Poiret - King of Fashion, Diaghilev, King of Theatre

Paul Poiret – King of Fashion

(Source: examiner.com) Poiret in his atelier

Poiret, who dubbed himself 'King of Fashion' helped to completely change the silhouette, and is credited with finally freeing women from the constricting s bend corsets and replacing them with looser fitting clothes; being one of the first to embrace drapery. his garments were theatrical, billowing creations which embodied his love of orientalism and costume. His clothes blurred the lines between costume and couture, and his forward thinking gave us garments such as the harem pants and hobble skirt.

(Source: pinterest) Paul Poiret's first ever creation - a red wool cape with a grey crepe de chine lining which received 400 orders. I think this shows the direction poiret was headed in – The shape is simple, and hangs well, but the fur trimming on the neckline, the deep almost Claret red and the soft crepe de chine give this a really luxurious feel – when the wearer walked, it would flow out around her, creating drama.


(Source: kci.or.jp) Silk satin and tulle dress with beaded embroidery and gold peplum - fitting in with the tea dress style, the detail on this is astonishing, almost as if it had been hand painted on. A little known fact about Poiret's work is that on every single thing he made, there would be a rose motif somewhere, if not as a design feature then hidden.

He blazed the trail for designers such as Coco Chanel and Ralph Lauren with both cosmetics and housewares lines in addition to his (at the time) worldly renowned fashion house – it was the first full lifestyle brand. He also shone light upon fresh new talent such as Elsa Schiaparelli and print maker Raoul Dufy. Poiret met his downfall when he refused to adapt to the changing fashion, not accepting the new streamlined shape which had replaced his lean and yet softly structured theatrical look. 



(Source:punmiris.com) The first scent from his cosmetics line named after his daughter Rosine. It is true that Chanel was the first designer to put her name on a perfume, as Poiret put his daughter's name on them.

(Source: v&a) Evening gown - This is one of Poiret's most well-known looks as it really shows off his love for oriental features (e.g. the kimono sleeves and wrap) and shows off the lampshade silhouette so strongly due to the structured nature of the garment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg0M1P8Mdew A video about an exhibition paying homage to Poiret's creations.

Poiret, along with those such as Vionnet is noted for being one of, if not the first to favour draping (the folding and draping over of materials onto a person or mannequin, held not by stitches but by things such as clasps, pins and sashes) over tailoring - . This was a huge step for fashion in favouring this over the traditional tailoring and corsetry which hugged the body and constricted it, thus embracing a new shape, freeing women and allowing his designs to flow, giving a whole new elegance to womenswear with a more covered up shape, with opulent embellishment.

(Source: debutanteclothing.com) Evening coat - the print is so eye catching and the fur trim creates an extravagant and lavish look.

(Source: nothing-elegant.blogspot.com) This dress is quite simple with just features of colour blocking and printing, yet the draped overlay gives it a feminine, elegant edge.

Poiret was well known for his theatrical, oriental designs - his most obvious and well known influence is from a production of La Perl, with costumes created by Leon Bakst and performed by the Ballet Russes, something Poiret saw on his travels to Moscow. The costumes were 100% orientalist – draped trousers, bold colours and hues, intricate beading and heavy applique, mostly these were influenced by the Indian area.

(Source: metmuseum.org) A costume influenced by the Ballet Russes which Poiret created for his wife to wear at their legendary costume party - he dressed as a sultan, and she a concubine. This is a stunning ensemble – the beading and teardrop cutwork teamed with the rich, shimmering material gives a sense of splendour and indulgence. I love how the fit of the garment changes; a scooped, tight fitting top half shows off the wearer’s chest, and as you go further down the garment it drapes and balloons, giving that lampshade silhouette Poiret is famed for.


(Source: rlaneri.tumblr.com) Costume Poiret designed for the Ballet \Russes - I adore how the beads drape like waterfalls, if someone was to go about their everyday life wearing this it wouldn't be at all practical but I think the beauty is astonishing


(Source:emblah13.wordpress.com)  Luisa Casati in Poiret - here you can see the structure and softness in his work - the hoops of the skirt contrast with the drape of the harem trousers.

The production he saw (La Perl) was directed by Serge Diaghilev, who was highly influential in the arts world.


(Source: Wikipedia) Serge Diaghilev himself.

His company the Ballet Russes (1909-1929), was seen as the most famous and best Ballet Company of the 20th century, and their productions were ground breaking in both concept and execution.  The company was made up of some of the best russian dancers - Anna Pavlova for example, one of the most famous ballerinas in the world was one of the dancers.


(Source: russianballethistory.com) Promotional poster for the Ballet Russes - the poster in itself is dynamic and has a really lovely sense of movement so that hints heavily at the feel gained from actually watching the show



(Source: artsalive.ca) Dancer Serge Lifar in costume for the production of Icare



(Source: thebestofhabibi.com) Anna Pavlova, the 'most celebrated' ballerina of all time in the production of Cleopatra. She moved with such poise and love for dance, it could be enough to bring many people to tears. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMEBFhVMZpU (A video of her signature dance, the dying swan).

 It promoted some of the most innovative young designers and artists by having them collaborate, be it set design, costume, music - the whole company was a platform for the new and exciting. Among the collaborators were Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Coco Chanel, Claude Debussy and Igor Stravinsky. 


(Source: thecultureconcept.com) Costume for the Ballet Russes by Henri Matisse - this is simple but creates an optical illusion, I think this may be a perfectly abstract take on the zebra due to the ears at the top.


(Source: v&a) Costumes for the Ballet Russes by Coco Chanel


(Source: tyrannyofstyle.com) Costume design and costume by Pablo Picasso - I think this shows that fashion can be, and in its essence is, art. The design itself could belong in a gallery and so having it perfectly translated to fabric is something really worthy of note.



(Source: nga.gov.au) Leon Baskt costume for the blue god for the production of La Perl


(Source: wordpress.com)Promotional poster for this production.

It brought Russian tradition to the western world, and with oriental and other eastern influences, further increased the western world's obsession with beauty from further afield. The costumes were spectacular, influencing fashions in Paris and in turn everywhere else.