The Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris is presenting a new exhibition, *Paul Poiret: Fashion is a Feast*, dedicated to the early 20th-century French couturier who styled himself the “King of Fashion.” The show draws on the museum’s extensive Poiret collection, spanning from the Belle Époque through the 1920s, and features his garments alongside photographs, drawings, posters, and illustrations. It traces Poiret’s career from his start at the House of Worth to his independent house, his collaborations with artists such as Raoul Dufy and Maurice de Vlaminck, and his exotic inspirations from travels in Europe and North Africa.
The exhibition matters because it reasserts Poiret’s pivotal role in elevating fashion to an art form, freeing women from corsets and introducing bold colors and fantastical silhouettes. By highlighting his partnerships with School of Paris artists and his claim that “dressmaking is an art,” the show underscores the enduring dialogue between haute couture and visual art. It also examines Poiret’s influence on later designers and his pioneering practice of hiring artists to work on textiles, a model that remains widespread in fashion today.