riGWS rOS ©3 S G The Metropolitan Museum of Art Communications Department 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028-0198 tel 212-570-3951 fax 212-472-2764 email communications@metmuseum. org

For Immediate Release Contact: Elyse Topalian or Nancy Aronson Chilton

"Poiret: King of Fashion" at Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute Celebrates Paul Poiret, Visionary Artist-Couturier of Early 20th Century

Gala Benefit May 7 with Honorary Chair François-Henri Pinault and Co-Chairs Cate Blanchett, Nicolas Ghesquière, and Anna Wintour

Exhibition dates: May 9-August 5, 2007 Exhibition location: Special exhibition galleries, first floor Press preview: Monday, May 7, 10 a.m.-l p.m.

Paul Poiret - who at the height of his career in pre-World War I France was the undisputed "King of Fashion" and whose sweeping vision led to a new silhouette that liberated women from the corset and introduced the shocking colors and exotic references of the Ballets Russes to the haute couture - will be celebrated with a landmark exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art from May.9 through August 5, 2007. He has not been the focus of a major museum exhibition in more than 30 years.

"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." Presented in a series of tableaux, the 50 ensembles on view will highlight the multiple facets of Poiret's astonishing inventiveness - including the beauty of his draped, unstructured fabrics and his fascination with the Ballets Russes, the Wiener Werkstätte, Orientalism and the 1001 Nights - and will be complemented by illustrations, furniture and examples of the decorative arts that explicate his expansive artistic vision. At the core of the exhibition will be a grouping of the stunning creations the Metropolitan acquired in the much- heralded 2005 auction of clothing from Poiret's estate.

The exhibition is made possible by Balenciaga. Additional support is provided by Condé Nast. (more) Paul Poiret (1879 - 1944) Page 2 To celebrate the opening of the exhibition, the Museum's Costume Institute Benefit Gala will take place on Monday, May 7, 2007. François-Henri Pinault will serve as Honorary Chair of the Gala. Co-Chairs will be actress Cate Blanchett, Nicolas Ghesquière, Creative Director of Balenciaga, and Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue.

More than any other designer of the 20th century, Paul Poiret - who is credited both with liberating women by making the corset démodé and with restricting their gait with narrow-hemmed hobble skirts - elevated fashion to the status of art. Like the artists with whom he collaborated, Poiret's work was fueled by the dominant discourses of the day, including Classicism, Orientalism, Symbolism, and Primitivism. Known as the "King of Fashion" (the title of his 1931 autobiography), he introduced the vivid colors of the Fauvists and the exotic references of the Ballets Russes to the haute couture. Poiret's protean genius extended beyond fashion to the realms of art, theatre, architecture, and interior design. As well as discussing his design legacy, the exhibition will focus on Poiret's collaborations with such artists as Paul Iribe, Georges Barbier, and Georges Lepape. Poiret's designs will be presented in a series of vignettes evocative of the drawings of these artists for such fashion periodicals as Art, Goût et Beauté and La . In addition, two video installations will display animations showing the radical modernity of Poiret's dress construction techniques.

The exhibition will include several garments from the May 2005 Paris auction of the private collection of Poiret's descendants, many of which had never been photographed or put on public display. The Metropolitan Museum acquired more than 20 of these garments - which were made for Poiret's wife Denise, who was his muse and wore his designs without concession to prevailing tastes - at the auction.

While apprenticing in his teens to an umbrella maker, Paul Poiret entered the world of fashion when he sold some of his sketches to Madeleine Cheruit at her Paris fashion house. After stints with designers Doucet and Worth, he opened his own house in 1903 and was boosted by the patronage of Réjane, a famous actress of the period, among others. In his groundbreaking designs, he led the way to the chemise dress with his revival of Directoire silhouettes and his referencing of the simple cuts of ethnic costume. In 1911 he became the first fashion designer to create and market his own perfume, which he named after Rosine, 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. He and his wife were renowned for their glamorous excess and sumptuous entertaining, marked by fêtes such as the now-legendary "Thousand and Second Night" party in June 1911 - at which guests were required to wear appropriate costume. Poiret spent the last decade of his life in debt, having been superseded by other designers including and Jean Patou. As the (more) Paul Poiret Page 3 famous, and perhaps apocryphal, story is told, of the 1920s chance encounter between the "King of Fashion" and young Coco Chanel: Poiret inquired of the black-clad Chanel, "For whom, madame, do you mourn?" to which Chanel replied, "For you, monsieur."

Credits and Related Publication "Poiret: King of Fashion" is organized by Harold Koda, Curator in Charge, and Andrew Bolton, Curator, both of the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute. Additional support is given by Jean-Hugues de Chatillon, creative consultant for the exhibition. Animations are created by Softlab. Mannequin adaptations are by Beyond Design.

A book, Poiret, published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and distributed by Yale University Press, will accompany the exhibition, which will also be featured on the Museum's Web site (www.metmuseum.org).

The design for the 2007 Costume Institute gala benefit will be created by Jean- Hugues de Chatillon and Raul Avila.

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May 7, 2007

VISITOR INFORMATION

Hours Fridays and Saturdays 9:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m. Sundays, Tuesdays-Thursdays 9:30a.m.-5:30p.m. Met Holiday Mondays in the Main Building: February 19, May 28. July 2. September 3. October 8, 2007 Sponsored by Bloomberg 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. All other Mondays closed; Jan. 1, Thanksgiving, and Dec. 25 closed

Recommended Admission (Includes Main Building and The Cloisters on the Same Day) Adults $20.00, seniors (65 and over) $15.00, students $10.00 Members and children under 12 accompanied by adult free Advance tickets available at www.TicketWeb.com or 1-800-965-4827. For More Information (212) 535-7710; www.metmuseum.org

No extra charge for any exhibition. riGWS r©l©9S© The Metropolitan Museum of Art Communications Department 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028-0198 tel 212-570-3951 fax 212-472-2764 email [email protected]

For Immediate Release

Contact: Elyse Topalian Nancy Chilton

Poiret: King of Fashion

May 9-August 5, 2007

Gallery Texts Introduction A creative dressmaker is accustomed to foresee, and must be able to divine the trends that will inspire the day after to-morrow. He is prepared long before women themselves to accept the accidents and incidents that occur on the trajectory of evolution. Paul Poiret, The King of Fashion (1931 )

Every decade has its seer or sibyl of style, a designer who, above all others, is able to divine the desires of women. In the 1910s, this oracle of the mode was Paul Poiret, known in America as "The King of Fashion." Dress history credits Poiret with freeing women from corsets and with originating such startling creations as "hobble" skirts, "harem" pantaloons, and "lampshade" tunics. But these details have served to detract from Poiret's more significant achievements. Working with fabric directly on the body, Poiret pioneered a radical approach to dressmaking that relied on the skills of draping rather than those of tailoring and pattern making. Looking to antique and regional dress types, Poiret advocated clothing cut along straight lines and constructed of rectangles. It was an approach that effectively established the paradigm of modern fashion, changing the direction of costume history irrevocably.

Poiret's modernity, however, and its impact on modernism, that is to say "stylistic" modernism in its most restricted and traditional definition of an industrial, mechanical aesthetic, has been overlooked because of his narrative and decorative strategies. His orientalist sensibilities, expressed through his use of lavish materials, opulent embroideries, vivid color co-ordinations, and bold, emphatic silhouettes, have placed him outside of modernist discourse. But Poiret's modernity, expressed through the structural simplicity of his clothing, signifies a pivotal moment in the emergence of modernism. Equally significant is his vision of the modern woman, epitomized by his wife and muse, Denise. Slim, youthful, and uncorseted, she was the prototype of la garçonne. Poiret used her slender figure as the basis for his radically reductive designs. In 1913, he told Vogue, "My wife is the inspiration for all my creations, she is the expression of all my ideals." If Poiret was the prophet of modernism, Denise was its most compelling incarnation.

Photograph of Paul Poiret with his wife and muse, Denise, 1911

Poiret and The Art of The Fashion Plate Poiret's vision of modernity embraced not only fashion but also its representation. Early in his career, Poiret recognized the potential of fashion illustration to evoke the look, sense, and mood of his costumes in ways that photography could not. Working with artists associated with the avant-garde, Poiret created a number of limited edition deluxe albums in which the visual and the sartorial merged to create a unique and stylish brand of modernism.

