A Brief Biography of Paul Poiret Essay example

The 18th century, more precisely between 1715 and 1789, was a significant time period in the fashion sphere for women in France. The time period itself was a mark of great change for the history of France due to various political reasons as well as various art movements and often times fashion, despite being a branch of art, is overlooked by most viewers. However, fashion during this time excelled in France and was essentially the symbol of a new era in this domain; French fashion was now snowballing into something much greater that still echoes to this today. Ultimately, the goal of this essay is to describe women’s fashion during the period of 1715-1789 and the shifts it made through the analytical use of various sources including artwork, literature, museums’ online archives and internet sources.

There have been and still are hundreds of fashion designers in the world. But only a few of them have had any major impact on fashion industry today. And even fewer have revolutionised the fashion industry completely. One of these revolutionaries is the renowned Christian Dior. He reestablished Paris as the centre of the fashion world, and created his name as a symbol of elegance, quality, and modernity. I will be looking into how Dior’s context informed his practice, by using three of his most iconic and popular designs; The Bar Suit, Venus Dress and the Cygne Noir dress. And how these were a direct representation of 1945-1950 France.

In this essay I want to examine how the corset evolved from a staple of the British feminine wardrobe of the Nineteenth Century into a symbol of an outmoded tradition – only to later return as a statement of female liberation. I am going to look at different aspects of this development including technological advances, economic facts, external events, particularly the First World War and changes in social, political and aesthetic attitudes. I will also look briefly at the role of Chanel on the silhouette and how this impacted on the corset: focusing on the trend to towards ‘opulent androgyny’ in the 1920’s. Finally I will examine the resurgence of the corset

The French Revolution evokes many different emotions and controversial issues in that some believe it was worth the cost and some don't. There is no doubt that the French Revolution did have major significance in history. Not only did the French gain their independence, but an industrial revolution also took place. One of the main issues of the Revolution was it's human costs. Two writers, the first, Peter Kropotkin who was a Russian prince, and the other Simon Schama, a history professor, both had very opposing views on whether the wars fought by France during the Revolution were worth it's human costs. Krapotkin believed that the French Revolution was the main turning point for not only France but for most

The fashion industry is rapidly growing and constantly generating new fashion trends almost weekly. Fashion for some may seem ridiculous and unnecessary; but fashion is not just a meaningless usage of article of clothing or farcical materials sew together for coverage. There is more to fashion than meets the eyes, fashion is precious and significant. It is a reflection of self-image, it speak the ream about who we are and how we review ourselves. Not only is fashion the reflection of self-image but also the reflection of our history as Coco Channel have said, “Fashion is not something that exist in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” Fashion

This is best illustrated in her ability to make fashion timeless” (“Six of America’s Leading Designers Create One-Of-A-Kind Gowns Inspired by Grace, Princess of Monaco to Celebrate her Iconic Style and Legacy to the Fashion World 1). People from all around the world still copy her looks today because they never go out of style. Six of America’s top designers are taking an iconic outfit and creating a one of a kind look all from inspiration from her looks in honor of her legacy. Grace Kelly obtained a classic college girl style; she wore basic pieces but made sure they all fit perfectly “her style was defined mostly by what she didn’t wear-- ‘too blatant curves, too-tight dresses, too-lavish furs, or jewelry noteworthy only for its abundance” (Ball 1). Her simple pieces were out of the ordinary at this time; the fact that she was a Hollywood it-girl and Princess of Monaco who did not wear outrageous articles of clothing made her different-and the public loved it. Furthermore, the press ate up everything about her, when she wore something plain and simple to meet the first lady, the world could not get enough of her simple style. She single handedly changed the fashion trends of her era “...her rigorous fashion restraint frequently sent the newsprint world into a tizzy. When she wore a plain green dress to the white house in 1961, it was headline news, the headline being THE GODDESSES MEET” (Ball 1). Kelly inspired others because her elegance and poise radiated through her style. Her signature white gloves and oversized saucer hat made her modest and classic. One of Kelly’s largest fashion accomplishments is when one of the most well known designers in the world-Hermes-named a bag after her. Her iconic large bag she used to conceal her baby bump was named the ‘Kelly’. Besides from her stunning appearance Grace

The power of fashion is underestimated by many. I, myself was one of those many. Up until my middle school art instructor, Ms.Jose introduced me to the fashion world. One day as I worked on an art project, Ms.Jose randomly challenged me to create a Roaring 20’s look. At the time, “Roaring 20’s” was a newcomer to my historical knowledge. Curious to understand what Ms.Jose was referring to and where I had to get my inspiration from, I researched the history behind this time period. I was astonished by how much of a role fashion played during this era, from the bob hairstyles, to shorter dresses, and the famous designer Coco Chanel. Inspired by one of Coco Chanel first collections, I designed a purple and red evening dress and accessorised the

