History Of Contemporary Fashion Exhibition - 70s/80s (Paris, France)

With the end of Paris Fashion Week looming, and everyone eager for all that is FW11, it's sometimes nice to take a step back... or almost literally step back in time. One of my favorite museums, the 'Musée des Arts Décoratifs', which had previously hosted terrific exhibitions dedicated to Madeleine Vionnet and Sonia Rykiel, recently decided to present a complete history of fashion spanning the four decades between 1970-2010. Titled 'Histoire idéale de la mode contemporaine' ('an idealized history of contemporary fashion') curator Oliver Saillard, who has also published a book under the same name, decided to showcase long forgotten works by some of today's finest couturiers. Split in two parts, the first exhibition, which covers the 70s and 80s, ended last year, but if you're in Paris now, I strongly urge you to check out part two (90s and 00s) which will be featured on this blog soon.

The first looks at the entrance displayed early YSL and Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Though the 70s and 80s, don't necessarily trigger fond memories in the eyes of fashion critics, it was the more controversial works of Yves Saint Laurent (and his infamous 1971 collection) as well as Jean-Paul Gaultier's tattoo and cone-shaped bust pieces at the end of the 80s, that inspired Saillard to examine how modern couture sought to provoke and became ingrained with celebrity. Other highlights of the more low-key kind include Karl Lagerfeld's stint at Chloé and his first collections for Chanel, as well as the rising popularity of Japanese designers Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons, Kenzo and Issey Miyake. Couturiers that ruled the 80s, such as Thierry Mugler, Christian Lacroix and Azzedine Alaïa were represented as well.

Arranged on two levels (each decade presented on a different floor), the exhibition was very well laid out, while the actual pieces were stunning to behold. The pictures I took are only meant to provide you with a glimpse of my impressions but hardly reflect how incredible and timeless most of these gowns still look to this day. If you're not in Paris anytime soon or want to see more/better images and read the accompanying text, I recommend you pick up Saillard's book, which can be ordered here.

Don't forget to check out more pictures (which include Chanel and Gaultier) after the jump.

Madame Grès

The feminine draping of Madame Grès, a favorite of Grace Kelly (1978).

Sonia Rykiel / Cacharel

More for the ladies, including Rykiel's soft knits (1974-1977) and Cacharel's Liberty prints (FW 75/76).

Chloé par Karl Lagerfeld

Hard to believe these are the works of Kaiser Karl (early to mid 70s).

Issey Miyake / Jean-Charles de Castelbajac / Ter et Bantine / Kenzo

Top left: Jean-Charles de Castelbajac (1974). Lower left: Ter et Bantine par Chantal Thomass (1972). Center: Issey Miyake (1974). Right: Kenzo (1971-1978).

Yves Saint Laurent

YSL's 70s art-inspired collection.

Claude Montana

Structured and leather pieces by Claude Montana (1978).

Thierry Mugler

Starting the 80s portion of the exhibition, the Mugler pieces were definitely the biggest draw and kept me coming back. Lady Gaga can prance around in Nicola Formichetti's creations all she wants, but nothing beats the 80s originals.

Beyond gorgeous, the ballerina dress dating back to 1986 decorated the stairwell, while the shiny 'angel' gowns (FW 84/85) had a group of schoolgirls (and me) literally glued to the glass cases. The winged gown on the left is the same one used for the exhibition's poster shot (top of the post).

Even the black dresses were eye-catchers, especially the one in the center adorned with headlights.

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac

The wonderful crazy world of Castelbajac including coats made of toy animals and dresses featuring giant prints (1983/84).

Popy Moreni

The most beautiful chiffon gowns...

Yohji Yamamoto / Issey Miyake / Comme des Garçons

Clean lines, structural shapes and colorful draping courtesy of Yamamoto (top left, bottom right, 1987/88), Rei Kawakubo (lower left, 1983-1989) and Miyake (center, top right, 1980).

All Dolled Up: Frimousses de Créateurs 2010 (Paris, France)

Below: Overview of the exhibition space.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you might have noticed that designer collaborations are everywhere these days. After having just witnessed the latest H&M/Lanvin one, I had a first real-life (puzzled) look at the Valentino for GAP selection last week - and while ruffled khaki cargo pants really aren't my thing and never will be, who can blame yet another designer and high street retailer for joining forces? After all, they're just companies... and companies need to make money. Most of my friends refuse to buy into this whole marketing scheme, claiming it's a waste of money, yet others will happily unload a lot of hard-earned cash for such 'designer' gear. I still have mixed feelings about some of these collaborations, but one of the current joint-ventures does make perfect sense to me - and deserves to have a lot of money thrown at it...

