← Dressed: The History of Fashion
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- [00:02]
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- [00:31]
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- [01:00]
Cassidy Zachary
The History of Fashion is a production of Dressed media With over 8 billion people in the world, we all have one thing in common. Every day we all get dressed.
- [01:15]
April Callahan
Welcome to Dressed the History of Fashion, a podcast that explores the who, what, when of why we wear. We are friends, fashion historians and your host April Callahan and Cassidy Zachary.
- [01:28]
Cassidy Zachary
Welcome dress listeners to Part two of our series on the King of Fashion, Paul Pare, the groundbreaking avant garde designer whose life and work is currently the subject of an exhibition Fashion is a Feast at the Musee des Arts Decorative in Paris and this is on View until January 2026 and we are bringing you these episodes as a companion or complement to this exhibition. So we're really working to expand on its themes to bring you more insights into a who is one of the most important fashion designers in Euro American history.
- [02:01]
April Callahan
On last week's episode we introduced you to Paret and his radical and boundary pushing designs that made him one of the most famous and controversial designers of the pre World War I era, a period which his dear friend Andre d' Honard de Sagnac lovingly termed the Age of Pare. So influential was Pare's work in revolutionizing Euro American women's fashion during this period.
- [02:25]
Cassidy Zachary
But Poiret's seismic impact was not limited to what women wore and today we are going to explore the many ways that he redefined the role of the fashion designer as an international celebrity and an artist who revolutionized not just women's fashion but how it was advertised. For instance, he was the first French fashion designer to tour America and he played an integral role in the birth of not just modern fashion, but modern fashion illustration and photography. He also expanded his influence beyond fashion, laying the blueprint for today's modern fashion industry with his innovation, innovative concept of lifestyle branding. And this happened when he created essentially a holistic brand of fashion, fragrance and interior design. And all of this, by the way, was done between the years 1911 and 1914, and all of which we are going to be discussing in today's episode. So we have a lot of ground to cover today, April.
- [03:16]
April Callahan
Yes, we do. So we better get to it. Picking up where we left off last episode with a discussion of how Pare is Even though he was undeniably in the business of selling clothes, he would always maintain that he never advertised. But the truth is his genius and resulting success lay in how he sold his clothing. And his marketing was often stealth, very cleverly disguised as something else. And we concluded our first episode talking about his extravagant parties, such as that thousand and second night party, which received a ton of press coverage. But parties were just one of the many promotional tools that he used to ensure his celebrity and the visibility of his designs.
- [04:01]
Cassidy Zachary
Poiret wrote in his memoir that after opening his own couture house in 1906, quote, I did not wait for success to grow by itself. I worked like a demon to increase it. And everything that could stimulate it seemed good to me. I wanted to force the attention of Europe and the whole world, end quote. And one of the ways in which he did this was traveling extensively with his collections. So he went on tour with his models and his designs across Eastern and Western Europe, where he was actually arrested on multiple occasions during these tours.
- [04:31]
April Callahan
Can you imagine sharing a jail cell with Paul Pore?
- [04:36]
Cassidy Zachary
It's one of my dreams, actually. But I digress. So on one of these occasions, he was arrested for not having the proper permits to show his designs, and another was for offending an officer. But as we know with Poiret by now, any publicity is good publicity. And Poiret actually remembers these moments in his memoir quite proudly.
- [04:56]
April Callahan
But no tour ever received as much fanfare and press than his 1913 lecture Tour of America, which took him to four cities in three weeks, visiting New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago and Boston, and leaving an extensive paper trail in his wake. There were lots of full page articles splashed across the pages of the publications including New York Times and Vogue, which celebrated the coming of the, quote, man who revolutionized fashion and the, quote, high priest of color. The New York Times even ran a full page interview with him at his couture house before he had even set sail, because we're taking the boat to the U.S. at this point, not so much with airplanes yet in Classic Faray fashion. He was always quick to remind journalists that this was not in fact a promotional tour, but rather a lecture tour. And I'm sure it's to skirt those permit problems he probably had in the past. And he reminded them that he would be preaching on his designer's creed and told the New York Times in one article, quote, now what are my ideas of the mode? They are two greater simplicity and search for original detail and personality. That's all.
- [06:11]
Cassidy Zachary
And as you just referenced, April, it was indeed the high cost of U.S. duties that prevented Poiret from bringing his usual core of models and designers. So to illustrate his lectures, he instead brought a set of hand colored films which are now sadly lost to history. I would love to see these films. And they reportedly showed a retrospective of his designs from the previous 20 years. So if this is true, it meant that they depicted his work as far back as the 1890s, when he was employed at both Doucet and Worth, in addition to his own couture designs from 1906 onwards. And he also brought portfolios of hundreds of photographs of his gowns as worn by his in house models. But nothing compared to seeing Poiret's designs in person. And as much as he may have missed having his usual cast of models by his side, he actually had something, or rather someone even better. And that was because he was accompanied to America by the best walking advertisement of his work. And of course I am speaking about his supreme model and muse, his wife, Denise. And when I say that the public was obsessed with her, that actually might be an understatement because she caused a sensation wherever she went.
