The King of Fashion! …& His Queen

To be sure, the work itself deserves its due. “The historic significance of Poiret’s work is breathtaking, and felt in fashion to the present day,” said Harold Koda, Curator in Charge of the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute. “Poiret pioneered a seductive modernity based on woman’s self confident femininity, and envisioned a ‘total lifestyle’ that extended from how she dressed and what fragrance she wore to how she decorated her home—an approach reflected in the strategies of many of today’s fashion houses.”

Poiret’s lifestyle approach centered around Denise’s powerful persona. And Denise, to be sure, was far from Chanel. She embraced color, not black, and more, not less. Poiret himself rigidly held onto such notions even when trends dictated differently. In 1922, when short hair and short dresses became famous by Chanel, Poiret rebelled showing dresses inspired by the buxom and curvaceous 1875-1890s. Key staff members fed up with his commitment to go against key trends defected to a rival house.

In 1928, not coincidently, the same year he divorced his wife, his house closed.

Today, we still draw from Poiret. His structural simplicity likely influenced Calvin Klein and Martin Margiela and his 1914 Le Lys Rouge Robe du Soir looks just like Hussein Chalayan. Poiret was the father of using actresses to advertise his work and strongly knew the power of the stage to influence the direction of fashion. His emphasis on platonic geometry is the same being shown on the fall 2007 catwalks. Poiret loved the architecture of a single piece of fabric. He waxed, “Am I a fool when I dream of putting art into my dresses?” He was no fool, but he would have done well to notice that his wife was wearing his artwork.

elizabeth@papierdoll.net

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Princess Diana Enjoyed Wearing Long-Johns

To be sure, the work itself deserves its due. “The historic significance of Poiret’s work is breathtaking, and felt in fashion to the present day,” said Harold Koda, Curator in Charge of the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute. “Poiret pioneered a seductive modernity based on woman’s self confident femininity, and envisioned a ‘total lifestyle’ that extended [...]

Princess Diana Enjoyed Wearing Lon-Johns

To be sure, the work itself deserves its due. “The historic significance of Poiret’s work is breathtaking, and felt in fashion to the present day,” said Harold Koda, Curator in Charge of the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute. “Poiret pioneered a seductive modernity based on woman’s self confident femininity, and envisioned a ‘total lifestyle’ that extended [...]

Italian Fashion House Fendi Wins Prestigious Award

To be sure, the work itself deserves its due. “The historic significance of Poiret’s work is breathtaking, and felt in fashion to the present day,” said Harold Koda, Curator in Charge of the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute. “Poiret pioneered a seductive modernity based on woman’s self confident femininity, and envisioned a ‘total lifestyle’ that extended [...]

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