In 1908 Poiret worked with Paul Iribe on Les robes de Paul Poiret, and in 1911 with Georges Lepape on Les choses de Paul Poiret. Reflecting the bold colors and abstract qualities of Poiret's fashions, both albums relied on the intricate stenciling technique known as pochoir, which involved hand-coloring, long considered impractical for fashion illustration. Shunning the stiff poses that were typical of fashion illustrations, Iribe and Lepape grouped their models in expressive combinations suggesting action, conversation, or introspection.

The albums inspired several luxurious periodicals, including Lucien Vogel's Gazette du bon ton. Modeled on Poiret's catalogues, it was illustrated with boldly colored pochoirs by a team of artists including Charles Martin, Georges Lepape, Simone A. Puget, André- Edouard Marty, and Jean Louis Boussingault. Poiret's fashions were featured in the Gazette from the outset, and were key to the journal's au courant sophistication. Typically, they were depicted in modern contexts such as the theatre, restaurant, or nightclub, underscoring the mutually reinforcing modernisms of Poiret's fashions and the Gazette 's illustrations.

Photograph of a pochoir taken from Paul Iribe's Les robes de Paul Poiret, 1908

Poiret and The Art of The Fashion Plate Georges Lepape (French, 1887-1971) Les choses de Paul Poiret, 1911 Album of hand-colored pochoirs The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library, Special Collections

Various Artists, including Simone A. Puget, Charles Martin (French, 1848-1934), Georges Lepape (French, 1887-1971), André-Edouard Marty (French, 1882-1974), Jean Louis Boussingault (French, 1883-1943) Gazette du Bon Ton, 1912-1925 Hand-colored pochoirs The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library, Special Collections

Poiret and The Houses of Doucet and Worth Poiret's induction to the couture began at the House of Doucet in 1898. Under the tutelage of its founder, Jacques Doucet, Poiret learnt many of the business strategies that were later to define his couture practice, including developing the patronage of actresses to advertise his fashions both on and off the stage. With his astute acumen for publicity, Poiret understood, almost instinctively, the power of the stage as an influence on the direction of fashion. After Poiret founded his own maison de couture in 1903, the theatre provided an opportunity for the couturier to introduce his more avant-garde designs into society.

During the two years Poiret worked at Doucet, he dressed many of the most famous actresses of the period, including Réjane and . When Poiret left Doucet and began working for the House of Worth in 1901, both actresses continued to patronize him, as they did when he opened his own atelier two years later. It was while he was at Worth that Poiret's reductive approach to construction, with its emphasis on platonic geometry, began to emerge. Inspired by the essential flatness of the kimono, Poiret created a mantle of black wool with Chinese-style embroidery constructed from one large rectangle. Although its structural simplicity proved too shocking for Worth's royal clients, the mantle later became the model for a series of cloaks entitled 'Confucius.' The version on display, called 'Révérend' and dating to 1905, was especially popular. Worn in a photograph of the British actress and courtesan Lillie Langtry, it is the earliest surviving example of Poiret's concept of dress based on geometric lines and flat construction.

Photograph of Lillie Langtree wearing the 'Révérend' coat, 1905

Poiret and The Houses of Doucet and Worth 'Révérend' Coat worn by Jeanne Boivin-Poiret, 1905 Red wool and ivory silk damask with red silk floss embroidery Courtesy of Galliera, Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris

Video Animation Poiret once ruefully admitted that he could not sew and was thus unable to fully control all aspects of his art. However, it was this very absence of training in tailoring and dressmaking that facilitated the couturier's audacious technical advances.

This coat, which is called 'Paris' and dates to 1919, exemplifies Poiret's conception of dress as a three dimensional form that maintains the integrity of its two dimensional fabric. As the video reveals, it is constructed of one length of silk velvet that has been twisted into shape without resorting to any cutting to form the apertures for the sleeves or open front. Devoid of any decoration, except for the placket at the hipline that anchors the loop and button closure, it is a masterwork of modernist simplicity and structural ingenuity.

Poiret designed the coat for his wife, Denise, who was photographed wearing it like a great wrap with a short evening dress called 'Faune'. While the dress does not appear to have survived - it was an astonishing combination of gold lamé and black monkey fur interspersed with gilt military fringe - Denise Poiret's coordination suggests that 'Paris' was among the more exotic evening wraps in her wardrobe.

Photograph of Denise Poiret wearing the 'Paris' coat with the 'Faune' dress.

Video Animation by Softlab Pattern Drawing by Jessica Regan

Video Animation 'Paris' Evening Coat worn by Denise Poiret, 1919 Brown silk velvet with placket of red and blue wool and couched silver gilt cording Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2005 (2005.207) Poiret and Raoul Dufy In his memoir The King of Fashion (1931 ), Poiret wrote "Am I a fool when I dream of putting art into my dresses, a fool when I say dressmaking is an art? For I have always loved painters, and felt on an equal footing with them. It seems to be that we practice the same craft, and that they are my fellow workers." Dismissing the sibling rivalries that have always dogged the fine and applied arts, Poiret believed that art and fashion were not simply involved but indivisible. This belief was central to Poiret's vision of modernity, which, to a large extent, was achieved through his deployment of art discourse.

As well as presenting himself as an artist and patron of the arts, Poiret promoted his fashions as unique and original works of art in and of themselves. He did this by marshaling the visual and performing arts, and by working with artists associated with avant-garde modernism. Among Poiret's various collaborations, the most enduring was with Raoul Dufy, whose career as a textile designer he helped launch. Dufy's flat, graphic patterns were ideally suited to Poiret's planar, abstract designs, a fact that is palpable in such signature creations as 'La Perse' coat, 'La Rose d'Iribe' dress, and the 'Bois de Boulogne' dinner dress, which is made from a fabric that Dufy designed in conjunction with the silk manufacturer Bianchini-Férier.

Dufy's boldly graphic designs reflected Poiret's preference for the artisanal. The postwar embrace of an industrial and mechanical modernity was antithetical to Poiret. However, in the years before the war, the art of the workmanlike, such as Dufy, or the self- schooled, such as Henri 'Le Douanier' Rousseau, whom Poiret so admired that he created a dress, 'Homage à Rousseau,' in his honor, was seen as modern in the repudiation of Belle Époque decadence and sophistication.

Photograph of a mannequin, or possibly Denise Poiret, wearing the 'La Perse' coat, 1911

Poiret and Raoul Dufy 'La Perse' Coat worn by Denise Poiret, 1911 Textile design by Raoul Dufy (French, 1877-1953) Ivory and blue-black block-printed cotton velvet with brown rabbit fur trim Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2005 (2005.199)

Atelier Martine (French, founded 1911) Pair of Sconces, early 20th century Porcelain Courtesy of the Collection of Karl Lagerfeld

"Bois de Boulogne' Dinner Dress worn by Denise Poiret, 1919 Textile design by Raoul Dufy (French, 1877-1953) Textile manufacture by Bianchini-Férier (French, founded 1880) Printed polychrome silk, black silk tulle, and black silk broadcloth Milla Davenport and Zipporah Fleisher Fund, 2005 (2005.197a-c) 'La Rose d'Iribe' Day Dress worn by Denise Poiret, 1913 Textile design by Raoul Dufy (French, 1877-1953) Purple silk printed with white rose motifs, and blue black silk velvet Milla Davenport and Zipporah Fleisher Fund, 2005 (2005.198a, b)

'Homage à Rousseau' Evening Gown, ca. 1910 Black silk satin, black silk georgette, and black crêpe de chine with pearl, seed bead, rhinestone, and silk floss embroidery Courtesy of The Museum of the City of New York, Gift of Mrs. Henry Clews [52.35.3]

Poiret, Paul Iribe and Georges Lepape Of all his collaborations with artists, Poiret was proudest of his introduction of Paul Iribe to a wider audience through the album Les robes de Paul Poiret (1908). Distributed without charge to Poiret's elite clientele, the album, like that of George Lepape's Les choses de Paul Poiret published three years later, was exhibited at the Galerie Barbazanges, a commercial gallery on the premises of Poiret's couture house. It was Iribe who designed Poiret's rose motif, as depicted in the dress 'La Rose d'Iribe,' and as used in the couturier's label.