'Frimousses de Créateurs' is a collaboration I already posted about last year. In an annual event and exhibition which began in 2003, big names in fashion, art and design (to name a few) each create a unique doll in partnership with UNICEF, which then gets auctioned off. All monies collected go towards financing vaccinations to aid children in Darfur. Donations in the past have allowed over 260,000 children in Africa to be vaccinated (annually) with last year's donations reaching a total of 285,300 EUR. Of course depending on which doll you want, you might not just need a big heart but an even bigger wallet. But even then, I'm sure those who have spent a bit of money on this, value the fact they've not only purchased a unique designer item (which is actually handmade), but also saved children's lives. This year's collaboration was dedicated to the world of cinema and included not only designers' interpretations of the silver screen, but also had a few stars themselves take a shot at creating a doll.

Marion Cotillard designed herself as a doll, while her partner, actor & director Guillaime Canet, was designed by Dior Homme (center). Other dolls pictured include legendary vintage expert Didier Ludot (left) and 'Baby Gaga' by Tilmann Grawe, the man responsible for many of Lady Gaga's stage outfits.

All dolls went on display last week at the Petit Palais and will be auctioned off tomorrow (Dec 7). A few select dolls can even be purchased online here. While dolls in general sometimes still creep me out, I did love looking at these little creations and wish I could take more than one home. This year, my favorites were Chanel's 'La Petite Coco' and Giorgio Armani's 'Marlène Dietrich'. Which one would you bid on, if you had the funds?

Big-name luxury and contemporary designers

'Tulip' by Dior (left). Louis Vuitton's doll (right) looks like a mini Christy Turlington.

'Sixtine' by Lanvin (left). 'La Petite Coco' by Chanel (right).

'Marlène Dietrich' by Giorgio Armani (left). 'Monica' by Dolce & Gabbana.

Stefano Pilati for Yves Saint Laurent (left). 'Skye' by Chloé (right).

'Elvia' by Gucci (left). Missoni (right).

'Sophie' by Prada (left). 'Barbara' by Miu Miu (right).

Double-sided doll 'Pralin et Praline' by Sonia Rykiel (left). 'Gilda' by Paule Ka (right).

Oscar de la Renta (left). 'Grace' by Elie Saab (right).

'Puccinella' by Pucci (left). 'Ava' by Loewe (right).

Carolina Herrera (left). 'Divina' by Narciso Rodriguez (right).

'Clara' by Emmanuel Ungaro (left). 'Daisy' by BCBG MAXAZRIA.

French Couture and Local Designers

Top row: 'Natsué' by Leonard, 'Yamima Benguigui' by Georges Chakra, Eliza Doolittle by Maison Lesage, 'Rebecca Dark' by Jerome L'Huillier.
Bottom row: 'Mono' by Torrente, 'Sarah' by Jean-Claude Jitrois, 'Clémentine' by Max Chaoul.

French contemporary designers and premium high street

Top row: 'Dolores' by Lolita Lempicka, Les Petites, Comptoir des Cotonniers, 'Liza' by Anne Fontaine.
Bottom row: Antik Batik,' Charlotte l'effrontée' by Petit Bateau, 'Forever Godard' by Agnes B.

Lingerie & Jewelry designers

Top row: 'Ella' by Princesse Tam Tam, 'Susan' by Fifi Chachnil, 'Vénus' by Vanina Vesperini.
Bottom row: 'Mademoiselle Poiray' by Poiray, 'Shirley' by Chantal Thomass, 'Super Ame' by Lorenz Baumer, 'C'est Toi La Star' by Mauboussin.

And the slightly wackier dolls...

Left: 'Popée' by Moritz Rogogsky, 'Mlle Blanche' by Moulin Rouge. Center: Skeleton made out of several dolls - Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, 'Tamara' by Petrossian. Right: 'Carrément chocolat' by macaron master Pierre Herme, Jay Ahr.

More of the over 80 dolls can also be viewed at the official Frimousses de Créateurs homepage.

Alice in Wonderland @ Printemps (Paris, France)

If, like me, you've been looking forward to one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year, you'll most likely have already drooled over the various editorials, movie set photos and anything else remotely related to Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. When I heard that French department store Printemps had collaborated with a few of the biggest fashion designers, allowing them to decorate a window, create outfits and interpret their version of Alice as they saw fit, I knew we were in for a treat. I saw sketches of the windows a while ago, but thought it would be better to share the real thing. These windows went up this week and will be on display until March 14.

