Mille et Une Nuits sur Seine: l’influence de la traduction de Joseph-Charles Mardrus sur l’orientalisme vestimentaire de la Belle Époque
The Tales of the Arabian Nights down the Seine: the influence of Joseph-Charles Mardrus’ translation on the sartorial orientalism of la Belle Époque

Summary/Abstract: Two centuries after Antoine Galland’s translation of the Arabian Nights (1704-1717), ‘Doctor’ Joseph-Charles Mardrus offered a new French version of the famous oriental collection (1899-1904). Close to Mallarmé, the translator reworks and embellishes the Arabic versions, emphasizing Eastern exoticism and eroticism. In his interpolations system, the discourse concerning clothing plays a key role: Mardrus multiplies words like babouches and voiles and invents, for its sultanas, oriental outfits inexistent in Arabic sources in order to convey images and mythologies associated with the East. This Orientalist discourse naturally goes beyond his translation and resonates in world of art and fashion: orientalisme vestimentaire were absorbed by artists, dressmakers and designers, orientalist clothing becoming wardrobe essentials for le Tout-Paris. The first part of this article focuses on how Mardrus treats the topic of clothing, inspiring artists of his time, especially the impresario of the Ballets Russes, Serge Diaghilev; the second part analyzes the repercussions of this orientalism in « real » and « written » fashion of Belle Époque Paris, taking into account creations of couturier Paul Poiret.

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