Dressed: The History of Fashion · Dressed Media

Paul Poiret: The King of Fashion, Part III

October 24, 2025·45 min·4 clips

Poiret tells a department store magnate he's closing his atelier to join the French military, saying 'France needs men today, not artists.'

This episode concludes the three-part series on designer Paul Poiret, hosted by fashion historians April Callahan and Cassidy Zachary. It chronicles Poiret's decline after World War I, despite his efforts to reclaim his status as the "King of Fashion." The hosts draw heavily from the "Paul Poiret: Fashion is a Feast" exhibition in Paris and Palmer White's 1973 biography. Poiret returned from military service, where he served as a regimental tailor, to personal tragedy with the deaths of two of his five children. He produced up to 200 designs annually post-war, documented in a collection of 3,000 photographs at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. His extravagant spending continued, leading to a loss of roughly $500,000 (about $7 million today) on a failed nightclub called The Oasis. Poiret lost a public lawsuit against Josephine Baker, whom he had outfitted, after a court ruled the garments were gifts. Financial pressures forced Poiret to take on business partners, who clashed with his unlimited creative spending. He refused a lucrative $16,000 deal to license his name for work boots during an American tour. For the 1925 Exposition Internationale, he spent a fortune on three decorated barges, but Parisian society largely ignored the spectacle. He was forced to sell his prized art collection, which included works by Dufy and Picasso, and later sold his perfume and interior design companies, Rosine and Martine. After a 1928 divorce from his wife Denise, Poiret was removed from his own company in 1929 and replaced by Marc Claude. In the 1930s, he launched several failed ventures, including a couture house named after a phone number, Passy 10-17, and a ready-to-wear line for Liberty of London. He told a journalist in 1936, "I can no longer make a living from couture," blaming a shift toward uniform-like dressing. When applying for unemployment, he insisted the agent note he could not sew. Poiret died in 1944, and his funeral was paid for by designer Elsa Schiaparelli. His legacy was revived decades later when his ex-wife Denise preserved his garments and collaborated on Palmer White's biography. A 2005 auction of 600 pieces from Denise's wardrobe, including the iconic "Sorbet" gown, reignited museum and collector interest. Designer Christian Lacroix wrote of being deeply inspired by a 1974 Poiret exhibition. The tone is conversational and deeply admiring, blending historical narrative with personal enthusiasm for Poiret's artistry. Listeners interested in early 20th-century fashion history, tales of artistic triumph and financial ruin, or the business behind creativity would enjoy this episode. Those seeking a critical analysis of Poiret's flaws or a faster-paced narrative might find it less engaging.

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