- [07:22]
April Callahan
Even before setting foot on American soil, Denise's wardrobe was being heralded in the press. Then the New York Times reported par brings to America his lovely wife and 100 gowns for her to wear. Gowns which are not even distant cousins to the fashions. And I guess what they're trying to get at here is that his gowns are so much more fashion forward than the current mode. And. And it goes on to explain that he also brings 100 cushions. The three will be grouped together. The lovely woman wearing the gowns seated on the cushions. End quote. And this was not speculation on part of the New York Times. Numerous photographs survive of Denise from this trip capturing her effortless modernity in her never ending supply of Poire gowns. Whether she is lounging gracefully on the aforementioned pillows or posing casually in front of the door of their New York hotel suite.
- [08:18]
Cassidy Zachary
But it must be said, the most talked about Item of her clothing was not a Poiret gown, but rather the Poiret flat knee high leather boots, which are reported to have come in every color of the rainbow from crimson to violet. And there is one black and white image of Denise and Palmer White's book on Poiret, which you've heard us reference many times. And she is described as wearing a matching suit and turban and gray Duvantine. But as the caption shares, her Duvantine muffler is not gray, but rather in the same shade of pink as the knee high boots, which is just so lovely. So if you're thinking these types of boots are most associated with the 1960s, you are correct. They are 50 years ahead of their time. And I so wish they had an example in the exhibition. But I do believe there are a couple pairs that survive in other museum collections.
- [09:07]
April Callahan
Poirier told the New York Times also that one of his main reasons he wanted to come to America, in addition to quote, talking about his art, was to, quote, defend himself against a persistent slander wherever there is anything sensational produced. He told a journalist, people say that is pae often it is something which I have had nothing to do with at all out of character and beneath my style. So much that is outlandish has been credited to me that I have come to explain what my styles really are.
- [09:39]
Cassidy Zachary
And I can actually speak directly to this because there is this image from 1910, 1911, that you constantly see circulating on Pinterest in the Internet. And it's this woman or model walking in public in these checkered jupe culottes. And this image is often credited to Paul Poiret. Even White has this picture in his book as being Poiret. But it has always rubbed me the wrong way because it's so clearly not his design aesthetic at all. I mean, she's walking outside in public, for one, where Poiret's jup culottes were never intended to be worn outside. And she's also wearing a wide plumed cartwheel hat, which was a style that Poiret did not produce, at least at that time. Yes. So years ago, while researching, I was finally able to confirm my intuition when I came across a newspaper article that assigned properly this ensemble to its designer, which was Bashoff David. So this sort of misaligning of his name with quote, unquote, bad fashions, understandably.
- [10:38]
April Callahan
Really peeved Poiret, but perhaps not as much as something else he discovered while touring in the us and that was the plethora of Cheap, mass produced, unlicensed knockoffs bearing the Pare label that he came across in every city he visited. As the exhibition catalog shares the exhibition at Musee des Arts Decorative, this was actually not Poiret's first experience with theft of his work. He had actually been fighting the illegal copying of his designs in France since at least 1907, when he took two former employees to court for copying and selling reproductions of his coat designs. And thanks to France's intellectual property laws, he actually won this case. But the same cannot be said in America, where there were little to no laws protecting any designer's work. And this really enraged Paulret, who, returning to France after his trip, set up a syndicate to protect his and other French designers work, although it was ultimately unsuccessful in entirely stopping the practice. And this practice was especially pervasive within the fashion industry at this time in.
- [11:44]
Cassidy Zachary
The us so despite this unwelcome discovery, Poiret's American tour was ultimately very successful. He returned to Paris with a contract to write a regular column for Harper's Bazaar and a legal Poiret approved licensing deal with Larry made WAIs of all businesses, which has to be one of the earliest examples of designer ready to wear. And this collaboration was novel enough to secure the entire front page of Womenswear Daily on October 10, 1913, with a full page ad announcing by special arrangement giving us exclusive control of his masterpieces and blouses with Paul Poiret will send us weekly direct from Paris, a series of authoritative models which will hereafter be known as Poiret designed Larry Maid waists, end quote. But this was not actually the only business relationship Poiret cemented with ready to wear manufacturers while in New York. Was it April?
- [12:40]
April Callahan
No, it was not. And in fact, what I'm about to say will come as a bit of a surprise for the man who always took great pride in telling anyone who would listen that it was actually he who freed women from corsets, only apparently to begin designing them again in 1913. So Poiret had met the owners of Bien Jolie corsets aboard the Lusitania on his way back from Paris after his US lecture tour. The company actually published a full page announcement of their partnership in the March 1914 issue of Harper's Bazaar, which included an image of a letter signed by Pare. And the letter reads, quote, I am sending you two models for corsets which I have specifically designed for you and which correspond to the latest cry in fashions just now. For my part, I will have them worn by my mannequins. And I am convinced that they will at once be adopted by all my patrons. End quote.
- [13:38]
Cassidy Zachary
And this is accompanied by an illustration of one of these corsets, which we might recognize today as more of a girdle in terms of its structure. And the top of the undergarment hits under the bust and extends over the model's hip to produce the smooth columnar line than in fashion. And while this may feel like a betrayal of Poire's modernity, it does make sense that some women would still wear some form of undergarment to maintain and support the lines of the fashionable silhouette. We still do that today, right?
