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.

Frimousses de Créateurs (Paris, France)

Fashion tends to have a reputation of being somewhat superficial and shallow, especially if you ask those who have absolutely no interest in it. But even the haters will have a hard time saying a bad word about a lovely project called "frimousses de créateurs" ('frimousses' supposedly means doll-face), which was launched in 2003 by Laeticia Halliday and Delphine Arnault-Gancia for UNICEF France. The idea was to ask some of the world's leading fashion designers and artists to create or dress a doll to their liking, which would be presented over the course of a week, then auctioned off the following week. The proceeds benefit various causes and this year all donations will go towards vaccinations to aid the children in Darfur. Last year's event allowed over 260,000 children to be vaccinated in Africa. As this year's tag line states: Une poupée adoptée, c’est une vie sauvée - A doll adopted, is a life saved…

Overview of the exhibition. A small area had leaflets and videos providing more details of the cause.

Now, dolls aren't necessarily the most covetable thing in an adult's life... in some cases it might even come across as creepy if you are a collector (anyone remember the SATC episode where Stanford's crush turns out to be a collector of Victorian dolls? Scary...). But having your favorite designers take a swing at creating mini-outfits and revamping small puppets puts a very different spin on the traditional Barbie or old-fashioned porcelain number. The costumes themselves were quite adorable and if I were very rich, I'd probably participate in the auction, which took place yesterday (the exhibition itself ran last week), but I think I'll just have to stick to the regular donation route for now.

I loved everything I saw... some ideas were more original than others. I took pictures of every figurine, but I won't show them all since there were well over a hundred dolls on display. Most of them were presented on a wall surrounded by a real or painted frame - others were placed on large tables towards the end of the hall. The venue itself in the Petit Palais, was a magnificent setting. I'd probably have to say Christian Dior, Lanvin (I'm biased) and Chantal Thomass created some of my favorites. Although anyone who participated in this, deserves an acknowledgement. Which ones would you have bought?

Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior's "Saskia".

Dolce & Gabbana, Emanuel Ungaro

Damian Hirst (top left) and Dries van Noten (lower left), as well as Jeff Koons and Gucci (lower right) chose to embroider and paint their dolls. Jean-Charles de Castelbajac decided to create a giant skull (center) and Kenzo grouped several floral patterned ones (top right).

Christian Lacroix, Oscar de la Renta

The queens of lingerie design: Princesse Tam Tam, Chantal Thomass, Fifi Chachnil.

Missoni, Jean-Paul Gaultier

Top row: Franck Sorbier Couture, Jean Claude Jitrois, Jay Ahr. Lower row: Cartier's Panther, couture house Maison Lesage, Gilles Dufour.

Prada, Miu Miu

Top: Pucci. Bottom: Sonia Rykiel's three-headed doll.

Top: Loewe, Corinne Cobson, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Esmod. Bottom: a Miss Audrey doll, dolls attached to a golden heart by Jean-Michel Othoniel, Paco Rabanne.

Chloé, Yves Saint Laurent

From the French high street... top row: Antik Batik, Faith Connexion, Zapa. Bottom: Agnès B., Comptoir des Cotonniers, Cacharel.

Giorgio Armani, Lanvin

Top: Christophe Guillarmé used Beth Ditto's pic as a head, Jérôme L’Huillier. Bottom: Lolita Lempicka, jewelry designer Clémentine Mauboussin.

A few wedding inspired dolls, which were a firm favorite among a crowd of 10-year-old girls. The incredible dress to the left is by Elie Saab.

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