In his memoirs, however, Poiret dismisses the suggestion that his collaborations with Iribe and Lepape implied that they were anything more than interpreters of his fully formed expressions. In his description of his relationship with the two artists, they emerge as disseminators of his designs, representing his works through their talents as illustrators, never as creators of the designs themselves. The reality, however, is likely to be much more complicated.

The charming renderings of Iribe in Les robes de Paul Poiret, and Lepape in Les choses de Paul Poiret (and later in the Gazette du bon tori) conveyed a contextual reality to Poiret's exquisite creations. Comparing extant costumes to their representation, however, often reveals that accuracy was sometimes sacrificed for dramatic intention. Nevertheless, Iribe and Lepape's subtle stylistic elisions and exaggerations imbue Poiret's fashions with a beauty less seductively conveyed by the harsher documentary evidence of photography.

Photograph of a pochoir taken from Paul Iribe's Les robes de Paul Poiret, 1908

Poiret, Paul Iribe and Georges Lepape Georges Lepape (French, 1887-1971) Serais-je en avance? from Gazette du Bon Ton, 1912 Gouache on paper Collection of Karl Lagerfeld

Opera Coat, 1912 Yellow satin, pale blue silk overlaid with gold filé embroidery, and black silk velvet Purchase, Irene Lewisohn Trust Gift, 1982 (1982.350.2) José Zamora (Spanish, 1890-1971) Program cover for Le Minaret at the Théâtre de la Renaissance, 1913 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library, Special Collections

'1811' Evening Gown worn by Denise Poiret, 1907 Pink and purple striped silk and purple chiffon with gold lace trim Courtesy of Musée de la Mode et du Textile [UF 64-46.1]

Chest of drawers, ca. 1914 Paul Iribe (French, 1883-1935) Gabon ebony, fruitwood, amaranth, marble, and black glass Courtesy of Anthony DeLorenzo

Paul Iribe (French, 1883-1935) Les robes de Paul Poiret, 1908 Album of hand-colored pochoirs The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library, Special Collections

Classicism Poiret's radical approach to dressmaking was inseparable from his ideas of the body, which found their ultimate expression in his advocacy of an uncorseted figure. While Poiret was not the only designer to promote an integrated and intelligible corporeality, he was among the first to link it to the naturalism of Greco-Roman dress.

The first display of a classical sensibility appeared in Poiret's fashions of 1906, the year that Poiret abandoned the corset. However, as seen in his '1811' dress, which reflects the proportions and cylindrical silhouette of the Directoire, it was classicism through the lens of the late eighteenth century. The same allusive rather than academic classicism is manifested in Poiret's 'Théâtre des Champs-Elysées' evening dress, which was worn by Denise Poiret to the premiere of Igor Stravinsky's Sacre du Printemps, marking the opening of the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées on April 1, 1913.

Denise Poiret's slender figure was the perfect canvas for Poiret's classicizing tendencies. Unlike the odalisques of the Belle Époque, her svelte, gamine beauty adhered to the more active body type that was emerging in the early twentieth century. Among the dresses of more explicit classical allusion that Poiret made for his wife was a series of provocative baby-doll-length nightdresses. With their one-shouldered necklines, they cite the bareness of the Amazon, who would allow one shoulder of her tunic to fall open, exposing her breast. These 'classical' negligees also recall the costume Denise wore to Poiret's classically inspired party, 'Les Festes de Bacchus' held on June 20, 1912. Made from a fabric by Mariano Fortuny, a designer whom Poiret promoted in his maison de couture, Denise Poiret, in the role of Juno, Queen of the Gods, represented both the ideal of classical beauty and the paradigm of the modern woman.

Photograph of Paul and Denise Poiret in their costumes for 'Les Festes de Bacchus,' June 20, 1912.

Classicism 'Théâtre des Champs-Elysées' Evening Gown worn with 'Espérance' Headdress, 1913 Gown of ivory silk damask and ivory silk tulle over-skirt with rhinestone embroidery; headdress of green and black silk gauze with rhinestone embroidery Paul D. Schurgot Foundation Fund, 2005 (2005.193a-e)

Hand Mirror, ca. 1925 Armand-Albert Râteau (French, 1882-1938) Bronze, ivory, mirror glass Gift of the artist, 1925 (25.170)

Vanity, ca. 1912 Armand Albert Râteau (French, 1882-1938) Coral leather, gilt bronze, and glass Courtesy of Anthony DeLorenzo

Dress, ca. 1922-23 Navy and red block-printed silk faille Gift of Mrs. Muriel Draper, 1943 (C.1.43.85.2a, b)

Romanticism Poiret's Neoclassical Revival was marked by a pastoral quality and innocence. With the naturalism inspired by his dismissal of the corset as the basis of his designs, his work appears to have been infused with a Utopian optimism, epitomized in the dresses ' La Rosière' and 'Le Butard,' both worn by Denise Poiret. While inspired by Directoire gowns, they relate to the Romantic styles of the 1810s and 1820s. Rather than the deliberate classicizing overtones of the Directoire, the dresses allude to the Arcadian rusticity of the later period.

'Le Butard' was named after a folie called the Pavillon du Butard that had been built as a small hunting lodge for Louis XV in the woods of Fosses-Reposes, near St. Cloud, by the architect Ange-Marie Gabriel. In 1911, Poiret had rented the property and spent a great deal of money renovating it with the help of his friend Raoul Dufy. In naming the dress 'Le Butard,' Poiret infused it not only with a romantic but also a royalist narrative. Poiret's classicizing thematics were frequently identified with French national traditions.

Unlike many of Poiret's evening gowns, 'Le Butard' and 'La Rosière' conform to prevailing traditions of dressmaking. With their unfitted appearance, the structural detailing of the dresses is confined to the bodice and sleeves. In a sense, they are shirtwaists, with all the prim simplicity and naïve romanticism that form suggests. Photograph of the pochoir, 'Les cerises,' by Georges Lepape from Gazette du bon ton, May 1913.

Romanticism 'Butard' Day Dress worn by Denise Poiret, 1912 White linen with coral linen trim Milla Davenport and Zipporah Fleisher Fund, 2005 (2005.190a, b)

'Rosière' Day Dress worn by Denise Poiret, 1911 White linen with pink linen trim Catharine Breyer Van Bomel Foundation Fund, 2005 (2005.188)

Nightdress worn by Denise Poiret, ca. 1920 Pink cotton Catharine Breyer Van Bomel Foundation Fund, 2005 (2005.195)

Nightdress worn by Denise Poiret, ca. 1920 Pink cotton gauze Catharine Breyer Van Bomel Foundation Fund, 2005 (2005.196)

Nightdress Ensemble worn by Denise Poiret, ca. 1920 Orange silk crepe Catharine Breyer Van Bomel Foundation Fund, 2005 (2005.194a-c)

Rosine and Martine In 1911, Poiret expanded his principal business as a couturier to include perfume and interior design. Naming his perfume business Rosine, after his first daughter, and his interior design business Martine, after his second daughter, Poiret effectively invented the modern concept of "lifestyle marketing."

Poiret's diverse enterprises reflected his conviction in the synthesis and harmony of artistic practices. It was a belief that he shared with the Wiener Werkstätte, members of which advocated the notion of the Gesamtkunstwerk, or 'total work of art.' But while the Wiener Werkstätte tended to regard design as a means of social engineering and often imposed its own aesthetic preferences on its clients, for Poiret the total work of art was less a Utopian ideal than the physical expression of a personal business empire applied to the feminine spheres of haute couture, perfumes, and the decorative arts.

Like his fashions, Poiret upheld the allure of his Rosine and Martine products by highlighting their originality, uniqueness, and aesthetic qualities. His perfumes, for instance, which carried the poetic essence of his couture house, were presented in delicate flacons specially designed to harmonize with the scents they contained. As with his clothing, Poiret worked with artists and craftsmen in the design, packaging, and promotion of his perfumes, including Paul Iribe, Raoul Dufy, Georges Lepape, and, most consistently, the Atelier Martine. In their merging of artistry and enterprise, they represented miniature masterpieces of early-twentieth-century avant-garde artistic production.