- [14:07]
April Callahan
Yes, we do. And also, corsets didn't simply disappear from women's fashion overnight. It was really a gradual transition. We have to remember that the corset or our garments serving much the same purpose, such as these girdles, had been literally foundational to women's fashion for more than 400 years. And for many women, even in the teens and moving into the 20s, wearing one was a matter of propriety. So there was still this market for them. And it makes sense in terms of Paulet's business acumen, right, that he would play both sides of the coin.
- [14:41]
Cassidy Zachary
Yes. And I actually don't believe necessarily that he had any intention of actually adopting corsets in his own couture house. In fact, one of my favorite Poiret pieces, sadly not in the exhibition, but one I love nonetheless, is this delicate white bra in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It's dated to around circa 1915. And the bra has these blue flowers that are playfully placed at nipple height. It's very modern. It's soft, it's cotton. It ties at the top and back with no underwires in sight. And that, to me, is more in conversation with his modern fashion designs and is likely. I think that bra probably belonged to Denise. But regardless, for this corset company and also Larry made waist securing. Poiret's name was quite the coup for both of these manufacturers, especially on the heels of this highly publicized tour where Poir secured his international celebrity as the king of fashion. It was on this tour that he actually earned that moniker.
- [15:43]
April Callahan
It was also on this tour that Parquet cemented his international reputation as an an artist. Even while touring America actively promoting his designs, Paris still insisted to the New York Times, quote, I am not commercial. Ladies come to me for a gown as they go to a distinguished painter to get their portraits put on canvas. I am an artist, not A dressmaker. End quote. Does that remind you of anybody else that we know? Cassie? I'm talking about Charles Hudderkworth, of course. So, like Worth, Poirier really did actively cultivate this larger than life public Persona of an artist, tastemaker, connoisseur all throughout his career. And he genuinely was an artist who painted in fabric. His private atelier, a treasure trove of research and inspiration that included garments and accessories brought back from flea markets or his international travels, as well as a massive supply of varying lengths of fabric, braid, ribbon, and anything else that might spark his imagination.
- [16:42]
Cassidy Zachary
In his Poiret biography, Palmer White provides us with an evocative description of the designer's process. He writes, poiret never designed on paper. He pulled off lengths of fabric from rolls on the floor, draped them in a customer or mannequin. And of course, mannequin is a French term for a living, breathing model. And cut and pinned with a pair of scissors, always in his outer breast pocket. He would sit near a French window on a high square stool with an inclined seat, one leg outstretched the floor, the other foot resting on a rung. Thus, without making any effort, he remained on level with standing visitors.
- [17:16]
April Callahan
In the 1920s, Paris would become the first haute couturier to dress Josephine Baker. Upon her arrival in Paris, and in her memoirs, she remembered him sculpting a dress directly on her body out of the most beautiful silvery material I had ever seen. It looked like a flowing river. Monsieur poured the gleaming torrent over me, rolled me up in it, draped it about my body, pulled it tight, ordered me to walk, then loosened it around my legs. I felt like a sea goddess emerging from the foam. End quote. And listeners, this might take on a new meaning for all of us when you learn the hot goss that Josephine and Pare were rumored to be lovers at certain points. But more on that in a bit.
- [18:01]
Cassidy Zachary
In his memoir, the King of Fashion, 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 me that we practice the same craft and that they are my fellow workers, end quote. And Poiret himself painted on canvas as well as in fabric, and several of his paintings are featured in this exhibition, which was a real treat to see. And he's not necessarily the greatest painter out there, but his paintings really have this raw sensibility that is quite endearing, and it also provides an intimate glimpse into his private life. That we otherwise would not have gotten without them. So I don't know about you, April, but I was very moved by seeing his paintings in person.
- [18:44]
April Callahan
Yeah, I've only ever seen like images of a couple of them in books before, so it was very interesting to see them in person. So Poiret's artistic sensibilities make sense when we remember that this time in the early 20th century was a really prolific period of heightened artistic cross pollination in Paris. The city was a cultural mecca full of experimental expressionism. And Paris production of modern women's fashion cannot be divorced from this artistic renaissance that was happening, especially as he steeped himself in the artistic and cultural milieu of Paris. So much so that he even had a friend's art gallery on the premises of his couture house called the Galerie Barbizon.
- [19:28]
Cassidy Zachary
And he also kept in his company a number of artists to whom he served both as patron and friend. And this included such important artists as Robert Delaunay, Kees Van Dongen, Raoul Dufy, Marie Lanson, Henri Matisse, Amedio Modigliani, and Pablo Picasso. And we have of course already discussed in part one his influence on establishing Schiaparelli in Paris. And actually several other prominent designers you've heard of, such as Robert Piguet, were assistant designers to Poiret. And he has actually said that he considered his patronage of artists more than his work in fashion to be one of his greatest contributions to his time. And knowing this, it should perhaps be not surprising that the lines between art and fashion often blurred in his work. And we're going to talk more about that after a brief sponsor break.
- [20:22]
April Callahan
Cas, I think it's pretty safe to say that many of us at this moment are feeling stress due to not only our own personal lives, but also perhaps some global events. Personally, my my sleep schedule has been all over the place.
