The opulent silhouettes, luxurious silks, elaborate embroidery, towering hairstyles, panniers, corsets, and floral ornamentation associated with the 18th century have reappeared in later fashion whenever designers sought to evoke elegance, extravagance, nostalgia, or theatricality. After the collapse of the Ancien Régime in France, 19th century fashion idealised the period as a lost world of refinement, while postwar French haute couture drew on 18th century savour-faire to reinforce its identity and prestige on the international stage.
The Fashion in the 18th Century: A Fantasized Legacy exhibition at Palais Galliera brings together more than seventy garments, accessories, textiles, prints, photographs, and artworks to create a dialogue between authentic eighteenth-century dress and modern couture. The conversation begins with breathtakingly beautiful robe volante, robe à la française, and robe à l'anglaise. Exquisite woven and printed silks are accentuated with extravagant trimmings of lace, ribbons and passementerie. The intricate tailoring is showcased on the tiny mannequins with handspan waists that seem too small to support the full skirts and elegant trains. Among the highlights of the exhibition is the exceptionally rare corset attributed to Queen Marie Antoinette, rarely displayed publicly because of its extreme fragility.
As the exhibition continues, the influence of 18th century fashions; pastel colors, floral silks, corseted waists, Watteau pleats, powdered glamour, and rococo ornament are shown to appear throughout the 19th and early 20th century. The exhibition concludes with contemporary creations by Haute Couture houses including Chanel, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Christian Lacroix, Vivienne Westwood, and Dries Van Noten, revealing how historical 18th century forms, embellishments and silhouettes continue to inspire contemporary design today.
The exhibition reads like a romantic love letter to the Marchande de Mode like Rose Bertin who reigned over the fashions at Versailles in 18th century, the talented seamstresses, tailors and craftspeople who worked behind the seams to make their visions a reality, and the fashion designers of today who continue to be inspired by their legacy.
