have hired him. He was George Barbier, the creator of flamboyant, glittering, over-the-top costumes for flamboyant, glittering, over-the-top people. Barbier's designs were visual glories, often adorned with paste jewelry, flowing trains, and towering ostrich feathers. Barbier brought magic to his work.
A graduate of the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, the young Barbier became an illustrator for the fashion magazines that sprang up in 1912: the Journal des Dames et des Modes, the Gazette du Bon Ton, and Vogue. The concept of the fashion magazine as a tool for defining style was in its infancy. Through these publications, Barbier reached thousands of women. With free rein to draw his own designs, as well as illustrate the gowns of established couturiers, Barbier began to influence the look of the day. As women sought new freedom in the form of shorter and nonconstricting dresses, Barbier's designs kept step with them -- or stayed a step ahead.
The arrival of the Art Nouveau movement, with its organic and decorative forms, fostered Barbier's more flamboyant tendencies. Headdresses covered with faux diamonds and slinky silver lame gowns embroidered with vines characterized his idea of evening wear. Some of his drawings feature nearly nude models whose gauzy strips of clothing are held together by lattices of miniature pearls. Barbier did not design clothes for simple people. Though he never owned a design house, he dressed Paris for the wave of liberation and "folie" that swept the city at the dawn of the new century. Societal values changed, and Parisians saw the cracks in the edifice of their cultural structure. People wanted to be more outrageous, more fun, and more exuberant. George Barbier was the perfect visionary for this newfound extravagance.
After the interruption caused by World War I, the spirit of liberation returned with a vengeance. Barbier found that his outlandish styles were perfectly suited for theater and cabaret performances, and later for movies. He began making costumes for several theatrical groups around the city, including the famous Folies Berg'res. He went on to work with screen legend Rudolph Valentino, creating the entire wardrobe for his 1923 film "Monsieur Beaucaire". Critics agreed the plot was flat but the costumes were beautiful. Barbier had succeeded in upstaging the most famous movie star in the world without even appearing in the film.
When Barbier died in 1932, he was at the height of his innovative powers. He would remain a great influence on costuming around the world, with his styles appearing everywhere from Busby Berkeley musicals to Vegas floor shows. His glamorous gowns and headdresses have adorned women dressed by Bob Mackie, John Galliano, and other flamboyant stylists. Cher, honey, you owe it all to Barbier.
[show less]