- [20:36]
Cassidy Zachary
Agreed. And as a mom to a three year old, I also know all about sleep deprivation. And that's one of the many reasons I'm a huge fan of Calm. Calm is the number one app for sleep and meditation, and it's here to help you feel better. Leo and I love to snuggle up and fall asleep to any one of the dozens upon dozens of sleep stories available on this app. And this is just one of its many features. From expert LED talks, guided meditation, sleep stories, music, and even grounding exercises, the Calm app puts the tools you need right in your pocket.
- [21:06]
April Callahan
Well, it's no wonder then why the Calm app has over 2 million 5 star reviews. So join Cass and I in navigating the everyday as the best version of yourself. Calm your mind, change your life. Calm has an exclusive offer just for the listeners of our show. You can now get 40% off a Calm premium subscription at calm.com draft. That's an amazing value.
- [21:33]
Cassidy Zachary
Go to C-A-L-M.com dressed for 40% off. Unlimited access to Calm's entire library. Calm.com dressed and tell Calm you heard about them from us.
- [21:47]
April Callahan
Cass. It's about to get chilly outside. And that means it's just about time to start to get cozy. And with clothing layers from Quince, you can also do that sustainably.
- [21:57]
Cassidy Zachary
That's right, dress listeners. Quince uses top tier ethical factories and cuts out the middlemen so they deliver luxury quality products at half the price of similar brands.
- [22:07]
April Callahan
And it's not just clothing. Dress listeners. From bedding and home goods to ethically and sustainably produced fashion, Quints is a carefully curated source for consciously produced things we all need in our everyday lives. At the moment, I happen to be super into their waffle bath towels. And Cass, I know that you are a big fan of their candles.
- [22:28]
Cassidy Zachary
Yes. And dress listeners, you too can find your fall staples at quince. Go to quince.com dress for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com dressed to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com dressed welcome back. Part of Poiret's marketing genius that we have now discussed time and again was how he strategically promoted himself and his work within the realm of the fine arts. And this is no more brilliantly illustrated, quite literally, than in the two artist books he created with Paul Ribe and Georges Le Pape, which set an entirely new standard for fashion illustration that revolutionized the genre for years to come.
- [23:17]
April Callahan
In 1908 and 1911 respectively, Pa hired these two artists, slash illustrators who previously had no experience in fashion, to illustrate limited edition artists albums featuring his groundbreaking designs. And with these albums, Paul Re endeavored to breathe new life into the time honored medium of the fashion plate, which traditionally had provided realistic line for line representations of the latest styles. Traditionally, the subjects and fashion plates are often depicted in bucolic but somewhat trite settings, on a walk outside with their children or seated in a drawing room. And they were really posed in a way that was best to show off their clothing. The format of these fashion plates had really changed little since their origins in the 17th century.
- [24:06]
Cassidy Zachary
For Poiret, however, this sort of illustration did not do service to his designs. To convey the exact placement of a button or a seam was of little importance to him. And he told Vogue in 1909, quote, a garment is like a good portrait, the expression of a spiritual state. And these robes, ropes being dresses that sing the joy of living as others that herald tragic ends. I love that quote so much. And the highlights. Clearly stylized illustrations he produced with Aribe and La Pape transcended his realistic interpretations of his gowns. Instead, he sought to convey the essence of his garments as an artist would, a mood or feeling. And because of this, Poiret granted both of these artists complete artistic license in the interpretation of his modern corset free gowns, inviting both artists to capture the spirit of his garments versus a detailed, literal interpretation.
- [24:57]
April Callahan
And in their hands, any tropes familiar to traditional fashion advertising or fashion plates dissolved. While Aribe and the Pop's illustrative styles are distinct to each artist, they do share many characteristics, including the fact that they both depict Pahre's innovative and imaginative designs on statuesque, engaging beauties caught in the midst of contemplation, lounging or intimate conversation. They also depict figures that are flat and two dimensional, a style that evokes Japanese woodblock prints, where they clearly did take some inspiration, more so than any fashion illustrations previously seen. And this overall effect is underscored by Parker's choice to print the albums using a meticulous hand stenciling technique known as Pochoir. Each image was painstakingly created by hand using a series of stencils and custom ground pigments. And as you can imagine, this was tremendously expensive, but it also allowed for the preservation of painterly qualities of the artist's original work. These books are true luxury objects in.
- [26:05]
Cassidy Zachary
And of themselves, and together these two albums represented an entirely new take on fashion advertising and illustration. And they also validated fashion illustration as an outlet for artistic expression and a dialogue between fashion and art that would inspire an entire generation of artists and illustrators of the art modern and art deco eras. And Lepape and Aribe's stylistic influences are mirrored by a number of artists found across the pages of the leading fashion magazines of the day, including the luxury fashion magazine, Gazette de Bonton, Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. And this is all throughout the teens and into the 1920s.
- [26:42]
April Callahan
La Pop himself would go on to become a prolific fashion illustrator, producing more than 100 covers for Vogue alone. Well, Pochoir would become the medium of choice for other Fashion designers who directly followed in Pare's footsteps to produce their own deluxe limited edition fashion artist albums. And you have heard us mention this on the show before. We love these Pochoir fashion publications so much that we actually wrote an entire book about it, which is called Fashion and the Art of Poshoir. And it's all about this true golden age of fashion illustration that Poiret really kicked off. Off got it started.
