As a Western proverb goes, "You are what you wear." As a mirror, clothing not only reflects the identity, cultural accomplishment and aesthetic taste of the wearer, but also reflects the political and economic development trend of a particular era. As a fashion capital, the fashion brands and concepts of Paris, France, are like benchmarks, always leading the trend of fashion development in the world, and the Paris Fashion Museum located in the 16th Arrondissement of Paris (Palais Galliera) is the epitome of all this.
Paris Fashion Museum
The building that houses the Fashion Museum was built in 1878 and commissioned by Duchesse de Galliera to the design of the master architect Paul-Rene-Leon Ginain, who completed this neo-Renaissance garden palace in 1894. It's called the Galila Palace.
At that time, the generous Duchess of Gallilla decided to donate her collection of paintings, sculptures and other art to the French government, and hoped to build a museum to display the collection to the public. However, this elegant exhibition hall did not realize its original vision, but after several stoppage, restoration and renovation, has been used by the government to display industrial art design, famous paintings and antique auctions. It was not until 1977 that this period of twists and turns finally came to an end - the original French Fashion and Costume Museum (Musee de la Mode et du Costume) officially moved here, and the Paris Fashion Museum came into being.
The Duchess of Gallila
Paris Fashion Museum is like a well-documented fashion history book, depicting the fashion trends of various historical periods in France, and is one of the richest museums in the world in clothing and jewelry collections. The museum displays iconic clothing and jewelry worn by people from all walks of life since the 18th century to the present day, with a total collection of more than 200,000 pieces, mainly consisting of nine collection departments: 18th Century clothing Department, 19th Century clothing Department, Fashion Department of the first half of the 20th century, Haute couture fashion Department, contemporary clothing Department, underwear Department, Accessories Department, prints and paintings Department and photography Department. There is an air of elegance everywhere.
19th century stage costumes
The different clothing collection departments present the changes of many important periods in the history of fashion, and the classic retro exhibits are dazzling, which is like a visual feast. Here, not only the magnificent evening gowns, costumes and court costumes of the upper class are displayed, but also the daily comfortable and popular swimsuits, jackets and jeans, etc., showing the diversity and personalization of the public aesthetic.
Contemporary Fragonard evening dress
This delicate French dress, pictured below, was a classic dress for elegant ladies during the reign of Louis XV (who ruled from 1715 to 1774). With grey and green satin piping and an ornate striped taffeta lined with green and purple silks, the dress's most distinctive feature is its chic back design, which drapes loosely to the floor for a lazy yet luxurious look. Often seen in the works of the famous French painter Antoine Watteau, these French dresses are the perfect interpretation of the Rococo aesthetic, with the flowers flowing in the fabric and the bustle swaying as you move around reflecting the dynamic beauty of the Rococo style.
