Couture fashion designer Paul Poiret enjoyed inviting his friends and other well to do Parisians to his extravagant parties. These parties were inspired by the opulence of the Orient. Paul Poiret reveals his idea in his 1930 memoir "It was on returning from a Bal des Quat'z-Arts [a very famous annual ball in Paris], in May 1911 I believe, that I decided upon an unforgettable party in my lounges and gardens in Paris which I called "The Thousand and Second Night". I'd gathered together several artists and I placed my means at their disposal to put together an ensemble that nobody had ever created before that time."
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His first party, jointly inspired by the book A Thousand and One Nights and the Leon Bakst costume designs for the opera Scheherazade that performed a year earlier, was christened “la mille et deuxième nuit” (The Thousand and Second Night), and was held on June 24, 1911. Its theme was all things Persian with a seductive nod towards the secluded fantasies and interludes of a sultan's harem.
The exclusive ball was held at Poiret's grand late 18th century mansion, formerly known as Hôtel du Gouverneur des Pages, located on at 26 avenue d'Antin. The property stood on a roughly triangular piece of land on the Right Bank of Paris that bordered on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore, the rue de la Boetie, the avenue d'Antin, and the rue du Colisee. At 26, avenue d'Antin, Paul Poiret used as both his personal home and the headquarters of his couture business. Poiret also owned a smaller but very covetable space in back of his great house. Its garden faced onto the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore, which then as now was a particularly elegant street. (Poiret's home at 26 avenue d'Antin with its garden were destroyed in 1925 and replaced by a modern building, the seat of the Scalbert-Dupont bank, today it houses the Banque Transatlantique).
His mansion was more akin to a palace, with its expansive gardens which during the party, was illuminated with hanging lanterns, scented by a mixture of its lush flora and the heady incense burning from braziers. Also added to create the theme of a Persian harem, were colorful exotic tents laid with plush Oriental carpets and comfortable low divans with plenty of pillows strewn inside. The garden with its tall latticework overflowed with its evergreen shrubbery, elegant statues and sparkling water fountains. The verdant atmosphere was filled with the sights and sounds of tropical birds fluttering overhead such as parrots and Arabian bulbul, a type of sparrow. Furiously intended to be exclusive and private, Poiret mentions in his 1930 memoir En habillant l'époque, that "the house was closed off by tapestries, so that those looking in from the street couldn't see through into it." Years later, Poiret sadly reminisced in his memoir, that "these fêtes, in which I gathered together all my friends, did me a great deal of harm among my enemies, and raised against me those who had not the good fortune to be admitted to them."
Lucky guests received beautiful invitations comprised up of two different elements, each hand made by Poiret's friends. First to be given was a programme, painstakingly engraved on wood by celebrated artist Raoul Dufy.
Each of the three hundred copies of this programme was accented with gouache hand decorated by the painter himself, in effect, causing each programme to become a one of a kind art piece. In his memoir, he shows us an example "Here I provide a copy of the programme, which will better explain the means I used to fire their imaginations. The artists, stimulated by this document, were all keen to reply to my appeal in a flattering manner, which is what created the marvellous situation which I shall tell you all about!" The programme and its text translated from French is as follows:
"And this will be the Thousand and Second Night. And on this particular night there won't be any clouds in the sky and nothing of what exists will exist. There will be the lights & perfumes & flutes and timpani & drums of the women's sighs & the birdsong of the Bulbul. Straight and in a single casting like the Aleph letter, slender & flexible like the branch of the Tan Tree, she will dance as beautifully as the Moon, your sight and your hearing will be absolutely delighted to the very point of rejoicing. The miming, which is clever & rich in artifice, will improvise with beautiful & well-played scenes, and softer than dishevelled honey cake will be the poet's verses. As regards the old, myopic potter, he will be in his shop as they will be in theirs & the slave trader for whom the least beautiful is worth a thousand gold dinars and the filthy cobbler and the doddery old tailor and the divine blind man and the chef from the land of Sindh. And this is for them. And we shall see some rather extraordinary things & and some staggering marvels. There will be a white Carnelian vase. And there will also be a lot of other things which would be interminable to list. And in addition we'll enter via Faubourg St. Honoré and it will be the Thousand and Second Night".