- [27:19]
Cassidy Zachary
Yes. He played no small part in that. And we have long admired, needless to say, Aribe and Lapope's albums for Poiret. So it was very special to not only see them both on display in the Musee des Arts Decoratives exhibition, but we also got to see preliminary sketches and studies by both of these artists. They're in pencil and they have their notes scribbled in there by their own hand. All of these are created in preparation for the books. And I don't know about you, April, but this was one of my favorite sections of the exhibit because it also included several of Reeb's studies of the pink rose that would become the signature motif of Poirier's house. And you would find this eventually on his stationery label and even on some of his designs. We mentioned in part one, its presence on the Josephine gown of his 1907 collection. That was just so special to see him experimenting with what would become this really iconic imagery for the house of Poiret.
- [28:11]
April Callahan
This section also had costume sketches by designers that worked for Poiret, just as he had worked under Doucet and worked. This included both Victor Lheurer and Arete. The latter would, of course, go on to become one of the most famous fashion illustrators and costume designers in history. Not to say that he would necessarily remain in Pare's good graces. They had a little bit of a falling out in terms of the sorbet gown, which Arete claims to have designed under the guise of Paris. And it's a whole thing. I digress. But this section of the exhibition is also important because it really is a good reminder that Pore, like so many other designers touted as singular creative geniuses, did not achieve this status alone. Poiret's success was very much a collaborative effort, and he worked with a wide variety of people to bring his visions to life. And I do think that the exhibition does a good job at highlighting that fact.
- [29:06]
Cassidy Zachary
Yes. And it's something Poiret is very proud about, too, and speaks about in his memoirs. Unless you, of course, fell out of his good graces in which case he will not mention your name or he'll mention it in passing with snide remark, as he does with Arete. But I digress. And one of these collaborators that Poiret worked with was a photographer that you might have heard of dress listeners, Edward Steichen, who in 1911 was commissioned by publisher Lucien Vogel to photograph Poire's work for what would become a landmark photo spread featured in the magazine Art et Decoration, which was notably not a fashion magazine, mind you. And further evidence of this intersection of art and fashion in Poirier's work Work and Steichen's commission came at the recommendation of Poiret, who was always seeking fresh and unorthodox means of marketing his modern fashion designs. And he clearly found a like minded peer in Steichen, who himself clearly took inspiration from Georges La Pape's illustrations for Les Chose de Paul par, which uncoincidentally was produced just two months prior to the publication of the Art A Decoration spread.
- [30:13]
April Callahan
Side by side comparisons of Steichen's photographs with Le Pop's fashion plates confirm that he took many of his visual cues from the illustrations, even down to mirroring exact poses and photographing the exact same garments. Steichen also successfully imbues his photographs with the same sort of romantic meditative notions as La Pope's illustrations, albeit in a more muted color palette it and quite literally a more realistic way. Similarly, his photographs also emphasize mood, atmospheric and artistic license over sharply focused detailed depictions of Poiret's gowns, which, just as with fashion illustration, would have been typical for fashion photography at this time. They're very moody and romantic, the photographs I would characterize.
- [31:00]
Cassidy Zachary
Yes, hazy, very hazy. And we'll of course post images on socials this week so you can see them yourself. And Steichen's photographs really represent an exciting new direction for fashion photography. And Steichen himself even credits these photographs as, quote, the first serious photographs ever made. Historians remember them as the first modern fashion photographs ever taken. And they really represent a dramatic break from the past and lay the foundation for a new future of fashion photography more akin to art. And of course we remain indebted to these standards for fashion publications to this very day. Especially if you think of the work of people like Tim Walker, who I love, love, and people who really embrace the art of fashion and fashion photography.
- [31:44]
April Callahan
Steichen himself would go on to become a fashion photographer in the 1920s, as would another budding photographer who pare nurtured Man Ray, which is a little known fact to a lot of people. In his autobiography, Man Ray recalls how he discovered his now signature and very famous camera rayograph photogram technique while developing photographs of pare designs in 1921. Paris subsequently bought his first rayographs and helped him launch his career. But back to 1911, everything, all roads.
- [32:18]
Cassidy Zachary
Pare lead back to 1911, essentially 1907 and 1911. And 1911 was this incredibly important and prolific year for Poiret. In addition to witnessing the publication of Les Chose de Papare and Stichting Dickens photographs, you may also remember this is also the same year of the famed Thousand Second Night party. 1911 was also the year that Poiret became the first fashion designer to develop a holistic brand when he expanded his offerings to include cosmetics, fragrance and interior design. And while integrated concepts within the Poiret empire, these are all separate business entities. And we're going to start talking about his perfume and cosmetics line Le Perfume du Rosine, which is named after his oldest daughter and which was launched actually at the Thousand and Second Night Party.
- [33:08]
April Callahan
And as we know from episode one, perfumes were the realization of Poiret's childhood dream. And like everything Poirier did, he was involved in every step of the process from crafting the scents themselves to designing the packaging and bottles for them as well. The perfume bottles, which are artworks in and of themselves, were made and packaged in Poirier's own glass blowing factory which also included a packaging. And this was all named after his son Colin. It should not be surprising that Pare's fragrances are his design aesthetic incarnate. They evoke romance, sensuality and his signature brand of orientalism with names such as Forbidden Fruit, China Night and Aladdin.
