Paul Poiret, design from 1923
From Harriet Worsley, Très Tendance, La mode de 1900 à nos jours, (Postdam, Ullmann publishing, 2012)
A photography that reflects the trends of the early 20’s, between conservatism and liberalization, while advocating for a new lifestyle
A modern woman, who challenge the old conventions
-She is the prototype of the contemporary and fashionable woman of the early 20’s, ‘’the Garçonne »
-She seems free, independent, and has personality (she looks at the viewer in a very straightforward, almost rebellious way)
-She smokes, has short hair, wear a pants
This is the result of a specific political and cultural context
-WWI has shaken the traditional social order
-Women experienced autonmy, and tok over men’s role for a while
-Although in France the feminist movement is still small, the new generation call into question the traditional order, and aims at having more rights and freedom
-In Paris and notably Montparnasse, avant-garde artists and intellectuals, among which are many women, start having a very free lifestyle
-the short haircut and the style of the women of the photography is a sign of this contestations
The classical signs of femininity are questionned
-She is very androgynous
-Her ‘female attributes’’ are not underlined by her large outfit, she doesn’t wear any corset
-she has short hair
-she is young and looks sporty
-her feet are apart, her position is not modest, and would be more expected from a man than from a distinguished young woman
The new medium, photography, is used to portray a new ideal of woman and new lifestyle
-Although she is elegant, she is not languishing on a sofa, or standing in a very classical way
-It enables to show a ‘real’, ‘authentic’, lively woman
-Photography ‘sells’ a modern way of life
-Yet, the decor remains traditional ; it is a very bourgeoise apartment
The Orientalist trend remains present (essentially through the harm pants, but also through some details of the interior)
-Mainly present in art and design since the middle of the 19th century, still present after WWI (ex : Manet)
-The impact of the colonial context is significant
-The Interest of Poiret for exoticism and orientalist dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, when he saw the Oriental exhibition of 1906 and the Ballets Russes of 1910
-The evening outfit wear by this woman in 1922 is a variant of Poiret’s famous harem pants of 1911
-It evokes the most romanticized aspect of Orientalism, the harem, along with number of fantasies
-In that sense, and although she is ‘masculinized’, she is also very sexualized
-Poiret uses this fantasies to promotes his design ; a strategies would today be very questionable and seen as cultural appropriation
-There is echoes between the picture, the garment, and one of Delacroix’s famous painting, The Odalisque, 1857
Odalisque, Eugène Delacroix,1857, source : eugenedelacroix.org
Poiret was a visionary designer, who set up the trends for the coming decades. Yet, in the early 20’s he seems to have difficulties renewing his inspiration and he is not a fashion leader anymore
-Echoes with the 1993 Yves Saint Laurent advertising campaign for Opium
Yves Saint Laurent, advertising campaign for Opium, 1993, pinterest.com
