claudia - west palm beach salon - Poiret, Godfather of fashion

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Known in America as “The King of Fashion” Paul Poiret was borne in 1879 to a poor cloth merchant in Paris but went on to dominate the fashion industry of his time. Starting off as an umbrella maker he went on to design sketches that were first sold to local dressmakers and soon after to major design houses. His creations earned him a place at the Parisian “House of Worth” but his modern looks were too much for the more conservative clients at that time. Poiret went on to establish his own house in 1903, where he threw grandiose parties and was renowned for marketing his name more than others before him.

When war hit Europe Poiret left his business and served the military by increasing uniform production. Unfortunately once discharged from the military in 1919, Poiret returned to a house on the verge of financial collapse and a new generation of designers were making their mark on the fashion world. One such designer was Coco Chanel whose production of far more simple, sleek designs, employed higher standards of craftsmanship than did Poiret’s.

Although ahead of his time Poiret became quickly out of fashion. He was deeply in debt, and had no support from financial partners. In 1929 the house was closed down and its clothing that remained was sold by weight as rags. He passed away in 1944, his legacy not attached to designer label but only to histories pages.

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