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| 18th century |
Paris is a city of fashion, perhaps eclipsed by Milan these days, but always a star. This year, fashion is a special attraction at one of my favorite museums in Paris, the Musée des Arts Decoratifs, which is located just along the rue de Rivoli at the west end of the Louvre. Like its famous neighbor, Arts Decoratifs is a national treasure -- one that more tourists should get to know.
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| 18th century |
At the moment, it is featuring, among other things, an exhibition called "Fashion Forward: 300 Years of Fashion, 1715-2016." In these months in Paris, with its bounty of museum exhibitions, I've become keenly aware of how important curating and design are to the success of an exhibition. Is it jumbled together or is there a clear flow and a beautiful presentation? In this case, the Musée des Arts Decoratifs, in addition to choosing exquisite examples from its vast collection, took the unusual step of turning to Christopher Wheeldon, a British choreographer whose work is often performed at Pacific Northwest Ballet, to do the design. As a result, the exhibition is breathtaking not only for the elegance, workmanship and beauty of the costumes displayed but also for the stunning way in which they are presented.
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| Napoleonic era |
Louis XIV died in 1715, the year in which this exhibition begins. Back then, men were as style conscious as women and some of the elegant embroidered velvets worn by courtiers of that era are even more extravagant in their way than the exaggerated styles of their wives and daughters. Of course, we know what happened by the end of that century of extravagance!
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| 1860's |
The Napoleonic style was simpler but no less elegant. In the middle of the 19th century, styles became wasp-waisted (as they did in the 1950s) and a bit later, the emphasis was on big bustles out back.
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| 1870's - 1880' |
There were some spectacular displays of accessories -- gloves and fans for example -- from across the centuries. Note the tiny monkey in a his stylish suit at the bottom right.
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| Dolls |
Wheeldon really came into his own with a display of dolls that was reminiscent of the Busby Berkeley musical extravaganzas of Hollywood in the 1930's. These, posed on a spiral staircase, put Barbie to shame.
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Lanvin Evening Gown
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There were some lovely pieces from the twenties and thirties. I particularly liked this one by Lanvin. I could just imagine Myrna Loy wearing it in one of the Thin Man movies.
But imagine our surprise when we entered the final room, an enormous space in which there were not one, but two, giant spiral staircases featuring fashions since World War II!
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| Extravagant Fashion Display |
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| 1950's Suit |
Among these, I particularly liked this 1950's suit with its slender waist and crinoline skirt and a ball gown with embroidery to die for (see below). All in all, a wonderful morning!