In addition to the programme card, a reply card with a detachable coupon. The artist Georges Lepape had painted the profile of a Persian styled prince encased in a black triangle accented with shades of emerald and gold gouache. The text on this reply card is as follows (translated from French):
"THE THOUSAND & SECOND NIGHT AT PAUL POIRET'S. The party will take place on Saturday 24 June 1911. It shall be postponed in the event of bad weather. A costume borrowed from Oriental tales is an absolute must. 0930 hours R. S. V. P."
According to the reply card, Poiret required all 300 of his guests clothed in special Persian style costumes harkening "The Thousand and One Night" tales as told by Scheherazade and each person played a part as if it were a quasi theatre production rather than a fete. For instance, friend and painter, Andre Dunoyer de Segonzac was told to come as "Champagne, His Majesty's Valet", and his artist friend Raoul Dufy was to arrive dressed as "The King's Fool".
However, if the guests did not come appropriately dressed per the invitation request, they were escorted to a wardrobe and change their clothing into the flamboyant Persian styles he specially created for the occasion. One such costume created to be worn at the ball is the bejeweled example below, the soul who had the fortune to have worn it is regrettably unknown.
Some of Poiret's friends and known customers had their ensembles created by Poiret himself. One of these friends was Elisabeth Barrachin Germaine, the daughter of rich industrialist Pierre Barrachin. Poiret created a superbly embellished silver lame costume so that she would be the "Queen of Persia" during the party. It was Mme Barrachine who later became the Marquise de Ségur in 1925 upon her marriage to Philippe, Count de Ségur-Lamoigon.
The clothing was a mixture of sumptuous velvet, silk, lame, organza, satin, tulle, diaphanous fabrics, Russian silver bobbin lace, metallic gold lace, pearls, glass jewels, bouillon fringe, ostrich plumes, exotic textiles and more. Also included were the requisite jewelry and elaborate headdresses, many of them incorporating a turban of some sort and topped with a feather aigrette.
Poiret further explained in his memoir that "we were greeted as if we were entering a theatre, by a group of elderly Gentlemen in evening dress, inspectors if you like, who didn't joke and carefully dissected the guests...I was familiar with the carelessness of some of my regular visitors and I'd planned for just such an eventuality...Some refused to dress up as I'd have liked and withdrew, while other wise guests accepted the costume I imposed on them." He goes on to reveal a portion of a conversation that took place with such guests:
Poiret - "Excuse me Sir, you're in evening dress. It's a fancy dress party. I'm afraid you cannot be allowed to enter."
Guest - "But Sir, my evening dress is covered with an authentic Chinese coat."
Poiret - "Sir, we are not in China, we are in Persia, and your costume has no place in this context. As such I cannot allow you in unless you switch costume."
Guest - "At this hour, that's impossible."
Poiret - "Excuse me Sir, should you wish to go up to the first floor, we can improvise a Persian costume for you, with the authentic documents, which will do you credit and would be in keeping with the whole party."
