One could spend hours admiring these exquisite pieces that transcend decades and trends, as Alessandro Michele's Gucci designs, displayed alongside 18th-century French dresses and creations by Paul Poiret and Christian Dior, celebrate the same passion and virtuosity. Weaving, printing, dyeing, embroidery, lace, artificial flowers... the list is extensive as the reverence is elegant. “The museum wanted to pay tribute to this love of fine craftsmanship, not by exhaustively covering a subject too vast for its rooms, but by shining a spotlight on a few small masterpieces created in France since the 18th century, and on the way in which they were made,” says Madeleine Delpierre, the first director of the Musée de la Mode et du Costume, whose first exhibition was presented at the Palais Galliéra in 1981.
“Today, the Palais Galliera, Paris Fashion Museum, hopes that through the exhibition Tisser, Broder, Sublimer, not only demonstrate the richness and sumptuousness of its collections from the 18th century to the present day, but also encourages the public to look more closely at the pieces, to examine them and to wonder about the craftsmen and artists who contributed to their creation – whether through handiwork or mastery of machinery,” explains Marie-Laure Gutton, head of the museum's Accessories Department. Such is the case with this polychrome assemblage, a 3D encyclopaedia that transcends stylistic differences.
And what do an 18th-century silk taffeta casaquin, a velvet coat that belonged to Madame Doucet, and a Balenciaga evening gown have in common? Both fabrics celebrate Lyon's silk factories through their woven embellishments, shadows and highlights. This is also true of the dyeing of the threads, the indigo dyeing, the devoré, the flocking, the branch-dyed and the warp-printed. And, of course, embroidery, magnificently illustrated by designs by Balenciaga, Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent, not to mention the talismanic Sac des Indes clutch bag by Van Cleef & Arpels, inventor of the minaudière. Despite the limited space, the exhibition showcases all these techniques as a place where beauty promises wonder. This is evidenced by the presence of designs by Comme des Garçons, alongside those by Dior, Yves Saint Laurent (in a moving tribute to Brossin de Méré), and even Walter Van Beirendonck, with a jacket ensemble from the ‘Révolution’ collection (Fall-Winter 2001-2002).
“Tisser, broder, sublimer” at the Palais Galliera runs until October 18th, 2026. https://www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr
