*Left,* Mosaïque Paris, an evening dress in embroidered silk chiffon, designed by Paul Poiret, circa 1908; *right,* Poiret, photographed on the terrace of the Salle Pleyel, in Paris, circa 1925.

Fashion Forward

An exhibition in Paris celebrates Paul Poiret, the early-20th-century couturier who freed women from corsets and inspired designers from Christian Dior to John Galliano

By Lacey Minot

In 1925, the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts turned Paris into a fashion wonderland nonpareil. Exhibiting in the Grand Palais and the ephemeral Pavillon de l’Élégance as well as in pop-up boutiques and on catwalks, the city’s couturiers saw their craft elevated from mere dressmaking to an art form on an international scale. Although they didn’t paint or sculpt, they draped and cut, embellishing canvases of velvet and silk with beading and embroidery.

Never one for small gestures, Paul Poiret—known as Le Magnifique—wasn’t content to be featured alongside the rest of the fashion pantheon. Instead, in a flourish demonstrating his clairvoyant grasp of what would come to be the “lifestyle brand,” Poiret installed three barges on the Seine. “Amours” featured his interior-décor and perfume lines, the dance hall “Orgues” displayed his textile collaborations with the young Raoul Dufy, and the designer himself played host at the luxury restaurant “Délices”—his own floating world.