History of fashion - final paper

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History of fashion – final paper Done by: Sarah Lee Shan Yun

Research Question:

How does Paul Poiret’s design for Denise Boulet for his One Hundred and Second Night

Party in 1911 reflect the influence of the Ballet Russes on fashion?

(Fig. 1) Georges Lepape, Denise Poiret at ‘The Thousand and Second Night’ Party,

1911, illustration by Georges Lepape, designed by Paul Poiret.

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Abstract

To approach this investigation, I will first look at Poiret’s significance in

fashion history, the event of the Thousand and Second Night party, his inspirations

from the theatre as well as the orient, and his partnership with Georges Lepape,

before delving into a detailed analysis of Paul Poiret’s design for his wife, Denise

Boulet, using the elements of fashion design – silhouette, color and texture. More

emphasis placed on Poiret’s use of form, for its distinct links to the costume designs

of the Ballets Russes and its significance in re-‐shaping the landscape of fashion in

the early 20th century.

In terms of research, I have read the autobiography of Paul Poiret in order to

gain a deeper insight into the thoughts and intentions of the designer, as well as to

discover which factors he felt were most important whilst designing garments for

his popular fêtes. In addition, I have also read several history books pertaining to

fashion during the early 1900s as well as a specific book related to the Ballets

Russes’ influence on fashion during Diaghilev’s Parisian debut.

In conclusion, I have deduced that Paul Poiret’s design for Denise Boulet

for his One Thousand and Second Night Party in 1911 reflects the influence of

the Ballets Russes on fashion significantly, mostly due to his adaptive use of

silhouette.

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Introduction

Paul Poiret, christened the King of Fashion by historians, undeniably

revolutionized the landscape of fashion in Paris in the early 1900s. Before the likes

of Coco Chanel took helm of the industry, Poiret had introduced modernism,

originality and individualism to the masses (Troy, p.455) by promoting naturalist

proportions and rejecting the hourglass silhouette of preceding fashions (Mendes,

p.32). He was also famed for bringing orientalist aesthetics to the forefront of

Parisian couture, incorporating many Eastern themes in his garments. “It was fit

work for a genius to substitute for the public’s his own vision, and to make it prevail

against established notions.” (Poiret, p.87) Poiret did not just change the type of

garments worn by women all over Paris, he changed their lifestyles and cultural

habits as well.

On 24th June 1911, Paul Poiret hosted his legendary Thousand and Second

Night Party in the garden of his atelier (MET). Socialites and aristocrats gathered for

a night to remember immortalized by the clamoring press who reported on the

event’s thematic entertainments and spectacular décor (Troy). The fête reportedly

cost around a hundred thousand francs (Poiret, p.80), and constituted an entire

night of passionate dancing and inexhaustible food and drink. In his autobiography,

Poiret described his role as the sultan of the land, while his “favorite” Denise played

the damsel in distress caged in a gold prison, later restored to freedom by the

‘sultan’ himself (Poiret, p.98-‐102). The entire event was an organized performance,

demonstrating just how much Poiret was influenced by the fantasies and dramas of

the theatre world. “The Baksts, the Nijinskys, the Karsavinas, shone with all their

brilliance, and like many French artists, I was very struck by the Russian Ballet, and

I should not be surprised if it had a certain influence on me.” (Poiret, p.96)

Poiret’s love for theatre began at an early age (Poiret, p.7) and was evidenced

throughout his career. At the house of Doucet, where he apprenticed, Poiret

designed for the corps de ballet of an opera (Poiret, p.17) as well as for the play

Afgar (Poiret, p.94), although they were only short involvements. He acknowledged

his respect for the famed costume designer, Léon Bakst, one of the principle

designers of the Ballets Russes, but stressed the difference between designs for the

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theatre and designs for the “realism of life” (Poiret, p.96). “Besides I could not accept

without discrimination all Bakst’s ideas, for too often he had to recourse to

exaggeration and excess to achieve a style. And there was little to be got from his

theatrical creations… and if Bakst did exercise any influence over me, it can only

have been a very indirect one.” (Ibid.) The question of whether the artistic

presentations of the Ballets Russes influenced fashion or whether they were simply

adaptations of the existing trends and styles made popular by designers like Poiret,

is a difficult one to answer. Though he never admitted the influence of the Ballets

Russes on his design aesthetic, the resemblance is uncanny and he often dressed

ballet dancers including Nijinksy and Anna Pavlova, adapting their theatrical

costumes to street wear (Davis, p.8-‐9). His clients often frequented the ballets,

dressing with the same thematic elements, but in a way that is distinctively haute

couture (see fig. 2). Poiret’s Thousand and Second Night party was overtly inspired

by the play “Schéhérazade”, in which the central plot of the play was known as the

‘One Thousand and One Nights’. (Davis, p.150) Also known as the Arabian Nights,

the ballet is an exotic production of a mythical Persian queen who uses her wit and

charm to seduce and outsmart the evil king Shahryār (Garafola, p.32-‐38).

