To mark the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Musée des Arts de la mode, founded in 1986 by Pierre Bergé and the French textile industry with the support of Jack Lang, the culture minister at that time, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs is paying tribute to this collective adventure and great “fashion moment.” This extraordinary exhibition casts a new spotlight on one of the richest collections in the world to be shown in the museum’s nave.
This version of Fashion Forward, specially re-sized as a touring exhibition, takes us on a journey through time, highlighting the key moments in fashion history from the mid 19th century to the most contemporary creations. It also provides a fascinating new insight into fashion’s evolution via its designers, clients and periods. Now more than ever at the MAD, fashion is treated as an artistic field that has wide-ranging echoes in the museum’s other collections. Fashion is a history of evolving techniques, materials and designs, but also a history of changing times and attitudes, a reflection of the art of living.
Fashion is even more fascinating when it is not self-generating but in dialogue with the arts of its time. In a completely novel manner, the exhibition recreates each of these “fashion moments” in its human, artistic and social context. Scenic wallpapers by Zuber, Paul Iribe’s drawings for the robes de Paul Poiret, and the straw marquetry doors created by Jean-Michel Frank for the writer François Mauriac, provide perfect settings for fashion’s stylistic expressions and the metamorphoses of the body and style from the mid 19th century.
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André Courrèges, trouser ensemble, Haute couture spring-summer 1965 Wool and cotton twill. Collection UFAC © MAD, Paris / photo : Jean Tholance -
Attributed to Jacques Doucet, jacket belonging to Cléo de Mérode, 1898-1900 Silk velvet © MAD, Paris / photo : Jean Tholance -
Azzedine Alaïa, hooded sheath dress, autumn-winter 1986 Moiré acetate jersey. Collection UFAC © MAD, Paris / photo : Jean Tholance -
Callot Soeurs, evening dress, 1909-1913 Silk satin metallic tulle and silk tulle. Collection UFAC © MAD, Paris / photo : Jean Tholance -
Charles Frederick Worth, evening gown, around 1885 Silk figured satin and tulle. Collection Mode et Textile © MAD, Paris / photo : Jean Tholance -
Christian Dior, evening dress “May”, Haute couture, spring-summer 1953 Embroidered silk organza by Rébé. Collection UFAC © MAD, Paris / photo : Jean Tholance -
Cristobal Balenciaga, evening ensemble, Haute couture, automne-hiver 1961 Bulle de Marescot lace. Collection UFAC © MAD, Paris / photo : Jean Tholance -
Elsa Schiaparelli, evening cape “Phoebus”, Haute couture winter 1938 Wool, silk velvet, embroideries by Lesage. Collection UFAC © MAD, Paris / photo : Jean Tholance -
Hussein Chalayan, dress, spring-summer 2000 Silk faille, cotton linen and synthetic tulle. Collection Mode et Textile © MAD, Paris / photo : Jean Tholance -
Jeanne Lanvin, evening hooded cape, Haute couture summer 1923 Topstitched silver lam. Collection UFAC © MAD, Paris / photo : Jean Tholance -
Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, evening dress, Haute couture spring-summer 1996 Tulle and Buche silk organza embroidered by Lesage © MAD, Paris / photo : Jean Tholance -
icolas Ghesquiere for Louis Vuitton, Ensemble, spring-summer 2015 Painted leather,printed twill. Collection Mode et Textile © MAD, Paris / photo : Jean Tholance -
Madeleine Vionnet, evening dress, Haute couture winter 1935 Silk crêpe. Collection UFAC © MAD, Paris / photo : Jean Tholance -
John Galliano for Maison Margiela, dress-coat, Haute couture spring-summer 2015 Wool © MAD, Paris / photo : Jean Tholance -
Two-piece gown, 1868-1872 Cotton organdy. Collection UFAC © MAD, Paris / photo : Jean Tholance -
Dolman-mantle, 1870-1890 Cashmere, silk fringe, braid and beads. Collection UFAC © MAD, Paris / photo : Jean Tholance -
Yves Saint Laurent, evening dress “Picasso”, Haute couture autumn-winter 1979 Moiré silk Taroni faille and silk satin printed by Brossin de Méré. Collection Mode et Textile © MAD, Paris / photo : Jean Tholance