- [33:51]
Cassidy Zachary
Palmer White also writes about how with the perfume Poiret quote gave his imagination free reign. La chemise de Rosine consisted of both a single and a nightgown. The bottle of Mouchoir, which is French for handkerchief, rested on a handkerchief that matched the color of the box. Poiret gave Mamzel Victoire a stopper in the form of a cockade. Recalling the revolution and spiciest of all, Borgia came in a bottle of black glass speckled with gold and fitted into a red velvet base and black velvet top.
- [34:24]
April Callahan
The success of his perfumes inspire Pare to to expand his products into a range of beauty products and cosmetics including soap, lotion, rouge and nail polish. He had produced travel size versions of his cosmetics and fragrances and to advertise his scents Rosine scented cigarettes and fans. The cigarettes get me every damn time. So good. And at the Musee des Art Decoratives exhibition, they have an extensive display of these offerings. But most notably, they recreated several of his scents for visitors to try. Maybe they weren't exactly our cup of tea. Cass, you and I haven't spoken about this really in detail, but let's just say fashion has, quote, unquote, bigger and larger overarching trends. And the kind of perfumes that we wear today are not the same as they were in the past. I found them a little musty and overbearing.
- [35:21]
Cassidy Zachary
Yeah. Kind of powdery.
- [35:22]
April Callahan
Yeah.
- [35:23]
Cassidy Zachary
I don't know how else to explain it. I'm not a. I don't have a nose for perfume. But yeah, I was quite surprised by them. But regardless, it was so cool that they found his formulas and were able to recreate them. So that was really special. And so bravo to the exhibition curators and team for that. That was a really cool part of the exhibition. And then also the exhibition catalog features a lovely homage to Poiret's Art of Perfume by the designer. Marcel Rochas held his own Exhibition in 1945, a year after Poiret's death. The exhibition was dedicated to the relationship between fashion and fragrance, which by Then so over 30 years later had become inextricably linked and remains so to this very day. Of course, and erroneously, the origination of this relationship between fashion and scent is all too often attributed to dun dun, dun dun Gabrielle Chanel. But this is simply not the case. Poiret's Rosine perfumes preceded Chanel's first Chanel number by a full decade.
- [36:24]
April Callahan
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Cassidy Zachary
Yes, well over a decade at this point.
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April Callahan
Me too.
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April Callahan
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- [38:37]
Cassidy Zachary
Horray was very busy in 1911, and actually Rosine was only the second significant business venture he had launched that year because this is also the year he decided to expand his empire into interior design and home goods. And for us today, a fashion designer having their hands in all these pots is very familiar. Think of Ralph Lauren, Armani, Dior, Gucci, they all have these expansive offerings. But at this time, at the dawn of the 20th century, it was quite unheard of. But again, perhaps not surprising for this insatiable visionary that is Paul Pourret wrote.
- [39:13]
April Callahan
Vogue in 1912, quote not satisfied with his supremacy in the domains of dress, Poiret enters the field of the decorative arts, where his original genius has created a new genre. Certainly couturiers have never before insisted that chairs, curtains, rugs and wall coverings should be considered in the choosing of a dress, or rather that the style of the dress should influence the interior decorations of a home.
- [39:38]
Cassidy Zachary
And this idea was in fact not entirely novel or new. After returning from trips to Berlin and Vienna, Poiret was inspired to explore the impossibilities of interior design in Vienna, in particular at the avant garde artistic community, the Weinerwerkstada. He admired the elevation of handcraftsmanship and the integration of design disciplines. Ceramics, fashion and furniture, architecture, graphic design all converged and let me try and say this properly into a term, a concept, Gesumpkunstwerk, a concept that means total work of art or synthesis of the arts.
- [40:16]
April Callahan
Inspire. Par founded his own interior design firm in 1911 named Martine after his second daughter. By 1912, Martin was comprised of three entities. Ecole Martin, a decorative art school, Atelier Martin, a workshop, and La Maison Martin, the retail boutiques for Martin products. Ecole Martin, which is the school, was comprised of young working class girls all around the age of 12 or so, an age that the exhibition catalog tells us was the typical age girls finished their schooling and entered the workplace. Poiret was offering them an alternative. The creation of the Martine School, therefore, had a philanthropic aim. It was a way of giving young girls from modest backgrounds and means to continue their training.
- [41:03]
Cassidy Zachary
And I highly recommend, again, as we've said many times, getting your hand on this exhibition catalog, because there's so many wonderful essays in it, including this one on the Martine School by Cecile Pichon Bonin. So the girls were chosen specifically for their untamed artistic vision. And he actually once said, my role consisted in stimulating their activity and their taste without ever influencing them or criticizing, so that the source of their inspiration should be pure and intact. And he really gave them free reign to interpret nature. He took them to zoos, parks, gardens. They were really unhampered by rules, convention or traditional art training of any kind. And so the students work was really new and fresh, and they produced these wonderfully colorful and playful designs of plants, flowers and trees.
- [41:52]
April Callahan
Paret even taught the students to weave rugs and to embroider so that they were intimately connected with the designs that they produced. He writes in his autobiography, quote, they came to weave with their own hands straight away, without any previous design, carpets whence flowered marvelous blossoms, fresh and living as they had sprung straight from the earth itself.