Poiret’s infatuation with the East paralleled that of the Parisian public (Davis,

p.108). He often traveled to exotic locations in pursuit of artistic inspiration, and

believed in exercising the mind through studying and “assimilating” new beauty

(Poiret, p.90). “What I had seen of Arab lands commanded me imperiously to return

to them. I felt within me an Oriental soul, and I could not resist the attraction of

these lands of the sun.” (Poiret, p.74) The predisposition of the exotic is not

restricted to fashion alone, but extends to the broader society. Given the fact that

Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes heralded from Russia, a part of the Far East, (Davis, p.58)

it is not difficult to see how oriental themes have translated across continents.

Georges Lepape, the second artist that Poiret commissioned to illustrate his works,

was noted for rendering one of Poiret’s most characterized looks known as the style

sultane (Davis, p.132). Effectively adopting the pochoir technique developed by Paul

Iribe (Davis, p.141), Lepape’s style depicted the exaggerated movements and lines of

dance in his illustration of Madame Poiret.

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Formal analysis

Form / silhouette

It is no secret that Paul Poiret actively rejected the hourglass silhouette the

prevailed during the preceding years of the 1900s. During his stint at the house of

Doucet, known for its ostentatious corseted garments catered to elite clientele,

Poiret described his work as a “collection of costumes… in which (women) were

imprisoned from the throat to the knees”. (Poiret, p.20) As a response to his client’s

more practical needs, Poiret created clothing that emphasized the body’s natural

shape, introducing empire-‐waisted garments that fell to ground in a straight line.

(Davis, p.130-‐131) In his design for his wife, Denise Poiret, for the Thousand and

Second Night party (see fig. 1), the same high-‐waisted element can be seen, where

the body is cinched gently just below the bust with a thick band. Inspired by his

wife’s athletic silhouette, Poiret emphasized the importance of fluidity and flexibility

in his clothing. “She must react beneath a model, in spirit soar in front of the idea

that is being born from her own form, and by her gestures and pose, by the entire

expression of her body, she must aid in the laborious genesis of the new creation.”

(Poiret, p.78)

The silhouette of Madame Poiret’s ensemble most notably sports the

lampshade tunic, one of the defining silhouettes of Poiret’s style sultane look. (Davis,

p.141) It consisted of a plunging neckline and a wrapped chiffon skirt over a pair of

billowing harem pants, referencing both exotic Eastern influences, as well as the

versatility and ease inspired by the athletic endeavors of dancers. The top, unlike his

Sorbet model (see fig. 3) did not contain a wired hem, but instead utilized playful

fringes that flitted as she moved about the party (see fig. 8).

Also known as the jupe-‐culotte, the harem pant was a huge controversial

statement introduced by Poiret in his 1911 collection. (Davis, p. 138) Accused for

subverting gender norms and popularizing foreign style in a country that prided

itself on its own couture garments (Davis, p.132), Poiret was under fire by critics

during an age where women wore skirts down to their ankles for walking and

cycling (Hill, p.135). According to Poiret, the garment was “designed for the chic

woman with delicate joints… in all the harmony of her form and all the freedom of

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her native suppleness” (Davis, p. 135) It was a push in the desire for physical and

emotional liberation – for the rise of athleticism and health through movement and

dance. Parallels with Leon Bakst’s designs for the play Schéhérazade are undeniable

(see figure 4). Odalisques1 were dressed in loose fitting trousers tied at the ankle

(see figure 5) to form ballooning puffs around the hips and thighs. Whether the

concubines of Dhigalev’s play inspired Denise Poiret’s character as the caged

damsel, remains questionable, although the evidence of the similarities is

incontrovertible.

Another important element of the design was Madame Poiret’s turban.

