At the start of the twentieth century, Parisian fashion underwent a dramatic change. In contrast to previous styles in which corsets created slender waists and great pains were taken in lavishly decorating dresses with lace and ribbons, Paul Poiret started a trend for dresses with slim silhouettes and straight lines that eliminated the need for a corset. Mariano Fortuny’s dresses had simple but radical designs that emphasized the beauty of their fabrics.
Both Poiret’s high-waisted dresses and Fortuny’s dresses with pleated fablic called “Delphos” were inspired by apparel worn in ancient Greece. Both shared a fondness for non-European design and were influenced by the Japonisme then sweeping Europe. They were, perhaps, looking in the world outside Europe for something more in tune with the new social order produced by the Industrial Revolution, something that would shatter the hard shell that enclosed a still deeply conservative European society.
In focusing on Poiret and Fortuny and tracing the roots of their designs, this exhibition showcases how their work marks a sharply drawn departure from nineteenth-century styles.

Paul Poiret (1879–1944)
Born in Paris, Poiret was employed at Jacques Doucet’s Maison in 1898, then moved to Maison Worth in 1901 before opening his own shop in 1903. He radically changed the silhouette of women’s clothing with a design in 1903 that did not require a petticoat and then his straight, high-waisted dress of 1906, worn without a corset. Thereafter, inspired by contact with non-Western clothing, including Ballets Russes costumes, the Grecian chiton, the caftan of North Africa and the Middle East, and the Japanese kimono, he unveiled a series of garments in fresh colors and innovative forms--harem pants, the lampshade-look dress, the kimono-style coat. His creativity and influence earned him the designations King of Fashion and Sultan de la mode. In 1911, he launched Martine, a decorative arts company engaged in textile and other design, and Rosine, a perfume and cosmetics company. He was, in fact, the first fashion designer to develop his business based on the concept of coordinating a total lifestyle. Poiret is also known for having encouraged and supported Raoul Dufy and many other young artists. After the First World War, however, his lavishly decorative style was seen as incompatible with the practicality, functionality, and rationality that were the goals of Modernism. His popularity waned, and, in 1929, he closed his business.

Mariano Fortuny (1871–1949)
Born in Granada, Spain, Fortuny moved in 1875 to Paris, where a maternal uncle was active as a painter, after his father’s death in 1874. In 1890, he moved to Venice, where spent almost all of the rest of his life. In 1907, he designed the “Delphos” dress of pleated silk satin. Inspired by the clothing of ancient Greece, this dress draws out the natural contours of the female form. Its structure, which also constitutes its decoration, made it a revolutionary garment in harmony with the Modernism of the time. Fortuny’s design sources ranged from Venetian School painting to Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes and included Medieval and Renaissance designs and clothing from Middle Eastern, Asian, and other non-European cultures. Using silk fabrics dyed in subtle color combinations, velvets, and other materials, he created coats and caftans stencil-printed with his own motifs. Fortuny is also known for his original textile designs. Active as a painter, print artist, and photographer, he also was involved in the dramatic arts, including developing stage designs and lighting techniques. His work as a fashion designer thus presents only one side of Fortuny’s multifaceted activities.

Commemorative Lectures and Floor Lectures are only in Japanese.

No prior reservations necessary. Capacity 250 on a first-come-first-served basis.
Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture’s 11 Cultural Institution partnership project; Planned by Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
9 February (Mon); Ayako Fukutomi (piano)
2 March (Mon); Miyoko Mori (soprano)
Both sessions are 2PM - 3PM. (Admission begins at 1:30PM)
Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Main hall of the new wing

Visitors wearing a pocket handkerchief may enter with 100 yen discount. (This discount cannot be combined with other discounts.) This exhibition features ladies’ fashion. And lady in high fashion always needs her escort to be stylish. This time, the dress code for special discount is pocket handkerchiefs, popular these days as a casual fashion item and also in ladies’ fashion. Please visit our exhibition with this small but charming item as homage to the gentlemen’s mode in early 20th century.

Adults 1000(800)Yen College Students:800(640)Yen
Elementary, Middle & High School Students:500(400)Yen
Seniors (65 and over with ID):500(400)Yen

*(　) are rates for groups of 20 or more
*Those with physical or mental disabilities and their attendants are free of charge.
*We are to welcome school visits (attending in Tokyo, high school and under) with accompanying teachers without admission fee. Please apply to the museum office beforehand.
*Senior (Over 65) visitors are not charged on the third Wednesday of each month (18 Feb. and 18 Mar.).

Organized by: Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum
Supported by: Tokyo Metropolitan Government
With the planning cooperation of: Iwami Art Museum / Kobe Fashion Museum
With the special cooperation of Kyoritsu Women’s University
With the cooperation of : OTTAVA by TBS