(All quotes were taken from style.com and as usual, images can be enlarged by clicking on them.)

Bernard Willhelm

The first window on the street. Gotta love those socks...

Christopher Kane / Nicholas Kirkwood

“I think my favorite Alice character is the March Hare. You can see I’ve made his watch rather prominent. This was a different design process for me, because I’m not usually so applicative—typically, I’m thinking about line, silhouette. But this time, I figured, why not just pile as much as I can on top?” —Nicholas Kirkwood

The shoes that stole the show... note the small watch on the left foot (top image; style.com).

I will say that the Kirkwoods were as spectacular as I though they'd be, although a little tricky to photograph. These shoes were made on commission for Printemps and were not available for sale. Since the store window version is the only pair in the world, I was determined to catch every detail... which resulted in me smacking my forehead against the glass several times as I crouched on the street floor. Very elegant (and sadly not the first time this has happened).

Ann Demeulemeester

“I’ve always been intrigued by cutout silhouettes. They are so intriguing, so poetic—the shadow of a soul. They tell everything about a character and they are open to be filled with one’s own imagination.” —Ann Demeulemeester

One of my favorite designs... the thigh-high boots were very cool, as were the cutouts on the dress. The figures represent both Alice and the Mad Hatter.

Charles Anastase

“I went to John Tenniel’s original illustration of Alice for inspiration. She’s seated at a table having tea, and her dress looks much more asymmetrical and theatrical than that boring Walt Disney version. It was also an auto-reference to my collections, as Lewis Carroll’s work has been one of the main inspirations of my label since its creation. Alice Liddell, the real little girl with long dark hair who inspired Carroll, is one of the very few icons that I have. The pictures of her are a constant inspiration for me.” —Charles Anastase

Another beautiful piece. The giant bottle reads 'Buvez moi - Drink me'.

Chloé

“Running around careless and free in a romantic dress, falling down the rabbit hole, chasing time in a dreamlike state of mind, meeting unexpected characters with many tales to tell—sounds like many a girl’s night out!” —Chloé design team

The cute pleated dress was probably the most wearable creation. Macarons on the left made to look like pebbles courtesy of Ladurée.

Alexander McQueen

I love McQueen and even though this isn't a dress I would wear, I couldn't take my eyes off the ruffle detailing on the trumpet sleeves.

Manish Arora

One of the funkier pieces, the playing cards were made of the same foam material as the dress and featured small crystals which don't come across in the photos.

Maison Martin Margiela

“Alice’s silhouette is a blue upside-down dress with cage sleeve, as if she walked through the mirror and her dress completely reversed. A long ball gown has been reworked, upside-down, into a minidress. The bustier in taffetas becomes a pleated miniskirt. The petticoat in plonge becomes an asymmetrical draped top. The skirt in ‘plumetis’ tulle becomes a veil. A cage sleeve of whale-boned velvet ribbon is embroidered with pearls, crystals, and recycled jewels.” —Maison Martin Margiela

Margiela's Alice & the Mad Hatter. Another favorite of mine. I thought the concept behind the upside down dress was brilliant. It also prompted me to tilt my head upside down standing in front of the window. Again... not very elegant.

Haider Ackermann

“My favorite character is the Duchess, who at first seems nearly as unpleasant as the Queen of Hearts. But she’s the antagonist of the queen, and at the end was only respectful and friendly, despite her tremendous ugliness. When I was designing this piece, I was seeing Alice running, escaping through the forest destroying her shiny dress.” —Haider Ackermann

The giant bunny, made out of fake roses almost stole the limelight...

In addition to the window displays, Printemps had the Alice theme going on in-store as well. Smaller versions of the plastic mushrooms could be found next to mannequins on the 2nd floor, but another collaborator stole the show: Ladurée, didn't just provide the yummy macarons in the Chloé window... they also hosted their own Alice in Wonderland tea party in the basement of the store. Shoppers could indulge in sweet delicacies while sipping hot tea and marvel at the four floor-to-ceiling shelves that were crammed with books, macarons, bags and other bits and pieces. The tea room itself featured a mix of chess board and grass floors, surrounded by fake greenery sculpted into animals.

The giant 'Mad Hatter' shelves, spanning several storeys were crammed with goodies and featured images from the upcoming movie (left). Another oversized tea pot could be found dangling from the ceiling (right).

The 'Alice' shelves.

Some of the tempting desserts (left), books and figurines on display (right).

Care to join the tea party? The tea room in the basement viewed from the top (left) and ground (top right). The very dangerous dessert counter (right).