Sonia Rykiel, Exhibition (Paris, France)

This post comes a little late, as this exhibition is about to close in less than a week, but my aim is to give those who didn't get a chance to go, a good idea of what it was like. Sorry if it's a little lengthy, but it's mainly because of the images. As many know, last year marked the 40th anniversary of the house of Sonia Rykiel and to celebrate this event, Les Arts Décoratifs organized the first major retrospective of her work, which includes 220 creations (spanning these 40 years), various video footage and fashion photography.

Rykiel, heralded by many as the modern-day Coco Chanel, started her career in the Parisian St. Germain and quickly became popular for creating clothes that were both comfortable and chic. Paving the way for various trends, her clothes have always been fun, easy to wear and innovative - she's frequently cited as one of the first who began conceptualising clothing. The actual exhibition space is meant to remind the visitor of a Haussmanian apartment, with various alcoves, boudoirs and rotundas. The areas aren't exactly well-lit, but I'm guessing it's to evoke that certain romantic atmosphere the designer is so fond of.

Unlike many fashion exhibits which will follow a chronological order, this one is thankfully arranged by theme, starting with the iconic fitted 'poor boy' sweaters Rykiel has designed throughout the years. This is also where you first learn about the designer's démode (anti-fashion) philosophy which results in the creation of classic items as opposed to ultra-trendy clothes that get thrown out at the end of each season. In fact many of the themes I saw here are still either on-trend or in the midst of a revival - every piece, whether it's a dress from the 70's or a suit from the 90's, would find a place in today's wardrobe - underlining Rykiel's knack for recognizing timeless style.

The neighboring display showed Rykiel's first designs for Laura boutique where she started out as a freelance designer, followed by another presentation featuring collections of more patterned, flowery 'wallpaper' dresses any vintage-hunter would die for. A rotunda displayed some cute mod dresses, one of them visually symbolizing the démode stance (with the crossed out word 'mode').

Next came my probably least favorite item: the velvet tracksuit, but at least now I know where Juicy got that idea from. Yet another display held an assortment of colorful jumpsuits and other one-piece items with cute matching berets to go. Knitwear dominates the majority of Rykiel's pieces and it's fascinating to see how she worked this into very different styles. One themed window had a collection of her more masculine tailored outfits, but the delicate soft knits still gave everything a slight feminine edge.

The small range of 'deconstructed' clothes demonstrated her innovative move to reveal seams or hemlines, create visible layering and turn garments inside out. But if there's one thing (besides knitted sweaters) that everyone automatically associates with Rykiel, its the colorful stripes that can be found on everything from scarves to dresses and in this case... what also looks like a lifebelt?

Even the 'glamorous overalls' looked pretty cool, though I'm generally not a fan of the style. But the trompe l'oeil items were probably one of my favorites.

It got darker towards the back of the first floor, not just because of the even dimmer lighting, but the showcases of Rykiel's black collections and elaborate sequined evening wear.

Heading up to the second floor, there was also a retrospective of the advertising campaigns shot by Dominique Isserman (all in b&w of course).

The more recently popular looks of sheer chiffon floral dresses and dark lace were represented as well (no doubt Rykiel was a pioneer in this field long before it caught on again), in addition to the more extravagant colorful marabou feather and light-colored fur creations.

One of the last stops had her more intricate knitwear and beautifully light gowns with integrated ruffled flowers.

The final two rooms are the ones that seemed to get the most attention: they contain the gowns designed by the 30 couturiers who paid tribute to Rykiel during the surprise ending of her SS09 show. The 'inspired by la femme Rykiel' dresses created by fashion houses ranging from Rodarte to Gaultier were stunning to see in person. My favorite wearable looks came from Givenchy and Stella McCartney. I did love the crazy outfits by Lanvin, Margiela and Castelbajac as well though - the latter two incorporated the look of the designer's frizzy tangerine mane into the clothing, while Mr. Elbaz created a Rykiel doll attached to a dress.

above: Lanvin sketch + finished dress, below: Margiela (runway images: style.com)

One entire wall in the room was covered with the original designer sketches for these outfits, while another was decorated with numerous cards and letters from big names in politics, arts and fashion with a description of how they define the 'femme Rykiel'.

Throughout the exhibition space, I found examples of various magazine spreads and video footage, such as Rykiel's previously unseen interview with Warhol or select runway shows, which helped complete the retrospective of all Rykiel has accomplished. It was definitely one of the better fashion exhibitions I've experienced and if you still get a chance, I would urge you to go or at to least get the official exhibition book. If not, hopefully this post will have helped you get a feel for a remarkable designer's achievements.

Address: 107 rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris

Opening Hrs: Tue-Fri: 11:00-18:00, Sat-Sun: 10:00-18:00

Thu: until 21:00

Les Arts Décoratifs Homepage