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Once the guests were properly attired, Poiret explained that they "went through into a second lounge in small groups, where a half-naked Negro, draped in Bukhara silks [a town to the South of Uzbekistan, known for its luxurious textiles] and equipped with a flaming torch and a yataghan [an Oriental sword with a curved blade], grouped them together and brought them to me. Initially they traversed a sandy courtyard where, beneath a blue and gold canopy, fountains gushed forth in porcelain basins. One would have said that it was reminiscent of the sunny patio from some of Aladdin's palaces. Through the canopy's colours fell multicoloured light. They went up a few steps and found themselves in front of a huge golden cage, fenced off with twisted fittings, and inside which I had locked away my favourite mistress (Mrs Poiret), surrounded by her ladies-in-waiting, who sang authentic Persian tunes. Mirrors, sorbets, aquariums, small birds, cloth and feathers, such were the distractions for the queen of the harem and her ladies-in-waiting. "
As we learned from Poiret, the centerpiece of the occasion was his wife Denise, imprisoned like a fancifully colored bird in an opulently gilded cage. Dressed in character as the "Queen of the Harem". Poiret's fashions were no longer bound by the restrictions of the corset, and Denise's legs were encased in ivory diaphanous jupe-culottes (loose harem pants), and matching blouse, fitted with a golden sash strapped around her waist, topped with a gold fringed "minaret" or "lampshade" skirt, inspired by the costumery for Ballets Russe's production of Scheherazade. She wore a shimmering ivory lame turban wrapped around her head which was adorned with a fluffy egret feather aigrette to complete the ensemble. Lucie Delarue-Mardrus will write in Fémina, “Madame Paul Poiret, this all-white sultana, in the midst of so many shadows and light, seemed to delighted eyes a lily transformed into a woman.”
Poiret himself was dressed as the sultan, and wore a silver metallic lamé costume partly covered by a cloak and wearing a turban, a dagger at the side. It was trimmed with hand embroidery with lace surrounded by silver metal blades, alternating lace patterns covered with gold blades; oriental decor with arabesques. A wide green belt encircled his waist.
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After encountering Denise, Poiret says that "we then entered a lounge, where there was a jet of water, which appeared to come up out of the rug and drop back down into an iridescent crystal bowl. In the following room, which was accessible via two wide doors, there was a bank of multicoloured cushions all gathered together and embroidered, at the summit of which was crouched the grand tragedian [Edouard de] Max. He was dressed in a black silk gandoura [a light tunic, in wool or cotton, with or without sleeves] and wore innumerable pearls on a chain around his neck. He told me that one of his American lady friends had entrusted him with all her jewels that evening (there were three million Francs worth). He recounted stories taken from a Thousand and One Nights, a finger raised in the air in line with the traditional gesture of the oriental storytellers, and the onlookers, both men and women alike, were crouched around him in a circle."
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"Without stopping in this passageway, we went through into the garden which was both dark and mysterious. Rugs covered the flagstones of the steps leading to the entrance and sand covered the paths, so as any noise was muffled there and a great silence reigned. Overwhelmed, the walkers spoke in low voices, as if they were in a mosque. In the middle of the embroidered flooring sat the white carnelian vase announced on the programme. Lights concealed within the surrounding foliage illuminated it in a bizarre manner. From it escaped a slender jet of water, similar to what you see in the Persian engravings, and pink ibises strolled all about taking in this coolness and this light for themselves. Some of the trees were covered in dark blue fruits of light; others sported berries of purple light. Live monkeys, macaws and parrots brightened up all this greenery, which looked like an entrance to a deep park. One can spot me at the far end, looking like some kind of swarthy sultan with a white beard, holding an ivory whip. Around me, on the steps up to my throne, all the concubines are stretched out and lascivious and appear to be awaiting and dreading my anger. It is here that the guests were led in small groups to bow and scrape according to Islamic tradition."
"Once my three hundred guests were gathered together, I rose and, followed by all my ladies, I headed towards my favourite mistress' cage, who I set free. She escaped as a bird might escape, and I hurried off in pursuit of her, cracking my unnecessary whip. She disappeared into the crowd. Did we know that evening that we were telling the drama of our life?"
"Whilst the twenty male negroes and twenty female negroes kept the perfume burners fuelled with myrrhs and incenses, whose blue smoke filled the atmosphere, a flute and a zither could be heard in a grove, unsettling the senses. Some Hindu chefs prepared the hors-d'oeuvres and the culinary specialities in their own special way, using produce, fruit and device from their own climates."
