ART NOUVEAU FASHION

At the end of the 19th century, the fashion of clothes underwent changes, as did all of art, because of the emergence of the new artistic currents, giving preference to delicate pastel tones of nature – water, clouds, sand, young grass, and modest spring flowers.

Misty tulle, fog-coloured muslin, milk-white foam lace, faded flowers – all of which were adorning a slender lady leaning forward and creating in her its unique image. Being corset-wearers,women used to change their outfits several times a day, even if this procedure was difficult because of the numerous buttons, hooks, laces, and clips.

At the beginning of the 20th century, talented designer Paul Poirot entered the world of fashion, in 1903 starting his business in Paris. Under his leadership and doctors' support, women gradually abandoned corsets. Poirot changed the silhouette of women's clothing, making dresses narrower and higher cut. In the world of fashion, it might have been compared to the collapse of tradition. The fashion colour palette changed as it was impossible to resist the fiery colours of costume-designer Léon Baxt's costumes for the touring Russian ballet. In 1909, fashion was as colourful as a rainbow. Green, purple, red, orange, and yellow tones and semitones were reminiscent of the paintings of Fauves. We can see women of the time as if alive in the posters of Alphonse Mucha and portraits by Gustav Klimt, the Secession leaders.

Where: Museum of Applied Arts in Vilnius