Fashion

Fashion Fridays ~ Paul Iribe (1883–1935)

Fashion Fridays ~ Paul Iribe (1883–1935)

Paul Iribe was a French Illustrator, cartoonist, designer, decorator, and art director. Starting his illustration career at the very young age of seventeen, he contributed work for papers such as L’Assiette au Beurre Rire, and Sourire. He and a small group of other illustrators, influenced by the art deco movement and Japanese painting, were reawakening the public’s attention of fashion plates. Iribe’s style worked hand-in-hand with fashion designer Paul Poiret’s modern ideas to popularise Poiret’s rather radical relaxed line of clothing. The controversy around the collection ultimately bought publicity and success to both Poiret and Iribe.

Paul Iribe continued to work in fashion, designing for theatre, jewellery, textiles and even opening a decorative art store in the heart of Paris. In 1919 he moved to New York where his work gained a new audience, and further popularity amongst the American fashionistas. His trendy art deco style was being published in the American Vogue, and he open another store on Fifth Avenue.

By the 1930s Iribe had moved back to Frances and began working on numerous projects, including books, furniture design, and jewellery. He became romantically involved with fashion designer Coco Chanel. She became his muse, often drawing women in her likeness for his journal Le Témoin. He also worked with Chanel in 1932 creating an extravagant jewellery collection produced by her couture house. Iribes died just a few years later in 1935 of a heart attack.

With such a vast body of work, it is quite a shame that there is nowhere specific online to see more of Iribe’s work. There has been a few book’s published featuring his work, most notably Paul Iribe: Précurseur de l’art déco (1983) and over at archive.org you can see his beautiful illustrations for Les robes de Paul Poiret (1908).

Fashion Fridays ~ Paul Iribe (1883–1935)
Fashion Fridays ~ Paul Iribe (1883–1935)
Fashion Fridays ~ Paul Iribe (1883–1935)

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