The Met recently completed a retrospective Poiret, the inspiring designer who took his wife as muse and threw away the corsets. While his unique shapes and details were a bit difficult for some modern viewers (many women kept remarking on their fears of what the exquisite dresses would make their hips look like), I thought the collection was still relevant today as he paved the way for more relaxed clothing and luxurious detailing.
I also love that many of his methods were born out of his lack of sewing skills. He created the technique of draping, where fabric is literally draped around a model and pinned together. The displays, as with all of the Met's increasingly impressive apparel shows, were excellent (although a bit less dramatic than the Anglomania show I missed and have been kicking myself ever since). The backdrops were lush paintings in a style which complimented the textile and paintings of Poiret's work.
Speaking of which, Poiret himself is not the only star of the show, the illustrations by Georges Lepape are as impressive as the clothing and the print designs by Raoul Dufy were extraordinary and his wife Denise Poiret inspired all of his work. Unfortunately I saw the last day of the show, so you will have to rely on books and websites to learn more about this designer.
But what do you think?