- [42:14]
Cassidy Zachary
And the work of the Martin students was sold at the Maison Martin boutiques located across France, but also in London and Berlin. And their work is sold alongside that of other Poiret collaborators, including the artist Raoul Duffill, with whom Poiret had created a block printing workshop that created designs specifically to be used on Poiret fabrics. And the most famous result of this collaboration is the La Purse coat, which has this large abstract, black, floral pattern block printing on it. It's so stunning, and it's on display in the exhibition, which was so cool. And I believe it's on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which means it was Denise's personal coat.
- [42:53]
April Callahan
Yeah, there's a few examples of it lurking about, I do believe. The Martin girls themselves were responsible for hand painting the interiors of dozens of private houses and offices, theaters and restaurants all over Europe. And Cass, you had mentioned Doucet who was of course one of Poire's mentors, was also a Poiret client in part one of this episode. And he was one of the many prominent Martin clients, which also included Italian author Gabrielle d', Annuzzi, who lauded Martine designs as, quote, the fifth season of the world, end quote. And when you see them, especially in person, as we were able to do in the exhibit, it's easy to see why. They are absolutely charming. They're colorful, they're brilliant, they're playful. There's a lot of sort of abstract innocence. And there's a really lovely section in the exhibition highlighting the vivacity and range of these Martin designs. It includes a beaded screen, a Keys Van Dagen knotted rug, embroidered shoes, hats, and even one of Pare's personal suits, which is a linen jacket and pants covered in a block printed design of artichokes.
- [44:03]
Cassidy Zachary
I am obsessed with that suit, by the way. I would wear that today.
- [44:07]
April Callahan
It was really fun seeing some of them, like the personal items that belong to the Pare family.
- [44:12]
Cassidy Zachary
There's also. He loved to wear. He was really committed to a certain style of jacket, the Norfolk style of jacket that has the belted waist, because he was quite a large man and it was flattering on him. So there's another Martin design jacket that's this green Norfolk jacket as well in the exhibition. And again, they're just so lovely, enchanting and charming. They're really, really fun to see, especially in person. But I have to say that my favorite Martin design in the exhibit was this block printed silk satin fabric used in a dress worn by Martine herself, Poiret's daughter. It dates to around 1920. And the bodice of the dress contains the Martin design and it's comprised of, of a colorful scrolling design of branches, blue leaves, small flower bells and buttercups. It's so lovely. And this dress actually represented one of the great revelations of this exhibition, at least for me. I don't know if you knew this April, but I did not know that Poiret had a children's clothing line.
- [45:08]
April Callahan
I didn't either.
- [45:09]
Cassidy Zachary
And as the catalog shares, all of Poiret's children were dressed in Poiret designs and there are several featured throughout the exhibition. And he apparently produced clothing lines until the 1920s. But the earliest pieces were produced in the earliest years of his couture house. And this was actually the result of a short lived collaboration between Poiret and his younger sister, Germain Bongard.
- [45:33]
April Callahan
This is something revealed in a very special essay in the catalog by Paris great niece Colomb Pringle, who contributed a fascinating and insightful article entitled A Family of Artists Pare and his Sisters. These are the three same sisters, Germain, Nicole and Jeanne, dress listeners who you might remember from part one of this episode who had supported their young brother's dressmaking ambitions by supplying him with a miniature wooden mannequin. And in the article Colombe shares that both Jermaine and Nicole followed their brother's footsteps. Setting up their own couture houses in the 1910 means something that the brother was not too happy about at all. As Colomb shares quote, Pare praised his three sisters artistic talents as long as they remained under his control. And case in point here might be when Paul offered to hire Nicole, an offer that in a grand gesture of rebellion she turned down, he forbade her from using their surname. Nicole produced her first designs under the name of her husband, Andre Graham Coulte, before opening her own couture house.
- [46:41]
Cassidy Zachary
And there are two lovely Nicole Groot pieces in the exhibition and that includes a lovely 1912 silk crepe, seafoam, green, gray and pink dress. And it is amazing how much the color palette perfectly mirrors the color palette of a 1919 painting that is right next to it in the exhibition. This painting is by the artist Marie Lorenson and it's actually a self portrait of Marie with Nicole directly speaking to the lady's romantic relationship. And interestingly in French the title of the painting is Women with a Dove, which in French is Femme a la Cologne. One has to wonder if Cologne Pringle, Poire's great niece, Nicole's granddaughter, if she was named in homage to one of her grandmother's great loves. It's quite touching to imagine, of course, but it's an imagining that will have to remain just that as Nicole and Marie's intimate relationship is only briefly mentioned.
- [47:39]
April Callahan
In the exhibition but widely acknowledged at the time. Yes, perhaps understandably, the family did not want to invite speculation about such intimate part of their family members lives. Which is also why I'm guessing, Poiret's many love affairs were also left out of this exhibition. Suffice it to say, Poiret was far from a perfect human being, but deeper insights into his personal life life are a potent reminder that there was a real flawed person behind the mask of the larger than life celebrity, designer and artist image that Poiret actively cultivated for public consumption. In his private life he was a lover, father, husband, son and friend who despite all of its complexities, was loved.
