“Poiret: King of Fashion” Unveiled at Metropolitan Costume Institute

Each year, on the first Monday night of May, The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume Institute gala draws A-listers from the worlds of fashion, entertainment, art and politics to the upper reaches of Fifth Avenue, all of whom turn out to see and be seen at the high society event that's been dubbed New York's “party of the year.”

But earlier in the day, a quieter scene takes place - one that celebrates not the fanciest ball gown and deep-pocketed benefactors but, rather, the designer whose work is the focus of the exhibit being commemorated by the gala. This year’s exhibit, underwritten by Balenciaga and Condé Nast, is devoted to early 20th century artist-couturier, Paul Poiret, and is titled “Poiret: King of Fashion.”

As workers rolled dark green paint onto oversized planters on the sidewalk in front of the museum and handymen scurried to put the finishing touches on a giant gilded birdcage that stood atop a pedestal of red roses in the museum’s lobby early Monday morning - all in preparation for the gala that evening - members of the Fourth Estate strolled down the red carpet that led from the lobby to the special exhibition galleries to get a sneak peek at the work of a designer who is credited with ushering in 20th century fashion.

Poiret, for the non-fashion historians out there, came to prominence in pre-World War I France (he worked for designers Doucet and Worth before opening his own house in 1903), and was famous for liberating women from the corset and introducing the hobble skirt, harem pants and lampshade tunic. All three items are on display here - along with Poiret’s Ballets Russes- and Fauvist-inspired ensembles - thanks to the Costume Institute’s acquisition, in 2005, of 26 outfits Poiret had made for his fashion-forward wife, Denise, who ignored the dictates of the day and followed her own counsel when it came to matters of style, making her the perfect model for her husband’s more outré creations.

A series of elegant Georges Lepape illustrations open the exhibit, followed by 17 vignettes styled to look like Lepape illustrations come to life, or like the colorful drawings by some of the other La Gazette du bon ton-era artists (Paul Iribe, Georges Barbier) with whom Poiret often collaborated.

A quick twirl through the gallery makes it immediately apparent that Poiret wasn’t called “The Master Draper” for nothing; many of his dresses were created right on the body - a neat trick that’s brought to life via a clever animated video installation by Softlab. And though a few of his garments look dated (the hobble skirt and lampshade tunic, in particular) many more feel surprisingly au courant, such as a navy and burgundy color-blocked dress, c. 1923, and a series of ivory coats from the same period that would look as right in the 21st century as they did in the Roaring Twenties.

Though not as visually compelling as the Costume Institute’s “AngloMania” and “Rara Avis” exhibits, the current show does drive home Poiret’s versatility and creativity as a couturier - whether it took the form of a simple Chinoiserie-inspired day dress, a draped chiffon mini-toga or a more elaborately beaded and embroidered evening ensemble - and it reestablishes his rightful place as the father of modern-day fashion (Coco Chanel, of course, being its mother).

“The show was inspired by an auction of the clothes [belonging to] his wife, Denise Poiret,” Costume Institute Curator, Andrew Bolton, told us during the preview. “And seeing the clothes highlighted their modernity. Poiret is known very much as an Orientalist, but when you see the clothes that he was producing for his wife, they’re incredibly modern. They’ve got such simplicity.”

“Also, he was one of the first to drape fabric directly on the body,” added Bolton. “He shifted the emphasis away from the skill of tailoring, which was the practice of the couture of the 19th century, and created this idea of conceiving fabric in the round, which was something that was completely new in the early 20th century. It allowed clothes to be hung from the shoulders and introduced fashion’s modern form.”

Poiret was also ahead of his time when it came to dressing celebrities and understanding the importance of PR. He dressed then-famous performers Rejane, Sarah Bernhardt, Isadora Duncan and Lillie Langtry, and was the first designer to launch a fragrance and create a furniture and home accessories line, both of which he did in 1911 (this was also the year Poiret hosted his now legendary “Thousand and Second Night” costume party).

The Fashion Informer caught up with Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquiere after the 11 a.m. tea-cum-press conference to get his take on what made Poiret so unique.

“His modernity and his freedom,” said Ghesquiere in heavily-accented English. “He was a free man, a free designer, and the way he mixed volume, fabric and ethnic [influences] was ahead of its time. He mixed a North African fabric with a European shape and Asian details - it’s really fascinating. And it still works. You can see that in the exhibit.”

And those with a keen eye can also see Poiret’s influence in the work of designers from Anna Sui to Miuccia Prada (ethnic prints and turbans, anyone?).

So did Ghesquiere have a favorite piece among the many on display in the exhibit?

“I particularly loved the lingerie pieces that were like day wear, short little peach or pink chiffon dresses,” he said with a grin. “I think the construction is just very essential. It goes right to the point but is so elegant and so modern. The same dress could be worn today, a century later. Many of his pieces are like that; they’re not costumes, they’re real clothes.”

Indeed they are. And it’s the inherent wearability of his designs - still - that earned Poiret his nickname, and that makes him so deserving of this timely retrospective.

“Poiret: King of Fashion” will be on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute from May 9 - August 5, 2007.

Photos © The Fashion Informer

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