Adorned with a towering aigrette2, it completed the ensemble with striking

grandeur. Poiret’s love of turbans was no secret. He was so inspired by them on his

visit to the South Kensington Museum that he sought the approval of the owners to

study them for periods of time before universalizing the garment as fashionable

dress in Paris (Poiret, p.95). “I admired unwearyingly the diversity of their so logical

and so elegant forms” (Ibid.) Similarities to costume designs for the Ballet Russes

are evident (see figure 6) particularly in the play Schéhérazade to convey cultural

associations with Arabia and the Middle East. The turban played dual roles in

enhancing the dance costumes – firstly by practical means of securing the hair away

from the face when the actor is dancing or moving, and secondly by providing yet

another platform the designer to adorn and decorate. It was a fascinating accessory,

not yet seen by the French public, except on the literary theorist Madame de Staël

(see fig. 7) in the early 1800s (Encyclopedia). The plume accent certainly added

attention to the already-‐provocative garment. Almost a way to crown Madame

Poiret as the Sultan’s ‘queen’, the aigrette added great height and dimension to the

wearer’s figure, thereby elongating her movement and emphasizing her presence.

Color / materials

Apart from his use of silhouette in his design for Denise, Poiret also subtly

incorporated the elements of color and materials. He was famous for rejecting the 1 Odalisques: female concubines of the sultan in a harem 2 Aigrette: a headdress consisting of a white egret’s feather 2 Aigrette: a headdress consisting of a white egret’s feather

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vogue for ostentatious embellishments in the preceding fashions, calling it an

“arsenal of fetish silliness” (Poiret, p.15-‐16). However, in his design for Madame

Poiret, understated jewelry was present in the form of pearl-‐like earrings that

accented the garment with elegant refinement rather than the excessive dramatics

of theatre costume (see fig. 10). According to Davis, costume designs for many of the

plays for the Ballets Russes in 1911 contained a “seemingly endless collection of

pearls, jewels and other embellishments” (Davis, p.51), something that Poiret would

not have conformed to in taking inspiration from Bakst’s designs. In Lepape’s

illustration of Denise Poiret, there is great emphasis placed on these pieces of

jewelry through her movement and form. She extends her fingers upwards and

points her toes to the ground in a way that lengthens the body and highlights the

charm of the pearl rings that adorn her fingers and toes. Although not visible in

pictures of Denise’s actual costume, the illustration shows the distinctive appeal of

using minimal decoration in an ensemble like Poiret’s.

Apart from the lack of jewelry, Poiret also used materials of transparent silk

and velvet in his designs (Davis, p.141). This ensemble for Madame Poiret boasts a

luxurious and wearable appeal than when compared to the rich gaudy satin designs

for the theatre (see fig. 4 & 10). Although also known for using vivid colors in his

other designs, Poiret opted for a neutral solidity of beige and white (see fig. 9) in

order to distinguish the graceful Madame Poiret against the sea of “vividly colored

décors” and the “confused mass of silks, jewels and aigrettes” (Poiret, p. 101). She

was the obvious belle of the ball, leaping with freedom toward her beloved and

revered ‘sultan’.

Conclusion

To conclude on Poiret’s effective use of form, his rejection of the hourglass

silhouette, in favor of the more liberal lampshade, greatly mirrored the techniques

used in Bakst’s designs for Schéhérazade. Although Poiret’s designs had nuanced

differences with the costumes of the ballet, both entities introduced liberation to the

body and theatrical decoration through emphasis on the body’s natural form.

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Poiret’s use of color and materials, however, were much more contrasting

than similar to designs for the Ballets Russes. Although Poiret’s usual aesthetic is

not commonly associated with the colors and materials used in his design for

Denise, the ensemble does speak to Poiret’s subtle sensibility in his use of jewelry

and solid color.

All in all, Paul Poiret’s design for Denise Boulet for his One Thousand and

Second Night Party in 1911 reflects the influence of the Ballets Russes on fashion

significantly, mostly due to his adaptive use of silhouette. Although links between

his couture designs and Bakst’s designs for theatre were not made explicit, and were

even rejected by Poiret himself, an analysis into the two practices of fashion prove

that there is an indistinctive relationship between the two paralleled professions.

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Appendix

(Fig. 2) Gazette du Bon Ton, Georges Lepape, ‘Serais-‐je en avance? Manteau de

Théâtre de Paul Poiret’ illustration, Paris, December 1912.

(Fig. 3) V&A collection. Paul Poiret, Sorbet evening dress of silk chiffon and satin

embroidered with glass beads and trimmed with fur, Paris, 1912.

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(Fig. 4) National Gallery of Australia, Léon Bakst, dancing girl in ballet Schéhérazade,

Paris, 1915-‐1930s.

(Fig. 5) National Gallery of Australia, Léon Bakst, Costume design for odalisque in

Schéhérazade, Paris 1916.

