Caractère

Couture Museums

As shown by the recent flagship exhibitions at the Musée du Louvre, the Palais Galliera and the Grand Palais in Paris, fashion is slowly but surely establishing itself as a subject tailored to museums.

Fashion is France’s best ambassador, and this year it is an even bigger feature on the capital’s museum events calendar. Hot on the heels of an exhibition at the Grand Palais devoted to Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana, the Palais Galliera is presenting a retrospective of the work of American fashion designer Rick Owens – a first! In a different vein, the Musée du Quai Branly’s Au fil de l’or exhibition, takes visitors on a deep-dive into the precious metal’s history and its use in the textile arts. The growing interest in this subject, from both institutions and the public, convinced the Musée du Louvre to organise its own Louvre Couture exhibition, featuring around one hundred pieces on show until 21 July in the 97,000-ft.-sq. space of the Objets d’Art department.

At the Louvre-Lens, until July 21, 2025, the exhibition The Art of Dressing. Dressing Like an Artist delves into the rich textile heritage of the Hauts de-France region. Featuring over 200 works—including paintings, sculptures, garments, haute couture creations, drawings, photographs, and videos—the exhibition explores the intricate dialogues between art, artists, designers, and fashion. It highlights how clothing serves both as a medium of artistic expression and as a reflection of the artist’s role in society. “In recent years, we have witnessed a growing interest in fashion that goes beyond simple consumer products,” says Silvano Mendes, journalist with a PhD in fashion theory and practice.

“Fashion has become an object of entertainment, with its own celebrities and a certain mythology specific to the luxury world. The success of exhibitions such as Christian Dior, couturier du rêve (2017), one of the most visited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, or Alexander McQueen, Savage Beauty (2011), which broke records at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, is encouraging other museums to organise more of these events, which attract huge numbers of visitors and are often sponsored by the luxury houses themselves.” Alongside museums, in recent years some fashion houses have reclaimed the power of their own heritage and chosen to exhibit their collections in galleries open to the public. For example, La Galerie du 19M at Chanel’s savoir-faire fashion hub, aims to shed light on the secrets of its artisans. The same approach has been taken by Dior, which is now offering visitors the chance to tour its archives presented through sublime scenography. Other events are also being organised there, including one devoted to the photographer Peter Lindbergh in 2025. “Christian Dior himself opened his first gallery before opening his fashion house. While the ties between fashion and art have always existed, some brands are now launching their own spaces to present their houses from an artistic angle that goes beyond fashion and reinforces their role as cultural players,” says Silvano Mendes. In a word, looking beyond the couture pieces to the experience of a universe between fashion and lifestyle.

Article from the Magazine Esprit de France.

Published on 18/09/2025