Paul Poiret, la mode est une fête: the fascinating exhibition on the couturier and perfumer at MAD

A figure of 20th-century haute couture, a liberator of women's bodies: come and meet Paul Poiret, the great couturier and designer. From June 25, 2025 to January 11, 2026, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs presents the exhibition "Paul Poiret, la mode est une fête."

He was one of the most influential French couturiers of the 20th century. He was also a socialite, a perfumer, a painter, a gourmet, a company founder, an actor... Paul Poiret is a key figure in the art and fashion worlds of the early 20th century. Come and meet him at musée des Arts Décoratifs, from June 25, 2025 to January 11, 2026.

A great French couturier, Paul Poiret left his mark on his era with his flowing, moving silhouettes: he had the innovative idea of doingaway with corsets for women, freeing them from a stifling straitjacket. The Musée des Arts Décoratifs is devoting an exhibition to him, the first entirely dedicated to this figure of Parisian haute couture. The exhibition Paul Poiret, la mode est une fête (Paul Poiret, Fashion is a Celebration) plunges us into the first decades of the 20th century, when dresses became paintings, and art and society were in turmoil.

Marked by the great inventions of his time, and the rapid evolution of society, Paul Poiret always turned to modernity. He abandoned old codes, created new silhouettes for women, chose vibrant colors and let himself be influenced by the trends of the Belle Epoque and the Roaring Twenties.

A passionate, inquisitive man with a creative spirit, Paul Poiret didn't just revolutionize the world of fashion: he was the first couturier to launch his own line of perfumes, organized parties and sumptuous fashion shows, took his creations all over the world, became famous in the United States, founded a school and workshop for interior decoration, designed costumes for the cinema... Paul Poiret was a jack-of-all-trades, swept along by the creative momentum of the new century.

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs has brought together 550 garments and silhouettes, paintings, drawings, photographs, objets d'art and accessories to retrace the career and, above all, the influence of this Parisian couturier. In a chronological and thematic tour, we see a whole era in the making.

The exhibition is particularly interesting thanks to its multidisciplinary approach. The MAD does not present a classic fashion exhibition: we also admire paintings by artists in vogue at the time, show posters, drawings and fashion magazines... Depending on the fashions, Oriental and Asian influences can be detected... Silhouettes evolve, colors and patterns change... Through clothing, a small part of history takes shape.

This exhibition should appeal to fashion lovers and the curious alike.

This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please let us know.