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Sorbet
Paul Poiret, born 1879 - died 1944 - Enlarge image
Sorbet
- Object:
Evening dress
- Place of origin:
Paris, France (made)
- Date:
1912 (designed)
- Artist/Maker:
Paul Poiret, born 1879 - died 1944 (designer)
- Materials and Techniques:
Silk chiffon and satin, embroidered with glass beads, and trimmed with fur
- Museum number:
T.385&A-1976
- Gallery location:
In Storage
In 1911 the fashion designer Paul Poiret held one of his 'unforgettable' fancy-dress balls - 'The Thousand and Second Night'. He attired his wife in a 'lampshade' tunic over 'harem trousers', which subsequently inspired similar exotic creations, including 'Sorbet', comprising a skirt and tunic.
Paul Poiret (1879-1944) was born in Paris. He opened his own salon after serving an apprenticeship for Douçet and working for Charles Frederick Worth (1825-1895), the English-born designer whose Paris salon dominated French couture. Poiret was one of the most creative fashion designers of the 20th century. He also revived fashion illustration, founded a school for the decorative arts and even diversified into perfume. He led the forefront of the artistic fashion movement away from the curvilinear silhouette of the early 1900s towards a longer, leaner line. His brilliantly coloured, looser clothes, often inspired by the 'orientalist' enthusiasm for Eastern fashions and traditions, were extremely popular.