Photograph of the actress Andrée Spinelly in the atrium of her apartment, which was designed by the Atelier Martine. The image appeared in a promotional brochure for Rosine perfumes, 1918.

Rosine and Martine Jean Badovici (Romanian, 1893-1956) Intérieurs français, 1925 Hand-colored pochoirs The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, The Abby and Mitch Leigh Foundation Gift, 2003(2003.610a-rr)

'Bouclier' Day Dress, 1925 Navy blue wool, red wool, and ivory cotton, with applied red ribbon and printed trompe l'oeil placket with button motif Gift of Mrs. Alfred Rheinstein, 1950 (C.I.50.117)

Vanity, ca. 1930 Jules Bouy (American, 1872-1937) Painted wood, mirror glass Gift of Juliette B. Castle and Mrs. Paul Dahlstrom, 1968 (68.70.19a-l)

Les Parfums de Rosine (French, founded 1911) Flacon for the perfume 'La Rose de Rosine' (1912) Glass, paper, and cotton Courtesy of the Collection of Christie Mayer Lefkowith

Les Parfums de Rosine (French, founded 1911) Group of fans, 1920-23 Courtesy of the Collection of Christie Mayer Lefkowith

Les Parfums de Rosine (French, founded 1911) Group of Flacons for the perfumes 'Fan Fan la Tulipe' (1912), 'Mam'zelle Victoire' (1915), and'Pierrot'(1919) Glass, paper, and cotton Courtesy of the Collection of Christie Mayer Lefkowith

Les Parfums de Rosine (French, founded 1911) Group of Flacons for the perfumes 'La Minaret' (1913), 'Nuit de Chine' (1913), 'Aladin' (1919), 'L'Orient' (1922), 'Sakya-Mouni' (1922), and '1925' (1925) Glass, paper, and cotton Courtesy of the Collection of Christie Mayer Lefkowith 11

Georges Lepape (French, 1887-1971) 'Vive la France,' 1917 Hand-colored lithograph Courtesy of the Collection of Christie Mayer Lefkowith

'Steppe' Jacket worn by Denise Poiret, 1912 Black wool with blue, gray, and white, silk floss embroidery and fox fur trim Catharine Breyer Van Bomel Foundation Fund, 2005 (2005.209)

'Mademoiselle' Day Dress worn by Denise Poiret, 1923 Black wool crepe, red wool broadcloth, and red, blue, green, and white striped wool twill Catharine Breyer Van Bomel Foundation Fund, 2005 (2005.210)

Atelier Martine (French, founded 1911) Table, ca. 1920 Blue and white painted wood Courtesy of the Collection of Karl Lagerfeld

Atelier Martine (French, founded 1911) for Les Parfums de Rosine (French, founded 1911) Group of vaporizers and cologne bottles, ca. 1913 Glass and enamel Courtesy of the Collection of Christie Mayer Lefkowith

Atelier Martine (French, founded 1911) for Les Parfums de Rosine (French, founded 1911) Group of fans, ca. 1912 Paper and wood Courtesy of the Collection of Christie Mayer Lefkowith

Les Parfums de Rosine (French, founded 1911) Flacon for 'Chez Poiret' (1912) Glass, paper, and cotton Courtesy of the Collection of Christie Mayer Lefkowith

Les Parfums de Rosine (French, founded 1911) Group of powder boxes, 1911-1925 Paper and cotton Courtesy of the Collection of Christie Mayer Lefkowith

Marie Vassilieff (French, born Russia, 1884) for Atelier Martine (French, founded 1911) Pierrot doll, ca. 1920 Silver lamé and black silk chiffon Courtesy of Alan R. Moss and Robert D. Walsh 12

Atelier Martine (French, founded 1911) Carpet, 1927 Multicolored wool pile in stylized floral design Courtesy of Alan R. Moss and Robert D. Walsh

'The Thousand and Second Night' Poiret's interest in / 'art de vivre found its most tangible expression in his highly theatrical costume parties. The most extravagant was 'The Thousand and Second Night,' which took place in the garden of his atelier on June 24, 1911, and which revealed the strong influence of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes on the designer's imagination. In his memoirs, Poiret dismissed any relationship between his work and the artistry of Diaghilev's talented designer, Léon Bakst. But the spectacular success of Scheherazade from One Thousand and One Nights a year before Poiret's lavish party makes clear that the designer was willing to parlay the excitement generated by the Russians to his own advantage.

Like Diaghilev's Scheherazade, Poiret's 'The Thousand and Second Night' party revolved around a fantastic evocation of the East. For the occasion, Poiret required his 300 guests to dress up in oriental costumes. Those who failed to do so were given the choice of leaving or outfitting themselves in Persian-style clothes designed by the couturier, including the highly controversial 'harem' trousers that formed part of his spring 1911 collection. Poiret thus used the occasion of a private party, staged as a cross between an elaborate fashion show and an extravagant theatrical performance, to promote his latest creations.

Denise Poiret, who played the role of the 'favorite' to Poiret's 'sultan,' endorsed her husband's 'harem' trousers by wearing them under a wired skirted tunic. Two years later, in 1913, Poiret launched this crinoline-hooped silhouette in a theatrical production of Jacques Richepin's historical drama, Le minaret, to be quickly followed in Poiret's fashion collections of the same year. A fancy-dress costume worn in the privacy of an exclusive party became the prototype for a 'minaret' or 'lampshade' tunic worn in a theatrical production. Thus publicized, the silhouette was then modified for the fashion public.

The 'Sorbet' ensemble, to which the illustrator Erte claimed authorship, was among the most popular of the silhouette's fashionable interpretations. Its signature rose motifs of 'caviar' seed beads were applied as silk-backed appliqués rather than embroidered directly on to the satin ground. This technique would have meant a shorter construction time and allowed for the disposition of the decorations over the tunic at the last minute, with the possibility of their placement contingent on the overall proportion of the garment. The bodice with its kimono neckline represents a stylistic feature typical of Poiret, while the underskirt, with its petal form, is a development of Poiret's iconic hobble skirt. 13

Photograph of Paul and Denise Poiret in their costumes for 'The Thousand and Second Night' party, June 24, 1911.

'The Thousand and Second Night' Fancy Dress Costume probably worn to "The Thousand and Second Night" party, June 24,1911 Green silk gauze and gold lamé with blue foil appliqué, and gold, blue, pink, coral, and turquoise celluloid bead embroidery Purchase, Irene Lewisohn Trust, 1983 (1983.8a, b)

Raoul Dufy (French, 1877-1953) Program for "The Thousand and Second Night" party, June 24, 1911 Hand-colored pochoir The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library, Special Collections

Les Parfums de Rosine (French, founded 1911) Flacon of 'Nuit Persane' given as a present to guests at 'The Thousand and Second Night' party, June 24, 1911 Glass Courtesy of the Collection of Christie Mayer Lefkowith

Fancy Dress Costume, 1914 Tunic of gold lamé and purple silk satin with faux pearl embroidery and black fur; hat of gold lamé with faux pearl embroidery and aigrette plume Courtesy of Kyoto Costume Institute [AC9330 96-15]

Fancy Dress Costume, 1913 Hooped tunic of black silk gauze with gold filé embroidery; harem pants of gold lamé Courtesy of Kyoto Costume Institute [AC9330 96-15]

'Sorbet' Evening Ensemble, 1913 Skirt of black satin; hooped tunic of cream and black satin with red, pink, green, and mauve glass bead embroidery Courtesy of Chicago Historical Society, Gift of Miss Anita Carolyn Blair [1958.182]

Jupe-Culotte Evening Gown, 1913 Black satin and green silk mousseline with gilt galloon fringe Courtesy of Galliera, Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris

Evening Gown, ca. 1913 Orange silk chiffon with gold filé and black silk floss embroidery Courtesy of Chicago Historical Society, Gift of Spencer H. Logan, Stuart Logan and Waldo H.Logan [1945.79] 14

Pair of Deer that flanked the entrance to Poiret's maison de couture on the avenue d'Antin, ca. 1890 Sabatino de Angelis (Italian) Bronze Courtesy of Alan R. Moss and Robert D. Walsh

Orientalism From just before World War 1 to the closure of his maison de couture in 1929, Poiret's strongest narrative thread was his fantasy of the seraglio and his orientalizing evocations of the Near, Middle, and Far East, that earned him the soubriquet 'Pasha of Paris.' For Poiret and other modernists, the imagery of Eastern cultures offered a freedom from the traditions and conventions of the West.

