the naked catwalk: The Poiret

Thursday, May 5, 2011

The Poiret

I have Finally figured out what I am gonna do with some fabric I have been hanging onto for the past 9 years or so. Its a beautiful soft heathered blue wool flannel.

I'm gonna make a coat based on Paul Poiret's cocoon coat. I'm hoping it's also gonna be for a contest I would like to enter on Foundations Revealed. The contest is their Double Period Project and this year its either 1812 or 1912. I love the early teens fashion as it moves into the flappers of the 20's. The fashion is so loose and free and has an opulence about it that you just don't see now a days.

I simply ADORE the yellow version!

Paul Poiret was a leader in the world of fashion and trendsetting back then. He was one of the few who chucked the petticoats and corsets and opted to drape and form the fabric to natural form. One of the designs he created was something called the cocoon coat. He used one piece of fabric and draped it on the mannequin to create folds that hugged under the bum and the upper thigh and billowing out in the body of the coat. This style had his famous Hobble skirt design.

I love this idea and have been busy researching online, trying to find as many photographs of this type of coat that I could find. Both his own work and the work of others as well as fashion illustrations of the the time. Its definitely a challenge for me, creating the look you see in the illustrations, while using one piece of fabric. I've gotten a pretty good shape so far on my draping experiments, but I'm still not altogether happy with the result. I have questions....

And that was where I left off a few weeks ago...lol. I did however order Poiret: The King of Fashion book and it arrived. Its such a fabulous book. It's hard but I was finally able to see the seaming on the coat he created for his wife.

I now just have to decide if I want to be faithful to Poiret's design or use it as a jumping off point and create something based on the silhouette but with my own style. There are so many yummy fashion plates and Extant garments for wonderful inspiration!