- [48:24]
Cassidy Zachary
By many And I have to say Colomb's article is quite touching and it's very helpful in bringing that humanity to Poiret. And while she does not remember her quote unquote whimsical grandmother Nicole ever talking about the quote unquote gifted tyrant, Colomb's mother Flora remembered him fondly. And Colomb shares many memories from her mother, who often told her about her mischievous, unusual uncle, who put on plays every summer with the quote unquote troop of cousins, and who she described as, quote, the only adult who knew how to remain childlike, weighing 100 kilos and this is 220 pounds, with his sailor's beard, prickly like a sea urchin, and his big pale eyes, which she tried not to blink. He still had that frantic desire to win at cards. He still indulged in feigned anger or real fits of giggles, as if he were the same age as us. All of that had a touch of incongruity, of the absurd, which is so much the territory of childhood. Poirier was no one but himself. So essentially he was a giant kid, which I just love to imagine.
- [49:28]
April Callahan
I could see that. I can totally see that, even in his own writing about himself. Himself, yes, exactly. Palmer White writes of he was highly independent, intelligent, witty, charming, generous and hard working. He possessed great authority, but could not bear disagreement. He was tyrannical, arrogant, irascible, extravagant, high handed and excessive. Palmer writes that Poe himself warned Denise on the eve of their marriage, quote quote. Then there was the question of my temperament, a temperament I am powerless to control, that makes me touchy, violent, easily hurt, unpredictably crazy. You have to forgive me for it because it also endows me with my creativity and my versatility. End quote. So there are glimpses of Pare's private and family life throughout the exhibition, reflected in numerous intimate photographs of Pare with his friends, as well as with Denise niece and any number of his five children. While other objects remind us of his dressed humanity, including various items of his personal wardrobe, he was always impeccably dressed, speaking to his insatiable appetite for culture and art. The exhibition catalog also reminds us that he was a musician and gourmand and as we have previously mentioned, a painter.
- [50:48]
Cassidy Zachary
Also in the exhibit. To my great joy, this has to be one of my favorite parts of the exhibit is coming face to face with surviving video footage of Poiret both at work and in a more informal setting where he coyly smiles at the camera. So he's basically looking at you and smiling, which I love. And there are also numerous portraits of Poiret in the exhibition produced by his many artist friends, but none of the portraits are as heartbreakingly intimate or raw as the self portraits that Poiret produced in the years before his death in the 1940s. And this is long after his shining star celebrity and influence had faded. But just how did our king of fashion fall from grace? And all of this dress listeners is going to be revealed because cast this series. I know I really wanted this to be a two parter, but I also really wanted to do parade justice and he just cannot be contained. It's there's just so much to talk about. I wanted to do him justice, but I also wanted to speak about the woman largely responsible for preserving his legacy, his wife Denise. And so part three is going to be really dedicated to his final act, but also his legacy and his love Denise, who was so instrumental in keeping that legacy alive for us to all celebrate today. So that episode is going to be coming to you special on Friday of this week, so just have to wait a couple days. And while you wait, please check out the social media content connected to this podcast series at the Dressed563 until Friday. May you consider how you might want your legacy preserved for future generations next time you get dressed.
- [52:35]
April Callahan
Registration for our New York City Fashion History Day Tours is in full swing for December 3rd, 4th and 5th of 2025. We love to think of these tours as mix and match separates where you can join us for one, two or all three days. We will be visiting fashion museum exhibitions, going behind the scenes of world class fashion collections, meeting museum curators, past dress guests and expert costume designers all along the way. And this is our second edition of our 2025 New York City offerings. And this one is going to take us Cassidy and I are super excited excited to the Metropolitan Opera for the very first time for private tours of their current exhibition and into the Opera's costume workshops for a one of a kind experience created exclusively for Dressed.
- [53:24]
Cassidy Zachary
And even if you can't join us, this is so cool. As a Dressed podcast listener, the Metropolitan Opera is thrilled to offer you all an exclusive 20% discount to tickets for select performances this December and January. Now some restrictions do apply, but you can use the promo code dressed or visit metopera.org dressed to redeem this offer. To secure your seats, visit the Met's website, which is metopera.org or call Ticket Services at 212-362-6000 or you can visit the Met box office in person, please.
- [53:58]
April Callahan
Head to restpodcast on Instagram or Rest Podcast without the underscore on Facebook to check out the visual content associated with each week's episodes.
- [54:09]
Cassidy Zachary
And remember, we always love hearing from you, so if you'd like to write to us, you can do so at. Hello DressedHistory.com DressedHistory.com is also our website where you can sign up for our monthly newsletter, our in person tours and online fashion history courses. And you can check out whatever else we have up our finely tailored sleeves.
- [54:27]
April Callahan
We get so many questions from you all about our recommendations for fashion history books, so if you are interested you can always find a link in our show Notes to our Bookshop Bookshelf. So that address is bookshop.org shop dressed and there you can find over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles.
- [54:48]
Cassidy Zachary
And do you love Dressed but want to skip the ads? You can now sign up for Ad free listening with any tier on our Dressed History Patreon.
- [54:56]
April Callahan
We are also excited to now be part of the Airwave Network and their premium ad free history subscription Airwave History plus available on Apple Podcasts. The subscription brings dressed and also 27 other popular history podcasts ad free for just $5.99 per month. More information on Patreon and Airwave is available at the link in our bio.
- [55:20]
Cassidy Zachary
Thank you as always for tuning in and more Dressed coming your way very soon. The History of Fashion is a production of dress media.
- [55:32]
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