Poiret's orientalism first manifested itself in his use of color. In his memoir, Poiret records that his vivid color palette was among his greatest innovations: "The taste for the refinements of the eighteenth century had led all women into a sort of deliquescence. Nuances of nymph's thigh, swooning mauves, tender blue hortensias, all that was soft, washed-out, and insipid, was held in honour. 1 threw into this sheepcote a few rough wolves; reds, greens, violets, royal blues, that made all the rest sing aloud." Bold colors were, in fact, popular from the mid-nineteenth century onward with the introduction of aniline dyes, but Poiret's originality was expressed in his exotically charged color combinations, a novelty that preceded the Ballets Russes' performance of Scheherazade.

However, Poiret's most enduring and fundamental orientalism resides less in his vivid colors, or even in his opulent fabrics and lavish embroideries, than in the construction of his garments. It was the reductive planarity of such dress types as the caftan and the kimono, cut along straight lines and constructed of rectangles, which inspired and influenced Poiret's radical changes of silhouette. In his typically sybaritic manner, however, Poiret tended to conflate Western and non-Western apparel traditions. While utilizing the geometric simplicity of regional costumes, Poiret would introduce the shaping of Western dressmaking approaches to create garments that could only exist in the fictive, mythical East of Poiret's imagination.

Photograph of'Tanger ou Les Charmes de L'Exil' by Georges Lepape from Gazette du bon ton, 1920

Orientalism Opera Coat, ca. 1910 Purple silk damask and pink silk crepe with purple silk crocheted overlay Courtesy of Beverley Birks and Doris Raymond

'Nénuphar' Opera Coat worn by Denise Poiret, 1911 Pink silk satin and lilac silk satin with pink silk tulle overlay and pink silk floss embroidery Courtesy of Musée de la Mode et du Textile [UF 63-18-4] 15

Headdress worn by Denise Poiret with 'Nénuphar' Opera Coat, 1911 Black silk and brilliants Courtesy of Francesca Galloway Ltd.

'Lavallière' Evening Gown worn by Denise Poiret, 1911 Ivory silk satin and purple silk crepe with silver-plated crystal bead embroidery Courtesy of Musée de la Mode et du Textile [UF 63-18-7]

Persane Evening Ensemble worn by Denise Poiret, 1924 Green silk satin with silver filé brocade, silver lamé and silver braid embroidery Courtesy of Francesca Galloway Ltd.

Evening Dress, ca. 1923 Orange silk damask with silver filé brocade and silver lamé Courtesy of Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Helen Crocker Russell [54.129.2]

Day Ensemble, ca. 1922 Blouse of orange silk with black satin and gold lamé trim; jumper of gold lamé with orange silk and black silk satin trim and applied cotton rosettes Gift of Miriam K. W. Coletti, 1995 (1995.588.3a, b)

Day Dress, 1922 Black silk and red silk brocade with gold filé Gift of Leone B. Moats, in memory of Mrs. Wallace Payne Moats, 1979 (1979.428)

'Feuille d'Automne' Day Ensemble worn by Denise Poiret, 1916 Blouse of orange silk crepe with ivory silk crepe collar; skirt of printed silk; stole of sable fur Catharine Breyer Van Bomel Foundation Fund, 2005 (2005.204a-c)

'Fils du Ciel' Day Dress, 1923 Red silk velvet, black silk satin, and gold filé embroidery Courtesy of Musée de la Mode et du Textile [UF 60-17-1]

'Premier Consul' Dinner Suit worn by Denise Poiret, 1913 Jacket of blue silk with gold filé embroidery; skirt of blue silk Courtesy of Museo de la Moda y Textil, Chile Chemise Dress worn by Denise Poiret, 1912 Blue silk damask Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2005 (2005.386)

'Manteau d'Auto' Coat worn by Denise Poiret, 1912 Textile by Rodier (French, founded 1848) Blue and oatmeal striped woven linen and blue silk Isabel Shults Fund, 2005 (2005.200) 16

Dress, ca. 1920 Yellow silk with motifs of camels, palm trees, and pyramids Gift of Mrs. Dudley Wadsworth, 1944 (C.I.44.82a, b)

Dress worn by Paul and Denise Poiret's daughter, Perrine, ca. 1920 Yellow silk with motifs of camels, palm trees, and pyramids Courtesy of Mark Walsh Leslie Chin

Screen, ca. 1930 Jean Dunand (French, 1877-1942) Lacquered gilt wood Gift of Eva and Michael Chow, 2006 (2006.585)

Pair of Cobra, ca. 1919 Jean Dunand (French, 1877-1942) Gilt bronze Rogers Fund, 1970 (1970.198.7, 8)

Coat worn by Denise Poiret, 1918 Textile by Rodier (French, founded 1848) Ivory and brown striped wool jacquard Isabel Shults Fund, 2005 (2005.201)

Afternoon Coat, 1921 Textile by Rodier (French, founded 1848) Black silk satin and ivory and brown striped wool jacquard Courtesy of Museum of the City of New York, Gift of Mrs. Henry Clews [56.234.3]

Coat, ca. 1920 Ivory and brown wool twill with brown rose motifs Gift of Mrs. David J. Colton, 1964 (C. 1.64.7.2)

Coat, ca. 1919 Black wool faille with white kid cutwork appliqué and white shearling trim Gift of Mrs. David J. Colton, 1961 (C.I.61.40.4)

Day Ensemble, ca. 1919 Coat of black and white wool check with black wool inserts; dress of back and white wool with black wool cuffs and underskirt Courtesy of Museum of the City of New York, Gift of Mrs. Henry Clews [56.234.2A-C]

The Chemise During his career, Poiret's most radical achievement, underestimated by the designer himself, was his development of the chemise silhouette, which Poiret introduced in 1910 perhaps as a response to his wife's second pregnancy. While other couturiers might 17 arguably share credit with him for advocating the abolition of the corset, including Lucile and Madeleine Vionnet, it is Poiret who, with the free-spirited confidence of his wife, Denise, created gowns that foresaw the styles of a decade later. With these T-shaped dresses in silk damask, the emancipation of the body was complete. Nowhere is the liberation of the style more evident than in the photographs of Denise Poiret en repose taken at the Plaza Hotel in New York during Poiret's first trip to America in September 1913. The sinuous line of her body and the suppleness of her posture preclude the presence of any structural underpinnings.

Poiret's chemise dresses were even simpler in cut than the undergarments from which they were derived. Although the nineteenth-century chemise had a similar cut, the shaping of shoulder seams, the insertion of shoulder yokes and underarm gussets, or the accommodation of the bust through darts and inserts, were eliminated. Poiret's chemise was completely reductive, with front cut like the back, except for the shaping of the neckline. So simple was its construction that the dress came to be known as the "robe de minute" as it took but half an hour to make. Any fit or transformation of the sacklike form was accomplished by the knotting of decorative sashes. At their introduction, Denise Poiret, when she sashed her gowns, preferred a high waist placement. Later, however, in the 1920s, when she continued to wear the same gowns, she placed the waist fashionably low at the upper hipline.

Photograph of Denise Poiret at the Plaza Hotel in New York wearing one of Poiret's chemise dresses, 1913.

The Chemise Day Dress worn by Denise Poiret, 1912 Blue silk damask Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2005 (2005.386)

Historicism Poiret's revival of historical visual tropes may be seen as an expression of his nationalist tendencies. The couturier was a fierce patriot despite having been criticized during World War I for his Germanic affinities because of a cartoon in the German comic paper Simplicissimus, which featured a house frau being assured by her soldier husband that she would soon get a new Poiret dress.