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(Fig. 6) National Gallery of Australia, Léon Bakst, Costume design for blue sultana in

Schéhérazade, Paris 1916.

(Fig. 7) Artist unknown, Madame de Staël in a turban, Paris, 1800s.

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(Fig. 8) Photographer unknown, Paul Poiret and his wife Denise Poiret at the

Thousand and Second Night party, Paris, 1911.

(Fig. 9) Photographer unknown, Denis Poiret gazing at Paul Poiret the ‘Sultan’ at the

Thousand and Second Night Party, Paris, 1911.

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(Fig. 10) National Gallery of Australia, Léon Bakst, Costume design for Bluebird in The

Sleeping Princess, Paris 1921.

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Bibliography

Books

• Davis, Mary E. Ballets Russes Style Diaghilev's Dancers and Paris Fashion.

London: Reaktion, 2010.

• Garafola, Lynn. Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. New York: Da Capo Press, 1998.

• Hill, Daniel Delis. "Fashion Trends through World War I." In Advertising to

the American Woman, 1900-‐1999, 135. Columbus: Ohio State University

Press, 2002.

• Mendes, Valerie D., and Amy Haye. Fashion since 1900. 2nd ed. London:

Thames & Hudson, 2010.

• Poiret, Paul, and Stephen Haden Guest. King of Fashion: The Autobiography of

Paul Poiret. London: V&A, 2009.

• Riello, Giorgio. The Fashion History Reader: Global Perspectives. Milton Park,

Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2010.

Internet

• "The Thousand and Second Night." The Metropolitan Museum of Art. May,

2007. Accessed November 8, 2014.

<http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2007/poiret/the-‐

thousand-‐and-‐second-‐night.>

• Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s. v. "Germaine de Stael", Accessed

November 14, 2014.

<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/562336/Germaine-‐de-‐

Stael.>

Images

• Fig. 1 – Davis, Mary E. Ballets Russes Style Diaghilev's Dancers and Paris

Fashion. London: Reaktion, 2010. p.106

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• Fig. 2 – Davis, Mary E. Ballets Russes Style Diaghilev's Dancers and Paris

Fashion. London: Reaktion, 2010. p.59

• Fig. 3 – V&A collection. Paul Poiret, Sorbet evening dress of silk chiffon and

satin embroidered with glass beads and trimmed with fur, Paris, 1912.

<http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O15549/sorbet-‐evening-‐dress-‐paul-‐

poiret/>

• Fig. 4 – National Gallery of Australia, Léon Bakst, dancing girl in ballet

Schéhérazade, Paris, 1915-‐1930s.

<http://nga.gov.au/exhibition/balletsrusses/Default.cfm?IRN=57941&BioAr

tistIRN=11544&mystartrow=1&realstartrow=1&MnuID=3&GalID=5&ViewI

D=2> and

<http://nga.gov.au/exhibition/balletsrusses/Default.cfm?IRN=107090&Bio

ArtistIRN=19455&mystartrow=13&realstartrow=13&MnuID=3&GalID=5&Vi

ewID=2>

• Fig. 5 – National Gallery of Australia, Léon Bakst, Costume design for odalisque

in Schéhérazade, Paris 1916.



ewID=2>

• Fig. 6 – National Gallery of Australia, Léon Bakst, Costume design for blue

sultana in Schéhérazade, Paris 1916.



ewID=2>

• Fig. 7 – Theis, Laurent. "Mme De Staël, Fille Des Lumières, Fille à Papa."

LePoint. April 10, 2010. Accessed November 15, 2014.

<http://www.lepoint.fr/culture/2010-‐04-‐12/mme-‐de-‐stael-‐fille-‐des-‐

lumieres-‐fille-‐a-‐papa/249/0/443359>

• Fig. 8 – "Paul Poiret, Le Magnifique (part 2)." A.g. Nauta Couture. April 6,


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<http://agnautacouture.com/2014/04/06/paul-‐poiret-‐le-‐magnifique-‐part-‐

2/>

• Fig. 9 – “Denise and Paul Poiret at the 1002 night party.” Pinterest. February,


<http://www.pinterest.com/pin/223913412698073535/>

• Fig. 10 – National Gallery of Australia, Léon Bakst, Costume design for

Bluebird in The Sleeping Princess, Paris 1921.

<http://nga.gov.au/Exhibition/balletsrusses/Default.cfm?IRN=75457&BioAr

tistIRN=19455&MnuID=3&GalID=23&ViewID=2>

History of fashion - final paper

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