Paul Poiret Overview

Paul Poiret was born on April 20th, 1879 to a cloth merchant in the neighborhood of Les Halles, Paris. When Poiret was a teenager he took some of his sketches to Madame Cheruit, a dressmaker, who purchased a dozen from him.... [more]

Paul Poiret was born on April 20th, 1879 to a cloth merchant in the neighborhood of Les Halles, Paris. When Poiret was a teenager he took some of his sketches to Madame Cheruit, a dressmaker, who purchased a dozen from him. He continued to sell his sketches until he was hired by Jacques Doucet in 1896. Later he moved to the House of Worth. He was only there for two years, but working with Worth (the House of Worth began with Charles Frederick Worth, noted as the first official designer) is what helped to establish Poiret's reputation as the harbinger of modernity in fashion design. Poiret embraced modern culture drawing connections between the mass-consumed pleasures of the city and a conception of what constituted fashionable dress. Poiret could not sew, but he had a remarkable talent for draping and decorating textiles in a dramatic style, which won him the attention of many. While working under Doucet, he dressed actresses such as Sarah Bernhardt. Poiret began an intimate relationship with another theatrical client, an operetta star from New York, which eventually ended his career at Doucet. He designed his lover's wardrobe in secret allowing her to have it made by another dressmaker when Poiret's designs actually belonged to Doucet. The issue of copyright undermined his professional advancement, however the scandal did highlight the increasing importance placed on artistic authorship and how central the idea of the designer had become in the fashion industry. Poiret departed from the convential dress of the era before. He emphasized vibrant colors, drapery, and feminine freedom from constricting clothing. The new developing aesthetic changed from the corseted "S" curve to a more simplified, linear silhouette. This new silhouette reflected the Art Nouveau interpretation of the female form, which challenged sexual preconceptions. Poiret was revolutionary in introducing comfort and simplicity to fashion. He invented the sheath and the sack dress. He introduced the first couture trousers, known as "pantaloons". The pantaloons were worn with a gown or suit for day and as a dhoti worn under a lampshade tunic for evening. Poiret claimed to have "single-handedly" released women from the corset, however designers such as Madeleine Vionnet and Mariano Fortuny were delivering collections of simpler dress as well. Though most of Poiret's designs were seen as liberating and he did free the bust, his famous "hobble skirt", which was a vertical, tight-bottomed style confined women to taking mincing steps. The inspiration for Poiret's hobble skirt came from his fascination with the imaginary Orient. The splendor and refinement of the Orient enthralled Poiret and concieved itself into his work. His own image was modeled after the sultan in "The Thousand and One Nights". Poiret did greatly contribute to the modernization of the fashion industry through his process and promotion of design. His inspiration for his clothing was much more radical, exotic, and provocative then his predecessors. His designs reconfigured elements from the Far and Middle East, India, eastern and central Eurupe, avant-garde contemporary painting, and theater. In his mansion on avenue d'Antin, Poiret held fancy dress events to showcase his creations. Poiret understood that he was selling a fantasy by allowing the public to see how extravagant his own lifestyle was. Poiret's own interpretation of couture was one of fashion as a dream. Poiret had an acute uderstanding of desire. He navigated himself across many disciplines of media, dedicating himself to painting and architecture and incorporating these disciplines into his work. He moved through many artistic circles and collected their work. He visited many art galleries and felt very connected to his fellow artists saying, "I have always liked painters. It seems to me that we are in the same trade and that they are my colleagues." Poiret shared similarties to painters such as Francis Picabia, Picasso, Matisse, Rouault, and Andre Derain, whom he also collected from. Poiret was a member of the Societe des Artistes Decorateurs founded in 1901 for the promotion and display of modern French art. The revolution that Poiret began eventually died with the birth of Chanel in the 1920's. Chanel offered to women a functional, elegant, uniform dress that became more practical then Poiret's theatrical, time-consuming dress. Poiret eventually fell into debt, losing his collection of modern paintings, his mansion, and his opportunity. Nearly destitute, Poiret died in Paris in 1944. Though there is always a market for practical dress, such as the "little black dress", Poiret saw the charm in turbans, feathers, extravagance, the kimono, sheaths, and dress that ascribed to a girl with patience and the liesure to reinvent herself. [show less]