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Coat "Mandarin"

Paul Poiretc. 1923

The Kyoto Costume Institute

The Kyoto Costume Institute
Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan

Like a picture, this wool coat is decorated with Beauvais embroidery all over. Fine chain stitch was used to create motifs of bamboo fences with chrysanthemums, cocks, pine trees, water patterns, clouds and waterfalls. The word "mandarin" originally meant a high-ranking official of Qing dynasty China. Paul Poiret named this coat "Mandarin,". The motifs are symmetrically placed in the Western style, showing Poiret's eclectic trait very well. A 1923 issue of "Fémina" featured a snapshot of a lady wearing this coat, and many other fashion journals covered China and chinoiserie in the same year. For a Chinese-style party held at the Opera House in the summer of 1923, Poiret dressed up as a mandarin.

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  • Title: Coat "Mandarin"
  • Creator: Paul Poiret
  • Fashion House: PAUL POIRET a Paris
  • Label: PAUL POIRET a Paris
  • Manufacturer: Paul Poiret
  • Date Created: c. 1923
  • Type: Dress
  • Photographer: ©The Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Richard Haughton
  • Rights: Collection of The Kyoto Costume Institute
  • Medium: Black wool twill with chain-stitch embroidery of chrysanthemum, bird, and wave motifs; wing collar; lining of black "crêpe de Chine".
The Kyoto Costume Institute

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