King Of Fashion: The autobiography of Paul Poiret
I feel for Paul Poiret.
Before reading his autobiography I knew quite a lot about him, just as much as all the fashion lovers know. Well that was not enough.
We know that Paul Poiret freed woman from the corset and he was one of the strongest influencers of fashion during the Art Deco period. Than suddenly after the world war he went bankrupt. Why he went bankrupt? That was a question I always had in my mind. That much richness, fame and being a pioneer…and one day you are totally out of the fashion (couture) system.
Paul Poiret was talented, creative and extremely sensitive. But he was not a businessman. Just look at how he describes how he managed the situation when a client had a problem in the store "Madame, you came to Poiret knowing that Poiret is the first house in the world. Very well then, Poiret is me, and I, Poiret, I tell you: this dress is good, it is beautiful, and it suits you. If you don't like it, so much the worse, take it away, but I will never make you another." He didn't discover the importance of client loyalty at that time but maybe later in his worst times he would need it.
He loved art and he opened a decorative arts school for kids and called it after her daughter; "Maison Martine". The school was an amazing place to fire creativity and teach decorative arts as well as getting inspiration. But free teaching didn't help Poiret to keep the school open and he had to close it.
He was famous with his extravagant parties and his love for luxurious life. The most famous of all is "The thousand and second night" his oriental world inspired party, he never cared for the expenses and wanted to create the most luxurious and original parties for his guests, of course if they weren't dressed in the theme they were simply not allowed to enter, or they had to wear a Paul Poiret outfit they could find inside. He also built a houseboat, beautifully decorated, it used to go on the canals of Paris hosting Poiret's artist friends.
I think Paul Poiret was a genius and he cherished creativity above all…above money as well, which is rare. It is a pity he was too confident and too closed to the changes in the world. He didn't want to adapt, he didn't believe he had to adapt. He believed his fashion was above all and there was no need to keep up with what others were doing. So he found himself out of the fashion circle, his company was closed, clothes sold in bulk and he became a poor man. Can fashion be that cruel?
It doesn't matter how the story ends. Paul Poiret remains one of the most important names in fashion history. Because fashion is a dream and it seems like this dream was his only reality.
“Let us not forget that man is the only one of all the animals who has discovered clothing. And is it not his punishment that he is obliged to be continually changing it, and never be able to find a fixed formula?”
