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The Metropolitan Museum, May 9 – August 5, 2007
by Elizabeth Gariti
There’s nothing as interesting as a collection of items that tell the tale of early Modernism. They are historically revealing, but not from so far back in time that you can’t relate to them. These items are tangible, allowing you to reach back and almost touch them—letting you turn the pages back to another era.
The Poiret: King of Fashion exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum is a glistening example of this kind of collection. Paul Poiret was the pre-World War I couturier largely responsible for liberating women from the corset and introducing the lines and sillouettes that still exist in fashion today.
“The historic significance and influence 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.”
The display of 50 ensembles of dresses, coats, shoes, hats, undergarments and ‘lifestyle’ items like perfume bottles and fans is the first major museum exhibition of Poiret’s work in over 30 years.
Presented in a series of tableaux, the ensembles highlight the multiple facets of Poiret’s prolific inventiveness—including the beauty of draped, unstructured fabrics and vibrant colors to his fascination with the Ballets Russes, Orientalism, the craftsmanship of the Wiener Werkstätte and the mysteries of The 1001 Nights. All are complemented by illustrations, furniture and examples of the decorative arts of the era. The core of the exhibition is a group of items the Metropolitan acquired in the 2005 auction of the private collection from Poiret's estate, many of which have never been photographed or put on public display.
The exhibition is a journey through clothing that is richly opulent in fabric, materials and colors: kid leather lace, gold lace trim, silk floss embroidery, purple chiffon, ivory silk tulle, pink linen, orange silk crepe. . . through clothing that is carefully hand-crafted, yet look surprisingly like what women wear today.
| Take for example the Persane Evening Ensemble worn by Denise Poiret in 1924: green silk satin with silver filé brocade, silver lamé and silver braid embroidery. The top has the shape, neckline and pattern of the “Indian-type” clothing that’s very popular now, but is an example of Poiret’s experiments with Orientalism, adapting styles of the Middle, Near and Far East. | Then, there is the ‘Feuille d’Automne’ Day Ensemble worn by Denise Poiret in 1916: a blouse of orange silk crepe with an ivory silk crepe collar; skirt of printed silk; stole of sable fur, which, minus the stole, looks somewhat like the dress-down attire of today’s Business Casual. |  |  |
Also, Denise Poiret, Poiret’s wife and muse was a brilliant stylist in the way she combined accessories, and she was the inspiration for Poiret to introduce “high, wrinkled morocco boots” into the world of modern fashion. Styled with a low heel and a square toe, she wore them “wrinkled on the legs, nearly to the knees”, paving the way for the myriad of boot-skirt combinations women wear today.Poiret is known for originating such startling creations as “hobble” skirts, “harem” pantaloons, and “lampshade” tunics, but his dressmaking techniques also brought many of today’s contemporary shapes, necklines and silhouettes to the fore. His approach to dressmaking relied on the skills of draping rather than those of tailoring and pattern making. Clothe was cut along straight lines and constructed of rectangles.
Results of this approach include the modern-day chemise—the straight t-shaped dress that is a fashion staple; simple shirtwaists with detailing confined to the bodice and sleeves; kimono necklines, and the modern-day caftan. Poiret was one of the first to insist that the truly stylish woman should wear what suits her best, even if it’s in contradiction to current trends.
Every item in the exhibition is exquisite. Highlights include:
- The Opera Coat, 1912: a confection of yellow and pale blue silk satin, black silk velvet, turquoise silk satin with gold and silver filé crocheted overlay, and silver filé trapunto half-belt and trim
- A black-silk and wool-rep-weave coat with white kid cutwork appliqué and white broadtail trim
- The ‘Sorbet’ Evening Ensemble, 1913—an example of a costume worn for the “The Thousand and Second Night” party—skirt of black satin; hooped tunic of cream and black satin with red, pink, green, and mauve glass bead embroidery
- Poiret Le Bal Shoes, 1924: shoes over-embroidered in colored seed beads in a pattern that depicts Paul Poiret on one foot and Denise Poiret on the other
- Fancy Dress Costume, 1911: a seafoam green silk gauze, silver lamé, blue foil and blue and silver coiled cellophane cord appliqué, and blue, silver, coral, pink, and turquoise cellulose beading
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What is striking is the prime condition of the clothing. Nothing is faded, frayed or looks like it is falling apart—it all looks new. “Well, there was some restoration, like with the kid leather lace,” explained the Met’s Nancy Chilton, “But not much. We received the items in very good condition. Poiret’s descendents kept the clothes in two trunks in their attic. That preserved them, because they weren’t exposed to light.” Also, many of the items were acquired in the ‘50s and ‘60s so they went into preservation not long after they were made.
Paul Poiret is known in America as the “King of Fashion”. A French designer from the houses of Doucet and Worth, he was the oracle of women’s fashion in the 1910’s. Described as a “visionary artist-couturier”, he was one of the first to combine the fine arts and fashion, working with artists like Paul Iribe, Georeges Barbier and Georges Lepape. His wife, Denise, was his muse. Slim, youthful and uncorseted, she was the prototype of la garçonne. In 1911, Poiret became the first fashion designer to create and market his own perfume, Rosine, named after his oldest daughter. Also in 1911, he created a series of workshops for the production of fabrics, furniture, and a range of decorative objects as an extension of his overall aesthetic.
Examples of all are on display at the Metropolitan Museum through August 5, 2007 in Poiret: King of Fashion, a celebration of Poiret’s life and work, curated by the Museum’s Costume Institute.
Read a related review from Ellen Easton
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