A true wunderkind, pampered by a mother and three attentive sisters, the young Paul exhibited an incorrigible leaning towards fantasy from a young age. After earning his baccalaureat and dabbling as a delivery boy for an umbrella manufacturer – to break his pride at his father\u2019s behest – he was hired as an assistant by Doucet, who was instantly enamored by his sketches. Whisked away to comply with his military obligations, he would begin working with Worth as a modeler upon his return. From 1901 to 1903, he perfected his knowledge of haute elegance, but his creations that were at the margins of the era led to his untimely departure. Luckily, Madame Poiret, well aware of her only son\u2019s talent, lent him 50,000 francs to get him on his feet. On the rue Auber in Paris, Paul Poiret would set his protean genius loose, making him a veritable luminary of his time.<\/p>\n
Asia, what with Japan, China, but also Persia, would provide Poiret with an endless supply of inspiration that would mix with and interpenetrate each other so well that is often impossible to distinguish them. His nickname \u201cPoiret le Magnifique\u201d, in reference to Soliman the Magnificent, a 16th century sultan, was perfectly suitable for this man for whom the Orient – in the most exotic sense of the term – was an unfailing source of inspiration. In his memoirs, he recalls the era where he worked with Worth and relates the poor reception with which the \u201cR\u00e9v\u00e9rend\u201d coat, with strong Chinese inspirations, was met by Princess Bariatinsky. \u201cIt was a large square kimono made of black cloth, edged with black satin; the sleeves were wide, right to the bottom and finished in embroidered trimmings like the sleeves of Chinese coats.\u201d Shocked by the simplicity of the cut, summed up by a large cloth rectangle folded in half, the Princess purportedly called this coat a \u201cFrench fry\u201d. Its simplicity and fluid lines contrasted with the very adjusted dresses of the early 1900s. With the title \u201cConfucius\u201d, it would be successfully rereleased shortly after Paul Poiret\u2019s setting up shop at 5 rue Auber in September 1903. A photograph published in \u201cLe Figaro Modes\u201d from February 15th, 1905, shows actress Lillie Langtry wearing it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A true wunderkind, pampered by a mother and three attentive sisters, the young Paul exhibited an incorrigible leaning towards fantasy from a young age. After earning his baccalaureat and dabbling as a delivery boy for an umbrella manufacturer – to break his pride at his father\u2019s behest – he was hired as an assistant by…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[15727,38,15037,15724,10016,15728],"class_list":["post-9327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fashion-accessories","tag-confucius-coat","tag-fashion","tag-orient","tag-orientalism","tag-paul-poiret","tag-the-belle-epoque"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n