Ethnic fashion in its infancy - inspiration from the early 20th century.

Fascination with ethnic trends is not a novelty - it goes back much further than it might seem at first glance. In the past, what was foreign was associated with scarce luxury goods, was a sign of high society and considerable wealth. Peculiar foreign objects were brought from across the seas and oceans to European soil centuries ago. And fashion could not resist this fascination! Today it is hard to believe that fabrics as common as silk or cashmere at one time perfectly satisfied the demand for a pinch of exoticism.

Around 1880, for example, a complete hit became a cashmere shawl, which was finely draped in many different ways. Of course, at first these distant inspirations were rather small details - foreign accents laboriously injected into the native form. The beginning of the 20th century, however, was a real time of change. Designers took the theme of ethnic fashion fondly to the wallpaper at that time!

With the advent of the 20th century, sinuous lines, wasp waist and stiff corsets gave way to soft fabrics, cup skirts and high waists. The 1920s, in turn, saw the triumph of the lowered waist and the straight, calf-revealing skirt. Women's attire began to undergo revolutionary metamorphoses, and galloping progress broadened horizons and sources of inspiration. People traveled eagerly, choosing more and more exotic destinations for their expeditions. Trade contacts intensified, and with the help of photography it was possible to peep into distant lands even without moving. Foreign styles, materials and designs were becoming available at your fingertips. Thanks to lavishly illustrated books, newspapers and magazines, artists were increasingly eager to penetrate into the previously inaccessible world of foreign cultures.

Christian Lacroix, Vivienne Tam or John Galliano are contemporary style creators who boldly and freely juggle ethnic threads. However, the story does not begin with them. "The king of fashion" - French designer Paul Poiret and Spanish artist Mariano Fortuny are pioneers, in this field once blazing the first trails. There is also Leon Bakst - a screenwriter and costume designer, who also added his three cents to this ethnic melting pot. The latter designed unusual decorations and costumes for the famous Ballet Russes, which was founded in Paris in 1909. Once oriental motifs, at other times Eastern European, all laced with an extremely sophisticated sense of taste. Not surprisingly, audiences grew increasingly fond of these atmospheres. Besides, Paris in the early 20th century was teeming with life! Russian immigrants who arrived here after the outbreak of the Revolution had already managed to familiarize the French capital with their folk creations. Montparnasse artists, for a change, quickly picked up other rustic themes. They proudly enhanced their costumes with slightly eccentric Romanian, Texan or Indian accessories.

"One Thousand and Two Nights" - under this slogan, a famous garden party was held in the back of Poiret's studio in 1911. The oriental dress code was unquestionably mandatory here. The master himself, clad in a kaftan and with a turban on his head, played the role of the sultan and proudly sat on the throne. His wife Denise wore a cloche tunic and loose pantaloons. The Middle East and India were the apple of the master's eye, although the idea of modeling the cut on the shape of the Japanese kimono became his no small obsession as well. Vibrant and, as he himself used to say, "solid" colors, loose cuts that did not gird the figure, obligatory turbans à la Madame de Staël and shawarmas straight out of Arabian harems. Unusual this repertoire was also enriched by Mariano Fortuny. He, in turn, bet on intriguing compilations combining Middle Eastern fascinations with motifs taken directly from ancient Greece, Renaissance Italy, Coptic Egypt or North Africa. As a skilled designer of costumes, but also of fabrics, he searched in the realm of form and experimented with texture trying to reproduce distant patterns on materials. Compared to the 19th century canons, therefore, this was no small revolution!

As you can see, ethnic fascinations in the world of fashion have clearly been hosted for a century. In the early twentieth century, this potential began to be exploited not only by the artistic avant-garde, not only by theatrical scriptwriters, but also by designers and haute couture fashion houses. Over the years, this folk source has not died out - on the big catwalks the theme is still doing well today!