Paul Poiret

 

Prior to Paul Poiret (1879-1944), there was the couture: clothing whose sole purpose was to be beautiful while also displaying wealth and taste. Paul Poiret introduced a new element of couture fashion; thanks to him, fashion can be a reflection of the times, an art form, and a grand entertainment. Many consider Poiret to be fashion's first genius.

Poiret was born into a solidly bourgeois Parisian family (his father, Auguste Poiret, was a respectable cloth merchant) and attended a Catholic lycée, finishing in his early teens as was typical. Following school, he began an apprenticeship with an umbrella maker, a mêtier that he disliked. It was possible to start a couture career by shopping around one's drawings of original fashion designs at the time. These were purchased by couture houses to be used as inspiration. Mme. Chéruit, a good but minor couturière, bought a dozen of Poiret's designs, which gave him his first boost. He was still a teenager when he started working for Jacques Doucet, one of Paris' most prominent couturiers, in 1896.

Doucet sold 400 copies of one of Poiret's first designs, a simple red cape with gray lining and reversible. In four years, the inexperienced designer rose through the ranks to become the head of the tailoring department. His greatest success was creating an evening coat for the great actress Réjane to wear in the play Zaza. The stage was where fashion could make the biggest impact back then, and Poiret made sure to design something eye-catching: a mantle of black tulle over black taffeta painted with large-scale iris by a well-known fan painter. Then, while working on the play L'Aiglon, starring Sarah Bernhardt, Poiret snuck into a dress rehearsal where his scathing critique of the sets and costumes was overheard by the playwright, costing him his job. (The remarks could not have offended Madame Bernhardt, as he dressed her for several films in 1912.) He served his military service the following year before joining Worth, the top couture house, as an assistant designer in 1901. There, he was assigned as a sous chef to create what Jean Worth (grandson of the founder) referred to as "fried potatoes," which served as a side dish to Worth's main course of lavish evening and reception gowns. Poiret was in charge of the kind of serviceable, simple clothes needed by women who took the bus rather than sat in a carriage, and while he felt looked down on by his coworkers, his designs were commercial successes.

He opened his own couture house on Avenue Auber in September 1903. (corner of the rue Scribe). There, he quickly drew the patronage of former clients like the actress Réjane. In 1905, he married Denise Boulet, the daughter of a textile manufacturer, whose waiflike figure and unconventional appearance would influence his design style. Poiret moved to 37, rue Pasquier in 1906, and by 1909, he was able to relocate to quite grand quarters: a large eighteenth-century hôtel particulier at 9 avenue d'Antin (perpendicular to the Faubourg Saint-Honoré and known as Avenue Franklin-Roosevelt since World War II). The renovations were overseen by architect Louis Su, and the spectacular open grounds included a parterre garden. Poiret also bought two adjoining buildings on the Faubourg St. Honore and renamed them Martine and Rosine.

Les Robes of Paul Poiret

Poiret was an up-and-coming couturier until the October 1908 publication of Les Robes de Paul Poiret, and he was likely to take a place in the hierarchy as secure as Doucet or Worth. The limited edition deluxe album of Poiret designs as envisioned and exquisitely rendered by new artist Paul Iribe, on the other hand, would have far-reaching implications, elevating Poiret to a previously uncharted position as a daringly inventive designer and arbiter of taste. Until then, fashion presentation had been fairly straightforward: magazines showed clothes in a variety of media, depending on what was technically possible: black-and-white sketches, hand-colored woodblock prints or colored lithographs, and, in the case of the French magazine Les Modes, black-and-white photographs or pastel-tinted black-and-white photographs. The poses were typical of a photographer's studio, with models carefully posed against a muted background, with a vaguely landscape or interior feel.

Paul Iribe used the pochoir printing method, which produces brilliantly saturated areas of color, to juxtapose Poiret's graphically striking clothes against stylishly arranged backgrounds that included antique furniture, decorative works of art, and old master paintings. The colored dresses stood out against the black-and-white backgrounds. This innovative approach had a huge impact, not only on future fashion illustration and photography, but also on the relationship between art and fashion, possibly inspiring the launch of such exquisitely conceived publications as the Gazette du Bon Ton.

The gowns were equally newsworthy and influential. When Poiret debuted his lean, high-waisted silhouette in 1908, it was the first (but far from the last) time that a radically new fashion would be based on the past. The evening dresses have narrow lines, high waists, covered arms, and low décolletés. Their inspiration comes from both the Directoire and the Middle Ages. Poiret looked back to a time when revolutionary dress itself was referencing ancient times by abandoning the bifurcated figure of the turn of the twentieth century. Suddenly, the hourglass silhouette was out of style.

