Orientalism, Paul Poiret
Poiret's Oriental designs with his signature turban
Brassiere 1910s The Metropolitan Museum of Art
During the beginning of the 1910s, the silhouette became more fluid and less restricted. When the Ballet Russes performed, Orientalism was taken up as trend. And it all started with the Parisian couturier, Paul Poiret who designed garments inspired by Leon Bakst's Ballet Russes costume designs. The Edwardian period silhouettes were gone and was changed to natural, less restricted waistlines by the abandonment of corsets to brassieres inspired by the Empire and Director style similar to the 1800s fashion.
Harem Pants, The Lampshade Silhouette and Turbans
A Turban, a lampshade tunic and harem pants.
An embellished turban.
Poiret's expressed his exotic tendencies by transforming his clients with flowing pentaloons or 'Harem pants', turbans, cocoon and kimono coats and his enigmatic silhouettes such as his icon lampshade(tent) tunics with vivid hues. His lampshade tunics and turbans were of vibrant glowing shimmering colours, with beaded embellishments.
Hobble Skirt (Spindle)
By 1914, Poiret then sought to design extremes like Hobble skirts which drew the legs closely together as it was so narrow and it was the widest at the hips. It's difficult to move when wearing these long and slim skirts. To increase the hobble effect women needed to wear a 'fetter', a kind of bondage belt that held the ankles together and prevented the wearer from making any movements other than small steps in imitation of Geisha girls.
The hobble skirt was Poiret's last success because women then gravitated towards new designers like Chanel and Lanvin which designed more comfortable clothes.
World War I
World War I highly influenced fashion. As men went off to war, women took on their jobs and even volunteered to join the army. Most of the jobs required uniforms hence the military look and the above ankle hemlines was preferred and practical during this point of time.
The uniforms consisted of a single breasted fitted jacket and fitted sleeves with placket openings.
Outfits (with vocabulary)
A Peplum Jacket with side belts, a full (circle) skirt, 2 piece suit.
Women in full(circle) skirts with rising hemlines at the Cache Mollet (Lower Calf) length, sleeves at Thewrist length.
Lady in Navy: Wing Collar
An evening wrap around.
The Art Deco Movement
The Great Gatsby
It was the Roaring Twenties they say, the arrival of the Jazz age. After WW1 women got married and gave up employment and wanted to become youthful again. Women loved wearing outdoor leisure wear to spend time dancing because it is practical for an activity with lots of movement. Art deco consisted of precise and boldly delineated geometric shapes and strong colours influenced by Egyptians, African Art, Expressionism, European Purism and the avant-garde movements of the Cubist and Fauve painters in the early years of the 20th century.
La Garconne
La Garconne: This term was used to describe the flapper lifestyle. It was used to express the freedom of the 1920's. The Garconne look consisted of shift dresses paired with silk stockings while holding their
cigarettes with a long cigarette holder, cloche hats, Mary Janes, bobbed hair and jewelry from elbow to wrist.
Traded corsets and long dress for shapeless, shift dress which allowed to move freely while dancing to Jazz.
Women's fashion changed and the difference with the middle and rich women became less significant. It is because shift dresses were made of simple cuts of Butterick sewing patterns which made middle class women accessible to make their own dresses.
Flapper Girl Fashion
Column Silhouette
Dresses: Column silhouette, Knee length, dropped waistline, sleeveless and sometimes included a V neckline on the front and back. Not only waistlines drop but hemlines too rose drastically and the dress was paired with silk stockings. Skin was exposed but the torso was covered.
Beads and Sequins
Fur and Beads
Peter Pan Collar
Funnel sleeves
Details of that era included were beads, sequins, lace, fringes, fur, flowers, peter pan collars, funnel sleeves and shimmery fabrics like chiffon and satin.
Chanel in The Art Deco Movement
Art Deco was “a movement that really changed the figure and form of the female” which inspired Parisian couturier Coco Chanel to create clothing that enhanced the lifestyle of a woman. She hated the idea of women not being able to undress themselves due to restrictions of the corset. To solve this issue she designed clothing that enabled women to dance the night away with ease.
An example was the 'Ribbon Dress' created by Gabrielle Chanel in 1924.
Technical Flats Drawings
