 These fashion plates were hand colored using the "pochoir" process, whereby stencils and metal plates are used allowing for colors to be built up and gradually nuanced according to the artist’s vision.The fashion plate, in use for some time, was in essence an advertising tool—a piece of artwork used to create desire for the newest clothing looks aimed at an audience of the fashionable and moneyed.Iribe’s work is primarily distinguished by the illustrations he executed for style journals such as "La Gazette du Bon Ton" where his charming vignettes of the latest modes helped promote the designs of couturiers such as Paul Poiret.