It must have been the work of Paul Poiret

To sum up the work of Paul Poiret, it would be reasonable to call him fashion's last great orientalist, as well as fashion's first great modernist. For each century has a designer that defines it above all, Poiret stood as the trophy of the 1910s. Each article of clothing contains vivid color formalities, puzzling silhouettes, and fantasies oriented from the eastern world. Some would argue that Poiret actually built the blue plan for the modern fashion world - entangled with the first bit of modern fashion marketing. For it was Paul Poiret who decided it was best to use the stage to his advantage and hold a fashion show. And then the 1920's came, diminishing Poiret as a designer and further leading to the complete closure of his business. Subsequently, Chanel took over the world.

Cardin's empire

Born in Italy in 1922, Pierre Cardin later moved to France to study architecture. He subsequently worked with Elsa Schiaparelli and eventually became the head of Christian Dior's tailleure atelier in 1947. He was offered a position over at Balenciaga, but denied, because he could. Cardin was the first to brilliant designer to expand haute couture to Japan's markets. From there, he built his empire up with housewares, American Motors, and even restaurants and food products.

His clothes- space age, geometric based patterns - remain new classics. His general rule of thumb seemed to be experimental, not practical. Criticism rained over his collections often, for "ignoring the female body form." I disagree. My love for the creator of the bubble dress and king of the avant-garde 60's is everlasting!

Mr. Miyake

Issey Miyake: a true avant-gardist.

Born in 1938, fashion designer Issey Miyake debuted his first fashion collection in Tokyo, Japan in 1963, while attending Tama Art University. The designer is known for his technology infused fashion and for experimenting with new styles of pleating in his clothing during the mid eighties. Miyake's main idea in creating clothing is to create a garment from only one piece of fabric. He also incorporated the exploration of the space between the human body and the cloth that covers it into his design principles.

Miyake's clothes either transform the body with bizarre additions, or sheath it in a bulky mask of fabric. Miyake was one of the first designers to use modern technology to transform fabrics and other materials in the world of fashion. Much like Prada and Hussein Chalayan do today. The results of his clothing are as astonishing as they are beautiful. Hooded coats made from woven synthetic fibers which replicate the structure of paper, dresses made from mosquito nets, shell shaped pullovers made of fishing line, and jackets made out of Japanese paper abura gami(tradtionaly used for umbrellas only) are prominent in his collections. He started with the idea of linking the east with the west in his fashion designs, and has continued with that idea in mind, still to this day.


Vintage Miyake:




















Miyake today (circa s/s 2009):









Image sources: fotodecadent, elle, wired

Cristobal Balenciaga

Born 1895 in Spain, Cristobal spent his teenage years learning all about dressmaking. The designer opened his first boutique in 1915 in San Sebastián, at the age of only 20, and continued opening more stores all over Spain. Balenciaga first opened as a couture house in Paris during the year of 1937. The talented designer retired and closed the house in 1968, claiming "There is no one worth left dressing." Scarves, bags, and perfumes were still manufactured while clothing was not. He passed away in 1972, sadly.

In 1987 Micheal Goma began designing under the Balenciaga name, then Melchior Thimister, and now Nicolas Ghesquiere, who does a FANTASTIC job.

Cristobal left behind a legacy. He was a prophet; a creator of silhouettes. His sack dress, which debuted at the beginning of the 1950s would flavor the world of fashion to come. Balenciaga was a genius of shape but also a master colorist. He typically chose colors like yolk yellow, bubble gum pink, and grass green for ball gowns.

The fashion photographer, Cecila Beaton, once said that Balenciaga's clothes were great because "they are the result of depth of thought intense concentration, even physical suffering."

"Almost every woman, directly or indirectly, has worn a Balenciaga." - Harper's Bazaar















images: fashionspot