Paul Poiret
| Paul Poiret | |
|---|---|
Paul Poiret, c. 1913
|
|
| Born |
20 April 1879 Paris, France |
| Died | 30 April 1944 (aged 65) Paris, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Couturier |
| Known for | haute couture and perfumery |
| Spouse(s) | Denise Poiret (née Boulet) |
| Labels | Maison Paul Poiret Parfums de Rosine Les Ateliers de Martine |
| Signature | |
 |
|
Paul Poiret (20 April 1879, Paris, France – 30 April 1944, Paris) was a leading French fashion designer, a master couturier during the first two decades of the 20th century. His contributions to his field have been likened to Picasso's legacy in 20th-century art.
Poiret was born on 20 April 1879 to a cloth merchant in the poor neighborhood of Les Halles, Paris. His parents, in an effort to rid him of his natural pride, apprenticed him to an umbrella maker. There, he collected scraps of silk left over from the cutting of umbrella patterns, and fashioned clothes for a doll that one of his sisters had given him. While a teenager, Poiret took his sketches to Louise Chéruit, a prominent dressmaker, who purchased a dozen from him. Poiret continued to sell his drawings to major Parisian couture houses, until he was hired by Jacques Doucet in 1896. His first design, a red cloth cape, sold 400 copies. Poiret later moved to the House of Worth, where he was responsible for designing simple, practical dresses. The "brazen modernity of his designs," however, proved too much for Worth's conservative clientele. When Poiret presented the Russian Princess Bariatinsky with a Confucius coat with an innovative kimono-like cut, for instance, she exclaimed, "What a horror! When there are low fellows who run after our sledges and annoy us, we have their heads cut off, and we put them in sacks just like that."
Poiret established his own house in 1903, and made his name with his controversial kimono coat and similar, loose-fitting designs created specifically for an uncorseted, slim figure. He designed flamboyant window displays and threw sensational parties to draw attention to his work. His instinct for marketing and branding was unmatched by any other Parisian designer, although the pioneering fashion shows of the British-based Lucile (Lady Duff Gordon) had already attracted tremendous publicity. In 1909, he was so famous, Margot Asquith, wife of British Prime Minister H. H. Asquith, invited him to show his designs at 10 Downing Street. The cheapest garment at the exhibition was 30 guineas, double the annual salary of a scullery maid.
...
Wikipedia