Poiret

Gentle Reader -

Paul Poiret was one of those few individuals in fashion who happened to be a visionary, but not a great craftsman. What does this mean, exactly?

If you take a look at his clothing when compared to Callot Soeurs, Lanvin, or even Redfern (who remembers that name nowadays?), there is striking detail, but little technical mastership of what makes a dress, well, a dress.

However, no other person was as responsible for defining the look of the years before the Great War (World War I, for those in North America).

Poiret orientalized Parisian couture. This may not be Poiret's most significant contribution, but it is one of the more revolutionary moments in haute couture, setting the stage for YSL's references many decades later.

The best place to see Poiret's work is not up close. Rather, the illustrations of Paul Iribe define Poiret's moment when he was the Pasha of Paris.


- AP