Poiret, Bakst and Orientalism

Poiret had a penchant for all things oriental, claiming to be a Persian prince in a previous life. Significantly, the first Asian-inspired piece he created while still at Worth was divisive. Confucius, a simple Chinese-style cloak, offended the occidental sensibilities of an important client, a Russian princess. It appeared shockingly simple to her grand eyes, like something a peasant might wear; when Poiret opened his own shop, such mandarin-robe-style cloaks would be best-sellers.

The year 1910 marked a turning point for Orientalism in fashion and the arts. The Ballet Russe performed Scheherazade at the Paris Opera in June, with sets and costumes designed by Leon Bakst. It had an immediate impact on the world of design. The daring color combinations and swirling profusion of patterns dazzled those who saw the production or Bakst's watercolor sketches reproduced in such luxurious journals as Art et Decoration (in 1911). Since the belle Époque was defined by the delicate, subtle tints of the impressionists, such a use of color would be considered groundbreaking.

Although color and pattern were the focus of attention, they served to obscure the most daring aspect of the Ballet Russe costumes: their sheerness (not to mention scantiness). Even in 1911, nipples can be seen through sheer silk bodices, as well as not just legs, but thighs in harem trousers. Male and female midriffs were completely exposed. Certain near-Eastern effects, whether inspired or reinforced by Bakst, became Poiret signatures, including softly ballooning legs, turbans, and the surplice neckline and tunic effect.

The cover of Les Modes for April 1912 featured a Georges Barbier illustration of two Poiret enchantresses in a moonlit garden, one dressed in the boldly patterned cocoon wraps for which Poiret would become famous throughout his career, the other in a soft evening gown with high waist, below-the-knee-length overskirt, narrow trailing underskirt, the bodice sheer enough to reveal the nipples.

The Poiret Rose

While some designers are associated with specific flowers (Chanel and the camellia, Dior and the lily-of-the-valley), no one can claim to have reinvented a flower in such a way that it is always associated with them. The Poiret rose (reduced to its simplest elements of overlapping curving lines) may have first appeared in the form of a three-dimensional silk chiffon flower sewn to Josephine's empire bodice, one of the 1907 dresses featured in the 1908 album Les Robes de Paul Poiret. Flat versions of the Poiret rose were embroidered in beads on the minaret tunic of the well-known 1913 dress Sorbet. Poiret's signature large and showy label also featured a rose.

While Poiret's claim to have single-handedly eradicated the Edwardian palette of swooning mauves may appear egotistical, given Bakst's enormous influence, his claims about abolishing the corset have more validity. Denise Poiret is dressed in a fluid slide of fabric in each of the numerous photographs of her; there is no evidence of the lumps and bumps of corsets and other underpinnings. Corsetry and sheerness are incompatible, and boning would interfere with Poiret's slim lines.

The Jupe-Culotte

During the production of his (extremely successful) second album of designs, Les Choses de Paul Poiret (1911), Poiret asked his most recent discovery, the artist Georges Lepape, to come up with a new look. Mme. Lepape drew her modern costume idea and tucked it into her husband's pocket. When Poiret inquired about the new idea, Lepape had to be reminded to seek it out. Poiret surprised the couple the next time they met with a mannequin wearing his version of their design: a long tunic with a boat neck and a high waist worn over dark pants gathered into ankle cuffs. As a result, several dress/trouser hybrids known as jupe-culottes appeared at the end of the album under the heading: Tomorrow's Fashions.

The jupe-culotte became a worldwide sensation. The Victorian era had cemented the sexes in rigid roles that were easily visible in their dress—men in the drab yet liberating uniform of business, and women in an almost literal gilded cage of whalebone and steel, brocade and lace. While Poiret's impulse appears to have been primarily aesthetic, the fact that it coincided with the suffragist crusade that picked up where Amelia Bloomer left off helped to bring about a significant change in how women dressed. For months, anything related to the jupe-culotte was front-page news. The jupe-culotte, in its most common form, was a kind of high-waisted evening dress with tunic lines revealing soft chiffon harem pants. It was wildly unmodern, requiring the assistance of a maid to get in and out of and utterly impractical for anything other than looking trendy. Poiret did design a number of more tailored versions, often with military details and his favorite checked or striped fabrics; these foreshadow (by about fifty years) the high-fashion trouser suit.

