thumb|upright|Poiret illustrations by [[Paul Iribe, 1908]]

upright|thumb|Poiret [[harem pants and sultana skirts, 1911]]

thumb|upright|Model in a Poiret dress, 1914

thumb|upright|Model in a Poiret suit, 1914

Alexandre Paul Poiret (; 20 April 1879 – 30 April 1944) was a French fashion designer and master couturier during the first two decades of the 20th century. He was the founder of his namesake haute couture house.

Early life and career

Poiret was born on April 20th 1879 to a cloth merchant in the working class neighbourhood of Les Halles, Paris. His older sister, Jeanne, would later become a jewellery designer. Poiret's parents, in an effort to rid him of his natural pride, apprenticed him to an umbrella maker. His first design, a red cloth cape, sold 400 units. Poiret made his name with his controversial kimono coat and similar, loose-fitting designs created specifically for an uncorseted, slim figure.

Poiret's house expanded to encompass interior decoration and fragrance. In 1911 Poiret unveiled "Parfums de Rosine" with a flamboyant soiree held at his palatial home, attended by the cream of Parisian society and the artistic world. Poiret fancifully christened the event "la mille et deuxième nuit" (The Thousand and Second Night), inspired by the fantasy of a sultan's harem. His gardens were illuminated by lanterns, set with tents, and live, tropical birds. Madame Poiret herself luxuriated in a golden cage. Poiret was the reigning sultan, gifting each guest with a bottle of his new fragrance creation, appropriately named to befit the occasion, "Nuit Persane." His marketing strategy, played out as entertainment, became the talk of Paris. A second scent debuted in 1912 – "Le Minaret," again emphasizing the harem theme.

In 1911, publisher Lucien Vogel dared photographer Edward Steichen to promote fashion as a fine art in his work. Steichen responded by snapping photos of gowns designed by Poiret, hauntingly backlit and shot at inventive angles. According to historian Jesse Alexander, the occasion is "now considered to be the first ever modern fashion photography shoot," in which garments were imaged as much for their artistic quality as their formal appearance. A year later, Vogel began his renowned fashion journal La Gazette du Bon Ton, which showcased Poiret's designs, drawn by top illustrators, along with six other leading Paris designers – Louise Chéruit, Georges Doeuillet, Jacques Doucet, Jeanne Paquin, Redfern, and the House of Worth. However, notable couture names were missing from this brilliant assemblage, including such major tastemakers as Lucile, Jeanne Lanvin and the Callot Soeurs.

In 1911, Poiret launched the Les Parfums de Rosine, a home perfume division, named for his first daughter. Henri Alméras was employed as a perfumer by Paul Poiret as of 1923, though certain sources suggest he had worked there since 1914.

Also in 1911, Poiret launched the Les École Martine, a home decor division of his design house, named for his second daughter. The establishment provided artistically inclined, working-class girls with trade skills and income.

In 1911 Poiret leased part of the property at 109 Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré to his friend Henri Barbazanges, who opened the Galerie Barbazanges to exhibit contemporary art. The building was beside Poiret's 18th century mansion at 26 Avenue d'Antin. Poiret reserved the right to hold two exhibitions each year. One of these was L'Art Moderne en France from 16 to 31 July 1916, organized by André Salmon.

Collapse of the Poiret fashion house

thumb|Paul Poiret in 1918, sailing to New York with France Martano (his top designer), ship captain and others.

Early in World War I, Poiret left his fashion house to serve the military.

  • Toute La Foret (early 1900s)
  • Chez Poiret (1912)
  • La Rose De Rosine (1912)
  • Fan Fan La Tulipe (1912)
  • Le Minaret (1913)
  • Nuit De Chine (1913)
  • Borgia (1914)
  • Le Sang Français (1915)
  • Le Fruit Défendu (1918)
  • Aladin (1919)
  • Pierrot (1919)
  • La Coupe D'Or (1919)
  • Sakya Mouni (1922)
  • Arlequinade (1923)
  • Coeur En Folie (1925)
  • Coup De Foudre (1925)
  • Le Balcone (1920s)
  • Le Bosquet D'Apollon (date unknown)

Relaunch Parfums de Rosine Fragrances

The Les Parfums de Rosine brand was brought back in 1991 by perfume conoisseur Marie-Hélène Rogeon whose grandfather had worked for Poiret with new fragrances created by François Robert.

Modern creations include:

  • La Coupe d'Or
  • La Rose de Rosine
  • Le Muguet de Rosine
  • Rosine Mea Culpa
  • Rose d'Homme

Aesthetic and legacy

Poiret's major contribution to fashion was his technique of draping fabric, an alternative to the more popular tailoring and use of patterns. Poiret was influenced by both antique and regional dress, and favoured clothing cut along straight lines and decorated with rectangular motifs. Poiret was not the only one responsible for the change in women's supportive garments, however, and the diminished role of corsetry was a result of various factors. Poiret is often described as an Orientalist, and his creations often drew inspiration from various Eastern styles which were at odds with other fashionable Edwardian modes. In 1911, he held an extravagant fancy-dress ball, The 1002nd Night, inspired by the tales of the One Thousand and One Nights, to which he dressed as a sultan bearing a whip and encouraged guests to dress in Orientalist styles, including harem pants and "lampshade" tunics similar to the one worn by his wife.

thumb|Paul Poiret and his wife at 'The 1002nd Night' fancy-dress ball, in which guests were expected to dress in Orientalist fashion

In May 2005, the fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa exhibited Denise Poiret's wardrobe in a show called "Free Creativity" (La Création en Liberté) in his showroom before it was auctioned. Denise Poiret's personal sartorial collection broke sales records: in particular, an auto coat that Paul Poiret had designed for her in 1914 went under the hammer for 110,000 Euros.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York purchased many pieces at this auction sale, which was the core of the first American retrospective on the dressmaker from May to August 2007, entitled Paul Poiret: King of Fashion.

In 2011, this show traveled to the Kremlin in Russia to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of Paul Poiret's visit to Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

Additionally, Poiret's perfumes, the Parfums de Rosine, are preserved in several cultural institutions, including the Osmothèque in Versailles.

In 2013, the Musée International de la Parfumerie in Grasse showcased the pioneering perfume branch of Poiret in an exhibition entitled Paul Poiret: Couturier Perfumer.

Personal life

In 1905, Poiret married Denise Boulet, a provincial girl; they would later have five children together. The right to use the brand name was then sold to the South-Korean fashion and luxury conglomerate Shinsegae Internationalin 2015.

In 2018 Shinsegae officially confirmed the relaunch of Poiret from Paris with Belgian businesswoman Anne Chapelle at its helm, and Paris-based Chinese couturiere Yiqing Yin as its artistic director. However after only two seasons Shinsegae announced the departure of Yiqing Yin and pivoted the brand into primarily cosmetics and skincare.

See also

  • 1900s in fashion
  • 1910s in fashion
  • History of fashion design
  • List of Orientalist artists
  • Orientalism

References

  • Official website of Paul Poiret
  • Paul Poiret at Vogue
  • Paul Poiret, King of Fashion exhibition – The Metropolitan Museum of Art – New York City
  • Poiret garment photographs, 1925–1927 from The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library at the Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.