18TH-CENTURY MADNESS
From the Musée des Arts Décoratifs to the Palais Galliéra and the Musée Cognacq Jay, two exhibitions are celebrating the 18th century. As Sofia Coppola prepares to mark the 20th anniversary of her cult film, Marie Antoinette, at the Palace of Versailles this autumn, we take a look back at a contemporary and very haute couture obsession.
In 1775, the Queen’s household budget stood at 2.2 million livres. It would more than double within ten years. “A young, pretty queen, full of charm, has no need for all these extravagances; on the contrary, simplicity in adornment enhances her appearance and is more befitting the rank of a queen. She must set the tone, and everyone will be eager to follow even your little quirks; but I, who love and follow my little queen’s every step, cannot help but warn her about this little frivolity.” This is how Marie Thérèse wrote to her daughter Marie Antoinette, the first great influencer in history. A premonition? Hailed by the writer Stefan Zweig as a ‘fashion icon’ of high society, the Queen of France made fashion her empire. The earliest pamphlets denounced the indiscretions of the woman also known as ‘the Austrian,’ her love of playfulness, her disregard for etiquette, and above all her coquetry. She would be guillotined… Who would have thought that the exhibition dedicated to her at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London would be such an unprecedented success? Yet 18th-century fashion is a source of fascination. The exhibition currently on display in Paris, organised by the Palais Galliera, is the finest illustration of this. Featuring more than 70 outfits, accompanied by fashion accessories, textiles, graphic art and photographs, the exhibition showcases masterpieces such as Queen Marie-Antoinette’s corset, which is being displayed to the public on an exceptional basis due to its extreme fragility. The exhibition juxtaposes 18th-century silhouettes with those of subsequent centuries, including iconic contemporary designs from the collections of Chanel, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Christian Lacroix, Vivienne Westwood and Dries van Noten… “Gradually, 18th-century fashion ceased to be merely a historical reference and became an aesthetic in its own right,” explains the exhibition’s curator, Émilie Hammen. “Constantly reinvented and idealised, the 18th century resonates with the aspirations of each era. Today, this aesthetic flirts with the worlds of kitsch, camp and queer.” As the exhibition at the MAD, dedicated to a single day in the eighteenth century, draws to a close, the historical immersion continues in the Marais. This is exemplified by the subtle tribute paid by the very intimate Musée Cognacq Jay to the aesthetics of the 18th century, through delicate parallels between painting (Jean-Marc Nattier, Adélaïde Labille-Guiard and Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun) and French-style dresses. So from here, we look forward to the start of the new season, with Sofia Coppola’s return to Versailles – this time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her Marie Antoinette, the queen who wore Converse on screen.
La mode du dix-huitième siècle, un héritage fantasmé. at Palais Galliera, until July 24, 2026. www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr
Révéler le féminin. Mode et apparences au XVIIIe siècle, at Musée Cognacq Jay, until september 20, 2026 museecognacqjay.paris.fr