Martine School of Art

Poiret rose to international prominence in just five years. Another influential act had arrived. Martine, named after one of Poiret's daughters, opened on April 1, 1911 as a decorative art school. Poiret acknowledged being inspired by his 1910 visit to the Wiener Werkstätte, but his vision for Martine was one of a place where imagination could flourish rather than being disciplined in a particular style. The students were young girls in their early teens who had completed their traditional schooling. Their task was to sketch rough sketches while visiting zoos, gardens, the aquarium, and markets. Their drawings were then turned into decorative motifs. Poiret would invite artist colleagues and wallpaper, textile, or embroidery specialists for a kind of critique after completing a wall full of studies. The students were not only rewarded for their chosen designs, but they also had the opportunity to see their work turned into Martine wares such as rugs, china, pottery, wallpaper, textiles for interiors, and fashions. Many such items were displayed at the Salon d'Automne in 1912, and Poiret opened a Martine store at 107, Faubourg Saint-Honoré.

Within a few years, a typical Martine interior style had emerged, combining spare, simple shapes with large-scale native designs inspired primarily by nature. A 1914 bathroom used micro-mosaic tiles to create a continuous smooth expanse between the floor, sink case, and tub, punctuated by murals or tile panels patterned with stylized grapes on the vine. Martine departments could be found in stores all over Europe; while more decorative than what would become known as art deco and art moderne, Martine deserves an early place in the chronology of modern furniture and interior design.

Poiret also established a perfume company in 1911, naming it Rosine and locating it at the same address as Martine. Poiret's visionary aesthetic was ideal for the world of fragrances, and he was involved in every aspect of the bottle design, packaging, and advertising, including the Rosine advertising fans. He was also interested in new synthetic scent developments and in broadening the definition of fragrance by including lotions, cosmetics, and soaps. Couturiers like Babani, the Callot Soeurs, Chanel, and Patou were among the first to follow suit; thanks to Poiret, perfumes are still an important part of a fashion house's image (and business).

Poiret the Showman

Poiret's 1911 and 1914 promotional tours of Europe with models wearing his latest designs made a huge splash at a time when the runway had yet to be invented and clothes were shown on models in intimate settings in couture houses.

On June 24, 1911, the renowned 1,002-night ball was held in the avenue d'Antin garden, featuring Paul Poiret as sultan and Denise Poiret as the sultan's favorite in a jupe-culotte with a minaret tunic. Dunoyer de Segonzac was told to come dressed as Champagne, His Majesty's Valet, and Raoul Dufy as The King's Fool, according to the invitations. If one of the 300 guests arrived in Chinese (or, worse, traditional evening) attire, he or she was directed to a wardrobe room to be dressed in Persian style. Despite the fact that fancy dress balls had been popular for several decades, this one seems to have struck a chord; perhaps it was the first hugely luxurious (champagne, oysters, and other delicacies flowed freely) event staged by a creative person (in trade no less) rather than an aristocrat. Future fêtes, each with a carefully planned theme, fell short of the same level of excitement. Poiret's thoughts had shifted after the war to increasingly bizarre money-making schemes. After World War I, Poiret turned his garden into a nightspot, and then in 1921 it became an open-air theater, Oasis, with a retractable roof devised for him by the automobile manufacturer Voisin. This endeavor lasted six months.

His final truly memorable performance was at the 1925 Paris Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels. Rather than setting up a display in an official building, Poiret installed three barges on the Seine. Delices was a restaurant decorated with red anemones, Amours with blue Martine carnations, and Orgues was white with fourteen canvases by Dufy depicting regattas at Le Havre, Ile de France, Deauville, and races at Longchamps, as well as some of Poiret's last dress designs under his own label. His enthusiasm for ideas was clearly directed elsewhere than fashion. He also commissioned a merry-go-round on which to ride figures from Parisian life, including himself and his midinettes, or shop-girls.

The Poiret Milieu

Poiret's interest in fine and contemporary arts began when he was still quite young. Francis Picabia and André Derain, two of his artist friends, painted his portrait while they were both serving in the French army in 1914. His sisters included Nicole Groult, wife of modern furniture designer Andre Groult, and Mme. Boivin, a jeweler; another was a poet. Aside from discovering Paul Iribe and Georges Barbier, he resurrected Raoul Dufy's career by commissioning woodcut-based fabric designs from him, launching him on a long career in textile design while also revitalizing his paintings. Bernard Boutet de Monvel worked on a variety of early Poiret projects, including catalog copy for his perfume brochures. Erté saw (and sketched) Poiret's mannequins in Russia in 1911 when he was quite young; after emigrating to Paris, he worked as an assistant designer to Poiret from the beginning of 1913 until the outbreak of war in 1914. His illustrations accompanied Harper's Bazaar articles about Poiret fashion and reveal a signature Erté style that would not have developed without Poiret's inspiration. He also helped Madeleine Panizon, a Martine student who became a milliner, and discovered shoemaker Andre Perugia, whom he helped establish in business after World War I, launch their careers.

Poiret's Clientele

Poiret's clients were more than just professional beauties, clotheshorses, and socialites. Aside from the top actresses of his time, Réjane and Sarah Bernhardt, the entertainer Josephine Baker, and the celebrated Liane de Pougy, one of the last of the grandes horizontales, there were: the Countess Grefulhe, Marcel Proust's muse, and Margot Asquith, wife of the English prime minister, who invited him to show his styles in London, causing a political uproar for her (and her husband's). Nancy Cunard, an ivory bracelet-clad early twentieth-century style icon, recalled wearing a gold-panneered Poiret gown in 1922 at a ball where she was bored dancing with the Prince of Wales but thrilled to meet and chat with T. S. Eliot.

Helena Rubinstein, an international cosmetics entrepreneur, met Poiret as a young design assistant at Worth and followed him as he struck out on his own. In 1913, she was photographed in one of his daring jupeculottes, and in 1924, she wore a Poiret Egyptian style dress in her advertisements. Colette, the quintessential French author, was a client. Boldini created a chic swirl of Poiret and greyhounds for the Marchesa Casati. Peggy Guggenheim and Gertrude Whitney, both American art patrons, wore high bohemian Poiret, and Natasha Hudnut Rambova, herself a designer and the exotic wife of matinée idol Rudolf Valentino, went to Poiret for her trousseau.

Postwar Poiret

Poiret worked as a military tailor throughout the war, and while he occasionally made headlines with a design or article, when he was demobilized in 1919, he had to relaunch his fashion, decorating, and perfume businesses. His first postwar collection, shown in the summer of 1919, was well received, and fashion magazines such as Harper's Bazaar continued to feature his luxurious creations, which were typically made in vivid colors, lush-patterned fabrics, and lavishly trimmed with fur. Poiret's work was perfectly suited to the early 1920s. Most coats were cut on the full side with kimono or dolman sleeves, and the dominant silhouette was tubular and fairly long. Such silhouettes were ideal for displaying the magnificent Poiret decorations, which were either Martine-inspired or borrowed from indigenous clothing around the world. He continued to show previous greatest hits like jupe-culottes and dresses with minaret tunics on occasion. He left his grand quarters on the Avenue d'Antin in 1924, and moved to the Rond Point in 1925. He would leave that company in 1929.

Obscurity

By 1925, Poiret had begun to sound like a snob, railing against chemise dresses, short skirts, flesh-colored hose, and thick ankles in the same ranting tone that M. Worth had used to criticize Poiret's trouser skirt. He did poorly financially as well, and he sold his company in 1929.

Women's Wear Daily announced in 1931 that Paul Poiret was reentering the couture world under the business name "Passy Ten Seventeen." He told the paper that despite being barred from using his own name due to a legal agreement, he planned to print his photograph on his stationery because he presumably still owned the rights to his face. This business failed in 1932. After designing for department stores such as Liberty in London in 1933, he moved on to other projects such as writing (an autobiography titled King of Fashion) and painting. On April 28, 1944, he died of Parkinson's disease.

While Gabrielle Chanel is credited with being the first woman to live the modern life of the twentieth century (and thus design accordingly), it is Poiret who established the modern concept of a couturier as a wide-reaching arbiter. Aside from his specific fashion contributions, Poiret was the first to make fashion front-page news, collaborate with fine artists, develop fragrance lines, expand into interior design, and be known for his lavish lifestyle. He was also the first person to lose the right to his own name, which was ironic.

Poiret's early styles were radically simple, giving way to increasingly lavish "artistic" designs and showmanship. By 1913, Harper's Bazaar was looking back on his notable achievements, which included inventing the narrow silhouette, pioneering the uncorseted figure, doing away with the petticoat, and being the first to show the jupe-culotte and the minaret tunic. The fashion world's nostalgia for his accomplishments proved oddly prescient: his ability to transform how women dressed would pass with World War I.