Des histoires et des modes #7: Paul Poiret. Inventing Modern Luxury

The Palais Galliera gives a voice to those who shape and reflect on fashion: researchers, designers, creators, and master craftspeople. Through this series of talks, the museum highlights books, personal journeys, and perspectives that shed light on fashion heritage and history.

  • Horaires : De 18h15 à 20h15
  • Lieu : Hall of the Palais Galliera
  • Publics :
  • Tarif : Free with reservation, limited to available seats.

For this seventh edition, Mary E. Davis will present her book Paul Poiret. Inventing Modern Luxury, published by Reaktion Books in conversation with Émilie Hammen, director of the Palais Galliera. Director, Luxury Business Program, Sotheby's Institute of Art, NYC, she will explore the legacy of Paul Poiret, a visionary couturier and a key figure in the emergence of modern fashion. 

Join us on Wednesday, July 1st at 6:15 p.m. at the Palais Galliera for this presentation.

The talk will be held in English.

Summary

Beautifully illustrated, the story of the incandescent French designer and entrepreneur, purveyor of all things lavish.
 
Before Chanel, Dior, or Saint Laurent, there was Paul Poiret. Born in Paris in 1879, he was the most audacious couturier of the prewar era. While his outré styles were worn by some of the most famous celebrities in Europe and America, they were, in fact, the most fleeting facet of his work. Mary E. Davis explores how Poiret’s genius was to place fashion at the center of a network of style, culture, and commerce. He founded groundbreaking perfume and interior design businesses, sponsored musical performances, amassed a modernist art collection, and threw fantastical—and newsworthy—balls. Poiret’s businesses faded by the end of the 1920s, but as this book reveals, his unifying vision set the model for the luxury industry as we know it.