1920s Paris Fashion meets Arraiolos Stitching
Paul Poiret, “Bataille,” 1925, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Paul Poiret Coat, 1923, velvet.
Image: ModeMuseum Hasselt, BE
In contrast and up close: A traditional Arraiolos pillowcase with sample stitching.
I love seeing contemporary designers take inspiration from traditional textiles and fashion history. Casa Lopez, a French rug company, in collaboration with the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, is making hand-stitched rugs inspired by the work of early 20th-century fashion designer Paul Poiret, using the Arraiolos technique in Portugal.
Poiret is known for liberating women from the corset, moving design away from tailoring toward draping. When you think of the long waistless dress of the 1920s, Poiret was largely responsible for the trend. The designer also created the first modern fashion lifestyle company like what we have today, with a perfume and cosmetics branch as well as an interior design company. The interior design company, called Martine, contained a school, design studio, and shop. Poiret selected student designs for fabric, wallpaper, and carpet designs, including the floral design on velvet in the coat below from 1923.
Casa Lopez now offers several rugs based on the colorful patterns of Atelier Martine, including the pattern from the 1923 coat! Take a look here to see other Casa Lopez Poiret Martine designs and read more about Poiret's work, collaboration with painter Raoul Dufy, the influence of the Wiener Werkstatte, and the celebrities that Poiret dressed. What a time in Paris!
Paul Poiret, Atelier Martine, 1923, velvet.
Image: ModeMuseum Hasselt, BE
Paul Poiret, Textile from Atelier Martine, ca. 1919, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Wouldn’t it be fun to stitch a few of these flowers and leaves?