After the war, Poiret's patriotism revealed itself in a series of designs that harked back to fashions from periods of extreme French nationalism. As well as continuing to produce dresses with high waists reflective of Directoire and Empire fashions, Poiret also made gowns with panniered and crinolined skirts that evoked styles from the ancien regime and Second Empire. Less directly francophile, however, were Poiret's citations of Medieval and Renaissance costumes. In the dress worn by Denise Poiret to the wedding of Germaine Boivin, her husband's niece, in 1921, Poiret merges elements of both periods with an Italianate flair. Like his orientalism, Poiret's historicism was governed less by reverential accuracy than artistic interpretation. 18

Similar to Poiret's pre-war collections, those produced in the 1920s were a synthesis of all his interests. Rather than one unified theme, his presentations invariably contained a variety of styles referencing different periods and cultures and represented radically differing silhouettes. Unlike his peers, Poiret insisted that the truly stylish woman should wear what suited her most, even if in contradiction to prevailing trends. Thus, the diverse choices Poiret presented in his collections reflected his constant admonition to women to dress to their own body type, coloring, and preference.

Photograph of the pochoir 'Mademoiselle Sorel en grand habit' by Georges Barbier from Le bonheur du jour, 1920-24.

Historicism Day Dress and Gilet worn by Denise Poiret, 1912 Dress of eggplant silk damask; gilet of wine silk velvet with badger fur trim Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2005 (2005.367a, b)

Day Dress worn by Denise Poiret, 1921 Purple silk voided velvet with fox fur trim Courtesy of Francesca Galloway Ltd.

Modernism Poiret's technical and commercial innovations were fundamental to the emergence and development of modernism. But despite ushering in modernism, Poiret rejected its post­ war embrace of an aesthetic of the engineer governed by functional rationality. In the face of modernism's repudiation of explicit narratives, decorative strategies, and historical references, Poiret continued to endorse the ideal of artistic originality and the aesthetic of artisanal workmanship.

Poiret's vision of beauty was also at odds with la garçonne, the feminine archetype of modernism. While Denise Poiret's slender, small-boned figure was the prototype for the boyish fashion silhouette, Poiret dismissed its emphasis on androgyny, describing its followers as "Cardboard women, with hollow silhouettes, angular shoulders and flat breasts. Cages lacking birds. Hives lacking bees." Poiret's ideal of beauty still clung to his wife's body type, that is to say slight but not bony, irrefutably feminine and never androgynous.

However, despite Poiret's rejection of modernism on the grounds of ideology and aesthetics, he still produced fashions of remarkable structural modernity. Poiret's 'Pré Catelan' coat of 1918 and his Trudrée' gown of 1922, for instance, continue to be defined by an economy of cut. Trudrée,' which recalls the gold lamé creations worn by Denise Poiret before World War 1, is particularly noteworthy for its reductive simplicity. The skirt is made from two pieces of fabric sewn selvedge to selvedge and gathered in at the waist of the bodice. In turn, the bodice is made from one length of material with no side seams, and Poiret uses the selvedge of the material to define the neckline. Indeed, with its emphasis on process and truth to materials, Trudrée,' despite the low-slung tubular 19 rouleau and its nod to the hip roll or 'farthingale' of the Renaissance, stands as icon of modernist design.

Photograph of Denise Poiret wearing the dress 'Faune,' 1919.

Modernism 'Pré Catelan' Evening Coat worn by Denise Poiret, 1918 Black silk and gold striped lamé Milla Davenport and Zipporah Fleisher Fund, 2005 (2005.205)

Trudrée' Evening Gown, ca. 1922 Gold lamé Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2007 (2007.146)

Evening Dress, 1925 Gold lamé and gold and black lace with black and silver paillette embroidery Courtesy of Sandy Schreier

Evening Dress, 1925 Black lace with black and silver paillette embroidery Gift of Mrs. Georges Gudefin, in memory of Mrs. Clarence Herter, 1965 (C.I.65.47.2a, b)

Atelier Martine (French, founded 1911) Chair, ca. 1921 Wood, silk Courtesy of Alan R. Moss and Robert D. Walsh

Atelier Martine (French, founded 1911) Table, ca. 1920 Wood Courtesy of Alan R. Moss and Robert D. Walsh

Atelier Martine (French, founded 1911) Tray, ca. 1920 Multicolored painted paper, tin Courtesy of Alan R. Moss and Robert D. Walsh

Poiret and Chanel In a story, probably apocryphal, of a chance encounter between Poiret and Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel in the 1920s, Poiret enquired of the black-clad Chanel, "For whom, madame, do you mourn?" to which Chanel replied, "For you, monsieur." By the 1920s, Poiret's designs, when compared to those of Chanel, appear less in the vanguard of modern life. Anyone who lived through World War 1 would have been aware that the lives of women had been changed by the necessity of assuming positions and responsibilities that had previously been the reserve of men. Poiret resisted the 20 practicality, rationalization, and stylistic simplification to which couturiers like Chanel readily adapted their designs.

While Chanel embraced the trend toward simple, youthful, and functional fashions, Poiret rejected the sportif modernism that he himself had pioneered. Instead of the modern, impersonal simplicity of what would become Chanel's 'little black dress,' Poiret never relinquished his belief that freedom in dress was to be found in styles that either predated or were outside of the contemporary fashion system. Therefore, the radical innovations of his approach to the construction of dress and his essential modernity are obscured, and even obliterated, by his historicism and orientalism.

Poiret was dumbfounded by the reverse chic of Chanel's seemingly plain garments in which the cachet resided in discrete, even hidden couture finishes. For Poiret, the artistry of the couture was always visible. His designs from the mid-1920s, in contrast to those before and immediately after the war, which were characterized by a haphazard, even careless, execution, are refined in their finishing. Perhaps by that point in his career, Poiret sought to control his more theatrical impulses and conform to the standards of les petits mains. Poiret's emphasis on the decorative, however, as well as his lifelong assertion of his identity as an artist, which subordinated his pursuit for commercial success, minimized his impact on the progress of fashion in the 1920s. Until the close of his maison de couture in 1929, Poiret's designs were characterized by an increasing idiosyncrasy.

Photograph of the dress 'Bataille,' 1925.

Poiret and Chanel Evening Dress, ca. 1925 Gold lamé and gold lace with faux pearl and gold bugle bead embroidery and gold corded appliqué Gift of Mrs. Robert L. Dodge, 1951 (C.1.51.48.4a, b)

Evening Ensemble, 1925 Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel (French, 1883-1971) Black silk chiffon Gift of Gytha M. Rupp, 1994 (1994.474a, b)

Video Animation While Chanel has taken credit for creating the paradigm of modern fashion, it is Poiret's process of design through draping that is the true source of fashion's modern forms. It introduced clothing that hung from the shoulders, greatly expanding women's wardrobes by facilitating a multiplicity of possibilities.

This dress, like his coat 'Paris,' stands as a supreme example of Poiret's reductive approach to dressmaking. As the animation reveals, it is made from two lengths of fabric cut with only minimal shaping and seaming. The design could only have been conceived 21 in the round and draped on the figure. Like 'Paris' an angled lozenge at the hipline functions as its closure. Also like 'Paris,' it is based on the wrap construction of the kimono, a feature that was such a Poiret gesture that Vogue described it as among the defining contributions of Poiret's career to the history of twentieth-century fashion.

Although cut on the grain, the dress falls in soft bias folds at the sides. For a designer best remembered for advocating the uncorseted silhouette, Poiret's use of bias, the shifting of the weave of a fabric to its most elastic, is surprisingly rare. When the bias is incorporated into his designs, as in this dress, it is not the elaborately angled piecing that is the signature of his contemporary Madeleine Vionnet, but rather the seemingly fortuitous occurrence of bias that results from the technique of continuous draping. It was not until Alix Grès in the 1930s and Issey Miyake in the 1970s that similar sculptural effects based on such radically simplified cuts executed on the straight grain reappear.

Photograph of Poiret draping fabric on a mannequin, ca. 1920.

Video Animation by Softlab

Pattern Drawing by Jessica Regan

Video Animation Evening Gown, ca. 1923 Pink silk satin with applied lozenge of blue rhinestones and coiled metallic thread embroidery. Courtesy of Museum of the City of New York; Gift of Mrs. Henry Clews [55.115.3]

Poiret's Accessories The ubiquitous reach of Poiret's designs extended to every detail of a woman's wardrobe, including hats, shoes, fans, parasols, and even stockings. In their conception and production, Poiret's accessories, as with all his creative endeavors, were presented as unique works of art. A pair of shoes called 'Le Bal,' for instance, which were made by the great cobbler André Perugia for Denise Poiret in 1924, is completely overembroidered in colored seed beads in a pattern that depicts Paul Poiret on one foot and Denise Poiret on the other. They are shown creating a sensation as they enter a crowded ball.

