The man who broke the rules: fashion designer Paul Poiret

Lena | May 14, 2009 | 0 Comments

largerobes3 Poiret was constantly evolving his style. He echoed art movement such as Cubism and expressionism in the 1910s in his designs using straight lines and geometry in his fashion. Breaking all known rules, Poiret made column dresses with material in bright blocks of colour. This was a big change for women used to the subtle pastels that were popular in Edwardian society.

untitled3 But Poiret was also a visionary when it came to accessories. He saw an outfit as being a head-to-toe look and designed turbans, coolie-style hats, parasols and jewelled slippers to go with his Oriental clothes. The cloche hat – now symbolic of the Twenties – was popularised by Poiret, as were fur-trimmed coats.

He was, perhaps, the equivalent of today’s high street designers, aiming to create popular fashions that would change on a frequent basis. His aim was to focus on creativity rather than creating expensively made clothes that would last a long time.

Poiret’s fashions remained popular until World War One. After the war, his complex designs seemed outdated and people were buying high quality clothes by the new designers such as Coco Chanel. By the time Poiret died in 1944 he was largely forgotten, a great shame, as he was perhaps the first truly modern designer.