Silent Models

The first model girls, more than a century ago, were hardly seen, never heard, and chosen purely as clothes horses. They had no social status or respectability and were not even picked for their looks in case they drew attention away from the creations they were showing off. In 1920, Paul Poiret, a Parisian couturier, took his models on tour, all knitted alike in semi-military uniforms with belts, buckles, epaulettes and peaked caps. Lunching at the Carlton Hotel in London, with fashion writer Alison Settle, Poiret was startled when we turned to address a silent model beside her. “No mademoiselle, do not speak to the girls,” he said. “They are not there.”