Unlike these shoes, which can be best appreciated by close examination, his hats, not unlike his fashions, were designed to arrest the eye and stun the senses. Although Poiret's atelier was capable of producing millinery that encompassed a wide range of materials and silhouettes, including cloches, turbans, small straws, jeweled headbands, and asymmetrically brimmed felts, he also worked with a number of milliners, most notably Madeleine Panizon. The famed milliner created several enchanting confections for Poiret's wife, Denise, including the hat 'Trocadéro' made from dyed, stripped, and knotted ostrich feathers. In its exotic plumage, it recalls a headdress called 'Flonflon' 22 created in Poiret's own maison de couture. Made for his wife, it recalls eighteenth- century depictions of the headdresses of the allegories of the Continents.

Denise Poiret herself was a brilliant stylist in the way she combined accessories. In an article in Vogue dating to 1913, it was reported that "Mme. Poiret it was who first wore the plain satin slipper in vivid colors without buckle or bow, and the stocking to match the skirt color." The same article revealed that Poiret "introduced high, wrinkled morocco boots through his wife." Styled with a low heel and a square toe, they were made for her by the bottier Favereau. Vogue reported that Denise Poiret had versions in red, white, green and yellow, and that she wore them "wrinkled on the legs nearly to the knees." Even in footwear, it appears that Denise Poiret, once more, was the one who inspired some of her husband's greater flights of fancy.

Photograph of Denise Poiret wearing a pair of boots by the bottier Favereau, 1913.

Poiret's Accessories 'Bahia' Headdress worn by Denise Poiret, ca. 1915 Silk with glass and plastic embroidery Purchase, Gerson and Judith Leiber Foundation Gift, 2005 (2005.211)

Headdress worn by Denise Poiret with 'Faun' Evening Dress, 1919 Gold lamé and monkey fur Courtesy of Francesca Galloway Ltd.

Hair Ornament worn by Denise Poiret, ca. 1920 Cotton with plastic bead embroidery Purchase, Gerson and Judith Leiber Foundation Gift, 2005 (2005.206)

'Flonflon' Headdress worn by Denise Poiret, ca. 1920 Black silk with gold metal trim and dyed, stripped, and clipped ostrich feathers Purchase, Gerson and Judith Leiber Foundation Gift, 2005 (2005.191)

Madeleine Panizon for Paul Poiret 'Trocadéro' hat, ca. 1920 Cream silk with dyed, stripped, and clipped ostrich feathers Courtesy of Francesca Galloway Ltd.

Turban worn by Denise Poiret with 'Ispahan' Evening Coat, 1908 Mauve silk and gold lace Courtesy of Francesca Galloway Ltd.

Group of Turbans worn by Denise Poiret, 1910-1925 Green, gold, purple, and black and silver lamé Courtesy of Francesca Galloway Ltd. 23

'Le Bal' Shoes worn by Denise Poiret, 1924 Made by André Perugia (French, 1893-1977) Leather with polychrome seed-bead embroidery Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2005 (2005.192a, b)

Boots worn by Denise Poiret, ca. 1913 Made by Favereau White leather Courtesy of Karen Augusta

Stockings worn by Denise Poiret, 1910-1925 Polychrome silk, cotton, lamé Courtesy of Francesca Galloway Ltd.

Les Parfums de Rosine (French, founded 1911) Flacon and Powder Box for the perfume L'Étrange Fleur, 1919 Metal and paper Courtesy of the Collection of Christie Mayer Lefkowith

Atelier Martine (French, founded 1911) for Les Parfums de Rosine (French, founded 1911) Fan for the perfume L'Étrange Fleur, 1919 Paper and wood Courtesy of the Collection of Christie Mayer Lefkowith

Les Parfums de Rosine (French, founded 1911) Flacon for the perfume 'Le Fruit Défendu' (1915) Glass, metal, and paper Courtesy of the Collection of Christie Mayer Lefkowith

Les Parfums de Rosine (French, founded 1911) Flacon for the perfume 'La Coupe d'Or' (1919) Glass Courtesy of the Collection of Christie Mayer Lefkowith

Les Parfums de Rosine (French, founded 1911) Flacon for the perfume 'Coeur en Folie (1925) Glass and paper Courtesy of the Collection of Christie Mayer Lefkowith

Les Parfums de Rosine (French, founded 1911) Compact designed by Charles Martin, ca. 1920 Paper Courtesy of the Collection of Christie Mayer Lefkowith 24

Fan produced to promote Paul Poiret's Amour, Délice, and Orgue, three Martine decorated barges moored on the banks of the Seine during the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, 1925. Paper and wood Courtesy of the Collection of Christie Mayer Lefkowith

Georges Lepape (French, 188-1971) for Les Parfums de Rosine (French, founded 1911) Fan, 1911 Paper and wood Courtesy of Sandy Schreier

Georges Lepape (French, 188-1971) 'Arlequin' and 'Colombine' dolls, 1920 Painted wood and polychrome silk and organza Courtesy of Alan R. Moss and Robert D. Walsh

Georges Lepape (French, 188-1971) Arlequin and Colomdine from Costumes de théâtre, ballets & divertissements, 1920 Hand-colored pochoir The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Thomas J. Watson Library

Parasol, ca. 1913 Textile design by Raoul Dufy (French, 1877-1953) Wood and polychrome silk Courtesy of Sandy Schreier

Parasol, ca. 1913 Textile design attributed to Raoul Dufy (French, 1877-1953) Wood and polychrome silk Courtesy of Alan R. Moss and Robert D. Walsh

Group of Parasols, ca. 1913 Wood and polychrome silk Courtesy of Sandy Schreier BALENCIAGA

It ¡s with great pride that the House of Balenciaga is collaborating with The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art on "Poiret: King of Fashion". The exhibition will allow many to rediscover one of the greatest couturiers of the twentieth century.

Paul Poiret was a remarkable Innovator, freeing women from the corseted and buttressed silhouette of the nineteenth century. He ushered in modernist fashion, allowing those who came after him to expand on his revolutionary conceptualizations. Like Cristobal Balenciaga, also known for his radical approach to the body and to dressmaking, Poiret was a powerfully and exceptionally inventive force, a designer who materialized the world of ideas through the sensual métier of dress. We are honored to make this homage possible and pay tribute to his legacy and the ever-evolving tradition of design at its most masterful.

Nicolas Ghesquière

Xtâi&dp&é' CONDÉ NAST P l lí L I C A T IONS

Condé Nast Publications is delighted to join Balenciaga in sponsoring

Poiret: King of Fashion at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The exhibition highlights the enduring legacy of Paul Poiret, the early twentieth-century

French couturier who has not had a major retrospective of his work in over thirty years.

Poiret was instrumental in freeing women from the social and physical restrictions of nineteenth-century apparel. His belief in fashion as a lifestyle statement—he also designed interiors and launched many perfumes—predates the role that many designers play today.

Poiret's incredible, inventive career will be told through a series of vignettes in the

Museum's special exhibition galleries, styled to look like drawings from French fashion periodicals of the day. These vignettes dance back and forth between his haute couture and his forays into the fine and decorative arts.

Through its long history, VOGUE has always celebrated and encouraged the original and daring talents who have instigated momentous developments in the world of fashion. If the pages of VOGUE tell the history of twentieth-century fashion, then Paul Poiret must surely stand as that history's opening chapter.

4 TIMES SQUARE • NEW YORK, NY 10036 fi ©WS rQIQdSQ The Metropolitan Museum of Art Communications Department 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028-0198 tel 212-570-3951 fax 212-472-2764 email [email protected]

For Immediate Release

Contact: Elyse Topalian Nancy Aronson Chilton

Poiret: King of Fashion May 9-August 5, 2007

Paul Poiret: A Chronology

1879 Paul Poiret born in Paris on April 20, 1879.

1891 Poiret enrolls in the École Massillon.

1896 Passes baccalaureate. His father, a fabric merchant, sends him to work for an umbrella manufacturer.

1898 The couturier Madeleine Chéruit buys several of Poiret's fashion drawings. Later, he is hired by Jacques Doucet, where, eventually, he becomes head of the tailoring department, and designs a coat for the actress Réjane.

