[2] When Poiret presented the Russian Princess Bariatinsky with a Confucius coat with an innovative kimono-like cut, for instance, she exclaimed, "What a horror!

[7] Poiret made his name with his controversial kimono coat and similar, loose-fitting designs created specifically for an uncorseted, slim figure.

His instinct for marketing and branding was unmatched by any other Parisian designer, although the pioneering fashion shows of the British-based Lucile (Lady Duff Gordon) had already attracted tremendous publicity.

[2] In 1911, he introduced "Parfums de Rosine," named after his daughter, becoming the first French couturier to launch a signature fragrance, although again the London designer Lucile had preceded him with a range of in-house perfumes as early as 1907.

[9] In 1911 Poiret unveiled "Parfums de Rosine" with a flamboyant soiree held at his palatial home, attended by the cream of Parisian society and the artistic world.

Poiret fancifully christened the event "la mille et deuxième nuit" (The Thousand and Second Night), inspired by the fantasy of a sultan's harem.

Poiret was the reigning sultan, gifting each guest with a bottle of his new fragrance creation, appropriately named to befit the occasion, "Nuit Persane."

[11][12] According to historian Jesse Alexander, the occasion is "now considered to be the first ever modern fashion photography shoot," in which garments were imaged as much for their artistic quality as their formal appearance.

However, notable couture names were missing from this brilliant assemblage, including such major tastemakers as Lucile, Jeanne Lanvin and the Callot Soeurs.

Artists included Pablo Picasso, who showed Les Demoiselles d'Avignon for the first time, Amedeo Modigliani, Moïse Kisling, Manuel Ortiz de Zárate and Marie Vassilieff.

The 1916 Salon d'Antin included readings of poetry by Max Jacob and Guillaume Apollinaire, and performances of work by Erik Satie, Darius Milhaud, Igor Stravinsky and Georges Auric.

[2] His road to poverty led him to odd jobs, including work as a street painter, selling drawings to customers of Paris cafes.

[citation needed] Poiret's major contribution to fashion was his technique of draping fabric, an alternative to the more popular tailoring and use of patterns.

[19] Poiret was influenced by both antique and regional dress, and favoured clothing cut along straight lines and decorated with rectangular motifs.

[19] Poiret is associated with the decline of corsetry in women's fashion and the invention of the hobble skirt, and once boasted "yes, I freed the bust, but I shackled the legs.

[23] In May 2005, the fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa exhibited Denise Poiret's wardrobe in a show called "Free Creativity" (La Création en Liberté) in his showroom before it was auctioned.

[25] The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York purchased many pieces at this auction sale, which was the core of the first American retrospective on the dressmaker from May to August 2007, entitled Paul Poiret: King of Fashion.

[32] In 2018 Shinsegae officially confirmed the relaunch of Poiret from Paris with Belgian businesswoman Anne Chapelle at its helm, and Paris-based Chinese couturiere Yiqing Yin as its artistic director.