Paul Poiret
Carte Postale for la Poudre de Rosine (published by Robaudy)
circa 1920
Crouched like flamboyant birds of prey, these exquisite fabric-covered creatures exist to elegantly cup trays of blush power. Their thick-stringed, tasselled headpieces permit one’s fingers to slide off the domed (and ‘pillbox’) hats with smooth sophistication, allowing minimal contact with the headpieces themselves. Snuggled within, the lidded trays, cylindrical and cool-coloured, face upwards - rather as a nesting chick greeting its parents, eager for attention. Raised on a slight pedestal, each is appropriated an importance like an artefact within a museum. Its focus is emphasised through the relationship of its placement, the aesthetics of its display case and the strength of its visual vernacular. The latter point is likely this trio’s strongest aspect: each in its own way lures in the lingering eye with its high-strung mesh of popping, tightly-spun colour. A kind of kaleidoscopic effect tunes in one’s vision, delicately reeling the observer nearer and nearer with its swirling, hypnotising pattern. Camouflaged to entice, Poiret’s creatures are both crafty and cunning, set on using their instinctual call to harness as many powder-hungry joues as possible to their will.
