International Style

Paris dominated international fashion but didn't monopolize it. London's tailoring, Vienna's elegance, and New York's practicality influenced global style. The Belle Époque created truly international fashion system with Paris as hub but not exclusive center.

American money powered Parisian fashion. Wealthy Americans ordered entire wardrobes from couture houses, spent fortunes at department stores, and copied French style at home. American fashion magazines reproduced Paris designs. The Gibson Girl, that American icon, wore French-influenced clothing demonstrating cultural exchange.

Russian clients brought Byzantine splendor to Paris fashion. Grand duchesses' orders for court dress influenced designers toward greater elaboration. Russian émigrés after 1905 brought folk embroidery traditions enriching Western decoration. The Ballets Russes created Russian fashion moment influencing design profoundly.

Colonial subjects created hybrid fashions mixing metropolitan and indigenous styles. Vietnamese women in Saigon wore áo dài influenced by French tailoring. Algerian women adapted European elements while maintaining modest coverage. These hybrid fashions, dismissed by colonizers as inauthentic, created new aesthetic languages.

Fashion travelers spread styles globally. The actresses touring internationally, diplomats' wives moving between capitals, wealthy tourists shopping worldwide—all carried fashion information. Sarah Bernhardt's costumes influenced fashion from Moscow to Buenos Aires. The Belle Époque created first global fashion system.