Louvre Couture, Statement Pieces

One of my favourite things about Paris is how every museum gets in on the fashion action.

Jean Charles de Castlebajac F/W 2010. Photo by Nicholas Bousser Musée du Louvre

While Paris seems to have the most dedicated fashion museums, it’s always a treat when another museum hosts an exhibition. The Louvre is the most major museum in Paris, so it’s fitting it would have the most major fashion exhibition: 95 pieces of the most incredible haute couture with several accessories in conversation with the decorative objects and artworks that inspired them dispersed throughout the vast Richelieu decorative arts wing of the museum.

Louis Vuitton by Nicholas Ghesquiere S/S 2018. Photo by Nicholas Bousser Musée du Louvre.

Some are more obvious than others like the Louis Vuitton justacorps coat from S/S 2018, which directly references the marquetry from the 1600s it’s next to. A suit of armour is placed in conversation with pieces from Versace, Balenciaga, and Mugler. A F/W 2010 suit made from what looks like a tapestry featuring the Disney character, Bambi, by Jean Charles de Castlebajac, is placed ironically in front of a tapestry from the 16th century with a hunting motif. In total, 45 fashion houses and designers offered up archives from the mid-20th century to today.

The curator, Olivier Gabet, seems to be having fun with this exhibition since he doesn’t usually work with clothing that isn’t purely historical in nature. He tells Vogue magazine, “People tend to think of museums as impressive and rigid, a place where you have to act a certain way, but it’s really a place of freedom.” While the garments are often the focus of a space, Gabet has left some easter eggs for you to find. After all, 4600 square meters is a considerable amount of ground to cover, especially with the crowds we expect for this exhibit.

Armour and it’s fashion references. Photo by Nicholas Bousser Musée du Louvre.

This really is a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition, and I can’t wait to show my clients during our Paris Fashion Experience this May 9-17. Maybe this is the right time to finally cross Paris off your bucket list. On y va! Let’s go!