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This was to be followed by even more entertainment while exotic delicacies and fresh oysters were brought out by scantily clad slave girls and genies on large platters. I would imagine the spicy odors of curries, lamb kebabs and succulent fruits would have been tempting the tastebuds of the guests. Poiret resumes his retelling of the evening "and so the buffets were broken open, and the spectacles began. Hidden orchestras were discreetly audible, as if to respect the calm splendour of this night of ecstasy. For the whole night long I very much enjoyed playing on the sensibilities of my guests as I would on a keyboard. Two of my friends constantly came up to me to take instructions, and I pointed out to them the attractions which were likely to have growing appeal. In one corner of the place there was a prophetess, who had diamond encrusted teeth, and a tripe butcher, which the painter Luc-Albert Moreau, honoured in a ghastly and bloody manner. There was the potter too, who threw clay bowls with his awkward but skillful fingers. And all of a sudden we met the marmoset merchant, who was covered in animals which climbed onto his shoulders and head, casting evil glances and making shrill cries. "
What curious libations did these honoured guests imbibe other than the nine hundred litres of champagne? Only the master of ceremonies, Poiret can tell us that "here we have the obscure bar where solely the liqueurs were illuminated. What alchemist had prepared the dazzling phantasmagoria of this worrying laboratory? A hundred long-necked carafes, a hundred crystal ewers contained all the concoctions, from a range of purple anisettes and garnet-coloured bitters with emerald peppermints and golden lemon liqueurs, to creamy advocaats and grenadines of slightly acid crimson. There were also liquorice waters, fruit cordials, chartreuse liqueurs, gins, vermouths, orange squashes, kirsches and sloe gins. One entered here and all these painters, who were my guests, played as they would a palette, with these pure tones which they mixed for the sake of it, in the transparency of their flute glass. In this way mysterious, reprehensible drinks were prepared, which were a delight to look at and a surprise to the taste buds."
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Guests were given a performance by the Parisian star of the Opéra-Comique, Anna Régina Badet who "danced on a lawn where, so light and ethereal was she, that her steps didn't even trample down the grass. The sight of the spectators gathered around, seated or stretched out on cushions and rugs, was no less beautiful than the dance spectacle itself. It was a confused mass of silks, jewels and feathers, which shimmered like a stained glass window in the moonlight. We saw [famous Russian dancer Natalia Vladimirovna] Trouhanowa, a generous and whimsical houri, dance again. Then along came the exquisite and delicate [Italian dancer Carlotta] Zambelli, shunning the fervour of an agile, passionate mime. Later on, from out of the foliage and at ground level, we see flames and showers of sparks rising noisily up to the finials and opening up like glass flowers."
Poiret gives us even more spectacular scenes: "then a large cascade of fire encircled the palace and suddenly the atmosphere reverberated with a harrowing sound. From the terrace which overlooked the garden, the shower of fire gushed forth, striking the steps leading to the entrance. We feared the rugs would catch fire. Sometimes silver and sometimes gold, this exciting storm electrified the crowd and, once it was out, it left phosphorescent insects all around, either hooked up in branches or suspended in the ether. The monkeys and parrots, disturbed in their sleep, called out in alarm. The early morning found them livid and breaking the chains that held them in the branches, with some taking flight, whilst others escaped to the Champs-Elysées in great, long strides via the neighbouring rooftops."
The revelry continued into the morning where Poiret recounts that "we saw the painter [and decorator Guy-Pierre] Fauconnet, dressed in a white gown similar to that of a professional tightrope walker or juggler, entertain and amaze the crowd with an orange, which he made disappear and then reappear like the fakirs do."
But who else was at this fantastical event? Poiret gives us an idea that "the audience was made up of artists and discerning amateurs, who came into line and sought to increase the appeal of this imposing occasion through their presence. The wealthiest of them, such as Princess [Lucien] Murat and [Boniface "Mr. Boni", [Boniface, Marquis de Castellane], have often said that they had never in their life seen anything so moving as the spectacles which filled this miraculous night."