1901 Begins working for Worth.

1903 Starts his own couture house "Paul Poiret," financed by his mother, on the rue Auber.

1905 Marries Denise Boulet, the daughter of a wood manufacturer.

1906 Daughter Rosine is born. Poiret abandons the corset, and designs a corsetless dress, "Lola Montes," which Denise wears to Rosine's baptism.

(more) Page 2 1908 Poiret collaborates with Paul Iribe on the deluxe album "Les Robes de Paul Poiret," which includes slender dresses in the Directoire and Empire styles.

1909 Relocates his couture house to avenue d'Antin. Poiret and Denise attend Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in Paris.

1910 Shows the "hobble" skirt gathered at the waist and hemmed below the knee.

1911 Second daughter, Martine, is born. Introduces the "jupe-culotte." Opens his own decorative arts company, Martine, and his own perfume company, Rosine. Begins his collaboration with Raoul Dufy to design fabrics. Hosts "The Thousand and Second Night" party in his garden where guests dress in Persian costume, including Denise, who wears a "lampshade" tunic and turban. Travels to various European capitals on his first tour with his fashion models.

1912 Hosts "Feasts of Bacchus" party at Butard featuring Isadora Duncan.

1913 First trip to America. Visits New York City and holds private showings at the Plaza Hotel, with Denise as his model. Lectures at Columbia University.

1914 World War I begins. Closes couture house. Assigned to 119th infantry regiment as a tailor.

1915 First daughter, Rosine, dies of the Spanish flu.

1916 Birth of his third daughter, Perrine.

1918 Death of newborn son, Gaspard. World War I ends.

1919 Reconstitutes creative team. Opens branches in Cannes, Deauville, Biarritz, and Baule. Opens "Oasis," an outdoor dance club, in the back garden of his house.

1921 Opens Martine branch office in London. (more) Page 3 1922 Fashion becomes "à la Garçonne," with short hair and short dresses that minimize the hips and chest, a look made famous by Patou and Chanel. Poiret reacts against this formula and shows dresses inspired by 1875-1890. Key staff members defect to a rival house.

1923 Acknowledges financial difficulties. Tours Europe with models. Named Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur.

1924 Poiret sells couture house to Georges Aubert.

1925 Sells Rosine and Martine businesses. Liquidates paintings collection, including works by Derain (portrait of Paul Poiret), Dufy, Iribe, Max Jacob, Modigliani, Picasso, Rouault, and Utrillo.

1927 Travels to America with approval of his business administrators, who have become his adversaries.

1928 Divorced from Denise Poiret. Poiret leaves his couture house.

1929 Great Depression begins.

1930 Poiret publishes his autobiography, King of Fashion.

1932 Moves to an apartment. Designs a small collection for Printemps.

1934 Unable to pay bills, he moves to a hotel. Contracts Parkinson's Disease and is looked after by friends.

1939 Squanders funds raised for him by friends. Cut off in St. Tropez at start of World War II.

(more) Page 4 1940 Moves to the Creuse Valley and begins painting.

1943 Moves in with his sister in Paris, where he continues to paint.

1944 Friends help him organize an exhibition of his paintings. Poiret dies on April 28, 1944, at age 65.

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May 7, 2007 lOOO FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK, NY IOO28

TELEPHONE 2I2-57O-3725 FACSIMILE 212-396-5062

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

Complementing the Exhibition

Poiret

Harold Koda and Andrew Bolton With an Introduction by Nancy J. Troy and contributions by Mary E. Davis, Caroline Evans, Jared Goss, Heather Hess, Caroline Rennolds Milbank, and Kenneth E. Silver

Exhibition dates: The Metropolitan Paul Poiret dominated haute couture in the first decade of the twentieth century. Museum of Art, New York, May 9 Known in America as the "King of Fashion," he liberated women from to August 5, 2007 constricting undergarments, most significantly from the corset, which had shaped the female form almost without interruption for hundreds of years. In so doing, Publication date: April 2007 he revolutionized dressmaking, by shifting its emphasis away from the skills of tailoring to those based on the skills of draping. He advocated dresses that hung 224 pages from the shoulders, pioneering such styles as the chemise, which he introduced as early as 1911. 195 illustrations in full color; catalogue and bibliography Beyond his technical innovations, Poiret established the blueprint of the modern 11.61 x 14.37 in. fashion business. He founded a perfume company as well as a decorative arts company. In forming these enterprises, he became the first designer to relate Cloth: fashion to interior design and to promote a "total lifestyle." ISBN 13: 978-0-300-12029-5 $65.00 Known for his marketing acumen, Poiret employed the theater as his runway, For further information on the dressing such high-profile performers as Lillie Langtry, Sarah Bernhardt, Ida catalogue, please call: Rubinstein, and Isadora Duncan. As an extension of this form of advertising, he Heather D'Auria threw lavish parties for which he designed many of the costumes. Of these, Publicist perhaps the most well known was his "One Thousand and Second Night," where Yale University Press he promoted two of his most iconic designs: the "lampshade" tunic and the (203)432-8193 "harem" trousers, or pantaloons, both of which were worn by his wife, Denise.

Poiret's designs reflected the dominant artistic discourses of the early twentieth century, most notably orientalism. An art collector himself, Poiret also worked with a number of important artists, including Raoul Dufy, on designs for fabrics. Two of Poiret's most important collaborations were with the graphic artists Paul Iribe and Georges Lepape, who created deluxe albums for Poiret's elite clients. Many of these pochoir prints are illustrated in this volume and served as inspiration for the remarkable vignettes in the exhibition of Poiret's couture that will be held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art from May 9 to August 5, 2007.

Among the garments featured prominently in this catalogue are those created for Denise Poiret. Dark and reed thin, she was the epitome of Poiret's ideal of

-over- beauty. He created some of his most daring and radical designs for his wife, who—as many photographs of her reveal—wore them with a captivating, flamboyant self-confidence. In 2005, many of these unique creations were sold at auction in Paris. Some of the most important designs were purchased by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and form the core of this exhibition. These exciting acquisitions provide new insights into Poiret's artistic vision and help to reassert his position as one of the most important designers of the twentieth century.

Harold Koda is Curator in Charge of The Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is author of Extreme Beauty: The Body Transformed (2001) and coauthor of Chanel (2005) and Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the Eighteenth Century (2006).

Andrew Bolton is Curator of The Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is author ofAnsloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion (2006) and coauthor of Chanel (2005) and Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the Eighteenth Century (2006).

Mary E. Davis is Associate Professor of Music at Case Western University. Her books include Classic Chic: Music. Fashion, and Modernism (2006) and Erik Satie (2007), a biography.

Caroline Evans is Professor of Fashion History and Theory at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design at the University of the Arts London. She is the author of Fashion at the Edse (2003) and coauthor of The London Look (2004) and Hussein Chalayan (2005).

Jared Goss is Associate Curator, Department of Nineteenth-Century, Modern, and Contemporary Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is cocurator of the exhibition "Barcelona and Modernity: Gaudi to Dalí, " held at the Metropolitan (Spring 2007), and a contributor to the catalogue.

Heather Hess is Stefan Engelhorn Curatorial Fellow at the Busch-Reisinger Museum, Harvard University. She was the 2004—5 Pollaire Weissman Art History Fellow at The Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Caroline Rennolds Milbank is an independent fashion historian. She has written on Poiret most recently in her book The Couture Accessory (2002) and in the Encyclopedia ofClothins and Fashion (2005).

Kenneth E. Silver is Professor of Modern Art and Chairman of the Department of Art History, New York University. Among other publications, he is the author of Esprit de Corps: The Art of the Parisian Avant-Garde and the First World War. ¡914-1925 (1989) and Making Paradise: Art. Modernity, and the Myth of the (2001).

Nancy J. Troy is Professor of Art History at the University of Southern California. She is the author of The De Stiil Environment (1983), Modernism and the Decorative Arts in France (1991), and Couture Culture: A Study in Modern Art and Fashion (2003).