Staff had warned me months ago: “The autumn exhibition will be a grand one again!” Despite the The Hague Gemeente Museum’s Mondriaan exhibition being nominated for an important award, it had totally not impressed nor enchanted me. Security and staff noticed, so asked me to revisit this autumn.
Heeding their advice, I visited the museum’s Art Deco exhibition. Staff and security were right. “Art Deco – Paris” is far more impressive than that Mondriaan exhibition!
This exhibition truly captures the spirit of the roaring twenties or les années folles in French. Actually, the exhibition focuses on Paul Poiret, Le Magnifique and his friends. There is only one word for his creations – and this exhibition: magnifique!
Paul Poiret did not just create fashion. His impact on fashion, design, applied arts, is likened to Picasso’s impact on art.
Paul Poiret’s parents apprenticed him to an umbrella-maker. This unlikely fashion-designer-start likely enabled him to create fashion which liberated women. Though many point out, Poiret went for effect and did not necessarily worry about craftsmanship.
His fashion could and should be worn without corset. His draped, loose, flowing designs remind one of fashion worn by say Josephine de Beauharnais. The Empire fashion could also be worn with minimal support.
The first exhibition room is full of wonderful drawings. They caused me and plenty other visitors to simply drool over show-cases. Then there are Poiret’s capes and coats, inspired by Japanese kimonos, which remain so modern.
Some of these as well as other costumes, were actually worn by Madame Poiret. She was Paul Poiret’s muse. Some may presume she must have been one of those modern size-zero super-models? Denise seems to have been a proto-type flapper or garconne: slim and petite. Her husband created his shift-like, draped dresses and wonderful capes for feminine women; not our too skinny size zero models.
The exhibition also shows, Poiret was a master in promotion, marketing and sales. There are black-and-white news clips showing Monsieur and his mannequins arriving … by plane. Aviation still being in its very early development stage, the ladies are helped out of planes using ladders. The scoop? The ladies carry boxes and boxes full of the latest fashion, created by Monsieur Poiret, of course.
Around 1910, Poiret launched his own line of perfumes. Nowadays, we are used to fashion houses and celebrities having their own lines of perfumes. Poiret was one of the first to do so, with “Parfums de Rosine” named after one of his children. His line appeared well before Coco Chanel launched her best-seller.
Poiret’s vision of ‘total design’ is illustrated by furniture, wall-paper, jewelry. Among the jewelry are pieces bought by Maharajas and Maharanis. I spotted an item, once owned by a Mrs. VanderBilt.
Works of art Poiret collected, are also on show. He was a good net-worker and his large circle of friends and acquaintances included designers, artists, architects. Works created by Poiret’s friends can be admired here. These friends included people like Raoul Dufy, Erté, Paul Iribe, Man Ray, Brancusi, Kees van Dongen – to name a few.
Les années folles are also represented by costumes created for lavish parties, or for members of the Ballets Russes, including Nijinsky. There are two costumes, one also depicted in a nearby painting, likely worn during a “Thousand and two Nights”- party.
What becomes clear: traditional costumes from all over the world inspired Poiret. There are harem pants, “sultana” dresses. He named fashion creations after distant regions like “Steppe”.
The First World War caused the collapse of the Poiret empire. The fashion house suffered during his absence, while he fought in the war. Taking part in extravagant exhibitions, hosting lavish parties, leading an extravagant life-style did not help.
The exhibition tells a story, though pointing out it may be an invention: Poiret meets Chanel wearing a little black dress. When he asks why she wears black, she responds she is mourning him.
Poiret went bankrupt; his reign was over as Coco Chanel had taken over. Towards the end of the exhibition, there are black-and-white news reels of jazz musicians and Josephine Baker dancing … in something which definitely is no Poiret creation. When Poiret died, it was friend and fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, who paid for his funeral. One of the few things, this otherwise magnificent exhibition fails to tell.
Visit this exhibition and you will agree with me, you need not to be an Art Deco lover. There is so much to see: short films, art, furniture, fashion. There are spectacular items on loan from the Met, the V&A, and other important museums. The Art Deco jewelry is from Cartier’s jewelry collection.
Go and have a look: it is magnefique – believe me, staff, security!
The Hague Gemeente Museum: Art Deco – Paris, can be visited till 4th of March 2018.
Katevents 