Fast forward to Chanel’s young adult life, and you can see it wasn’t long off that she would set up shop in Paris, France in 1910, eventually expanding out to Deauville, and then Biarritz. She had started off with designing, and marketing hats which became a very successful hit amongst the fashionistas of that day. Chanel’s empire was growing exponentially, and in 1920 she expanded into the realms of couture now working in jersey which at the time was unheard of in the French fashion circle. Soon she was blurring the lines of what was acceptable, setting fashion trends instead of adhering to the routine, and was giving way to entire style genres such as the “chemise” and the “little boy” look. Her fashion statements were a gigantic contrast to what was socially acceptable, and of course Chanel fell under scrutiny over it, but she went on to create more casual, shorter, and idyllically “liberating” clothing for the day’s modern woman. In essence she was liberating women from the stuffy, confining fashions that they were used to, and giving way to a loose more relaxed style all together while maintaining it’s inherent feminine charm. Chanel was creating more than just a design, or an article of clothing, she was creating a movement that would change the way society viewed fashion in it’s entirety. (Lewis)

But in the 1920s Vionnet’s fashion house was reopened in Paris, which got the title of “The Temple of Fashion” (Kirke, 1998). The fashion house impressed the world of couture with her great inventions: garments cut on the bias which gave more flexibility to the garments, gowns with unique silhouettes, unusual draping skills. Her major clients were stage artists, due to which her garments were showcased well to catch the attention (Kirke, 1998). With her perfect skills and the balance between experimentation and elegance, her concepts are still remembered

Pierre Alexandre Claudius Balmain was born in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, Savoie, France during the 18th of May 1914 and died in Paris, France during the 29th of June 1982. Throughout his lifetime he became a renowned French fashion designer and was founder of the French high fashion house Balmain. The fashion house was founded in 1946, a year after the Second World War finished. Fashion designing ran through Pierre’s veins as his father owned a wholesale drapery business and his mother worked in a boutique managed by her two sisters called Galeries Parisiennes. Unfortunately Balmain’s father died when he was just seven years old. As a result Balmain remembered much of his fondest childhood memories playing in the boutique that his mother worked

In the 19th century play, FASHION, Anna Mowatt develops the character plot as a contrast and comparison between being “natural” and “artificial in a world becoming preoccupied with fashion, and being fashionable. In the head notes, it was stated that Daniel Havens said FASHION is “the ugly image of the American Dream gone sour.” (Watt and Richardson) Fashion has a complex definition. The word ‘fashion’ can mean anything from the type of clothes you wear, how you communicate with others, the place you live, how you present yourself, or who you associate yourself with. In FASHION, Mowatt took a comical yet sober look at the definitions of “fashion,” applied it to real life in 1845, and through her characters, provides a mirror with which an

Fashion has been around ever since ancient times, since the time of the Romans, it survived the world wars and is yet today a business with rapid changes. Fashion started off as an art form, a way for the riches to show their social status with unique and innovative designs that only they could afford. It was a way to separate the social classes of the society. In this paper I will include the creator of haute couture, and how the following designers developed couture, as well as having leading names in today’s ready-to-wear industry. The list is long, but I chose to focus on the three most important designers of the modern fashion industry.

Coco Chanel, born on August 19, 1883 in Saumur, France, influenced 1920s fashion greatly through her trademark pieces such as “little black dress” and jersey suits and many more. These key fashion pieces are still very popular in our current day time in women’s fashion. Before Chanel became well known, most women would wear corsets that would leave them feeling stiff to give them more of a hour glass look as well as skirts with long hems that would reach the floor. Chanel went past the social boundaries of most women, and created different and diverse pieces. She disregarded societies idea of

This essay aims to analyse the key role that the surrealist movement has played on fashion and the fashion industry. Both from a historical point of view, as well as its continued impact on fashion today, as a source of inspiration for contemporary fashion designers.

This essay will be considering the historical development of haute couture by analysing Charles Frederick Worth’s (father of haute couture) key factors in the success of haute Couture. I will then discuss Coco Chanel’s thriving impact on haute couture as well as ready-to-wear caused by the second world war. Saint Laurent’s drift to ready-to-wear and the high street fashion system will also be discussed in order to answer if haute couture is relevant in fashion today. The books I will be analysing and referencing are ‘A Cultural History of Fashion in the 20th Century’ by Bonnie English, ‘Couture’ by Ruth Lynam, ‘How Fashion Works’ by Gavin Waddell. Which will thoroughly breakdown the evolution and historical development of fashion by cultural, economic, environmental and social changes to finally come into a conclusion.