Dior|Poiret|Merveilleuses: A Chain of Events

Yes, Dior’s Fall 09 collection depicts women dressed in the Orientalism, hobble skirts reminiscent of Poiret’s reign on Paris fashion during the turn of the 20th century, but the true testimony is the overt act of rebellion shown in a collection that draws its inspiration from the bastion of upper crust women whose primary role was to remind the lower strata of society what they had not.

As Galliano quotes, “This is a credit, not a creative, crisis. Our clients still want fashion, still want to be inspired. My role, now more than ever, is to dress their desires.” And Galliano may have successfully tapped into a well of desires bubbling under the surface of our decade by choosing the Merveilleuses (Marvelous or Marvelous Ones) of the French Directoire period as his muse for his Fall 09 showing. These women wore luxury on every jeweled encrusted finger that wrapped around their luxurious, silk, paisley shawls which were used to cover their, oftentimes, outlandishly sheer tunic dresses.

But who were these women? Always fashionable dressed and the center of high society, these women along with their male counterparts, The Incroyables (Incredibles), were a rebellious youth movement that began during the French Revolution(1789-1799). Their form of dress and manners were adopted to express their disdain to the current regime (Reign of Terror), which pitted the poor and middle class against the wealthy. Their extravagant dress style, which included a red ribbon tied around the neck to signify the lives lost to the guillotine, was at once counter-revolutionary, as well as, testified to their infatuation with luxury. The Merveilleuses’ attire was a political statement, their fashion an expression of ideology and identity…their personal stamp against the stamp of repression many experienced during the Reign of Terror.

Poiret has been touted a fashion revolutionary for his part in freeing women from corsets and giving them freedom of movement with his “harem” pantaloons and “lampshade” tunic creations…although, many argue that he took steps back(no pun intended) with the hobble skirt invention. He made a straight, tubular dress in 1908 that became known as the Directoire.

Poiret designed during the Belle Epoque(Beautiful Era). A time characterized by being the golden age for the wealthy, the establishment of haute couture, as well as rift with political shifts and social changes. This period was marked by an increased interest in socialism, more attention paid to woman suffrage, rapid industrialization which would eventually allow increased social mobility, and a great war beginning to take shape over the European continent as ethnic nationalism and militarism collided with disastrous results.

In a time of rapid class stratification caused as a result of the recession, designers have to make hard choices and Dior has decided to step up, instead of down the ladder. This is understood as Dior is a design house that is historically associated with being extravagent and luxurious in a time of thrift. After all, it was Christian Dior who dared to shrug his shoulder at the war-time restrictions regarding fabric usage; creating a new bell-shaped look for women that was lavish in its use of fabric. Dior infamously used 20 yards of fabric for his New Look creations.
Galliano continues by saying, “It{House of Dior} created a New Look that lifted morale and made women beautiful again. I want to continue the legacy, to continue the dream and create modern beauty, luxury, and new objects of desire. We need beauty, inspiration, creativity—and in downturns, it is my role more than ever to inspire the dreams of women.”

Fashion,oftentimes, results as a chain of events that correspond to the designer reaching back to pull inspiration and recreate a creative expression that represents his or her interpretation of the times. Galliano has created a Merveilleuses that speaks for our time, a muse who will not be bowed by our repressed economy, but rather dares to ignore the repression and instead, has turned her back and chose to walk in beauty and grace.