Wednesday September 25 was a rainy day in Paris. High of 17C. Definitely a day to head to a museum. We took the Métro to the Palais Galliera- Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris, which is housed in a beautiful renovated building in the 16th arrondissement. When we got out of the Métro, we noticed a very long open air market on Rue President Wilson. It turns out it is 700 metres long, held twice a week and is the longest open-air market in Paris. We just walked down a bit of the market-- saw a wonderful fish vendor mixed in with many vegetable, meat and cheese vendors. Unfortunately we didn't want to carry food around with us the entire day, so just enjoyed the scene.
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Vegetables
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| Fish |
We walked over to the street with the museum making a quick stop at a beautiful Agnes b. clothing store.
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| Paris Fashion Week shuttle--- Fashion week runs from September 23 to October 1 this year. |
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| Lovely Agnes b. shop |
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| Alain got a very cool coloured unisex top-- an Artist collab |
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We stopped to pick up some chocolate at Patisserie Cyril Lignac-
one of the best- just across from the Museum |
Then onto the Museum to see the Exhibit entitled:
La Mode en Mouvement- Fashion on the Move #2.
The museum building was commissioned from architect Paul-René-Léon Ginain by Marie Brignole-Sale, the Duchess de Galliera in 1878. One of the terms of her donation was that it be built on a square with one of the streets named Galliera. The building was completed in 1894 after her death and became a fashion museum in 1977. It was most recently renovated in 2018, reopening late in 2020.
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| Poster outside museum |
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Entrance to the museum--- they were setting up for a fashion week event in the courtyard--
luckily with a tent covering |
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| Close up of poster |
The exhibit was linked to the Olympics and it featured a selection of over 300 items from its collections to explore the role of special clothing in sports activities as well as the sociological factors reflected in its development. We saw Part #2 of the exhibit which also featured a large section entirely devoted to sea bathing and swimming, symbolizing the democratization of sport that came with the end of the 19th century. This section highlighted developments in the relationship between the body and its exposure in public. Part #1 of the exhibit was held from June 16, 2023- March 15, 2024 and Part#3 will be held from February 7-September 7, 2025.
It was a very extensive exhibit--- I am only going to show a few highlights.
The first was a promotional folding fan "Jeux Olympics 1924". It feature a woman mountaineer, a tennis player, a runner, a fencer and a rugby player. Of the five sportswomen depicted only two actually could take part in the 1924 Olympics- the tennis player and the fencer. Women's role in the early Olympics were restricted to very few sports. At the Paris games of 1924, of the 3,089 athletes from 44 countries which took part in 126 competitions, only 135 were women.
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L.T Piver (parfumeur), René Préjelan (illustrateur)- Promotional folding fan 'Jeux Olympiques 1924",
for the perfume Volt |
The birth of modern sport originated in the 18th century in England among the aristocratic class. French society also adopted the practice of sport, at first amongst the elite, before gradually reaching a wider public. This activity was encouraged by hygienic theories in the 19th century that sport and movement were conductive to better health. "The notion of movement led to an evolution and adaptation of clothing that continues to this day".
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Bathing costume, circa 1875
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| Walking ensemble, circa 1860- early example of clothes with more freedom of movement. |
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Brisé fan, "La Gymnastique des Demoiselles", circa 1830 - depicting gymnastics
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Gebr. Rostock Wien (fabricant), "Hunting Dogs" folding fan, circa 1880.
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| Motoring hoods- circa 1905 |
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| Cycling outfit- circa 1900-- with bloomers |
The exhibit featured some examples of the corseted, S-bend look of the Belle Époque at the turn of the century.
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| Corset, circa 1908 |
Between the Belle Époque and the modernity of the 1920s, the 1910s moved toward the liberation of the body.
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| More fitted tennis outfit, 1900-1905 |
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| Art Goût Beauté-Periodical 'The 1924 Olympic Games, June 15, 1924-- more looser clothes |
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| Tennis dress, circa 1925-- after WWI, notions of comfort spread to sports attire- cuts were straighter, arms bared and skirts pleated to allow for greater freedom of movement |
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"Papillon" dress, summer 1937- Elsa Schiaparelli- chose a butterfly as her main inspiration. The other dress "Les Éclairs" was designed by Jeanne Lanvin, Summer 1933
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Jardin des Modes was a high-end magazine renamed in June 1923 and while it presented creations of the great couturiers, it also featured representation of women in sporting activities.
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| La Jardin des Modes, Periodical, from 1936 or 1937 |
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| Jacques Heim, Tennis outfit: playsuit with skirt, circa 1935 |
There was a small section with fashion from the WWII period. Interestingly, during the years of the French occupation, the turban held a special place in fashion. "It kept the head warm, especially when cycling (a mode of transportation often used in Paris during the occupation) and it concealed hair that could no longer be groomed as regularly as it had been before the war".
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| "Moto" bag, 1940-- could be converted into a shoulder strap when cycling; Turban, 1942-1944 |
There was a section on the 1960s, a time of Youth and Freedom in fashion
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| Pierre Cardin, Miniskirt with belt, - was worn in Truffaut's 1970 film, Bed and Board. It was donated by Hiroko Matsumoto, Pierre Carlin's star mannequin. |
Jumpsuits were a step towards unhindered movement. During WWII, jumpsuits were designed by Elsa Schiaparelli and Lucien Lelong with large pockets that could contain all one might need when going down to the bomb shelters. Jumpsuits were abandoned after the war, but made a comeback in the 1960s and 1970s, continuing in popularity to today.
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| Yves Saint Laurent, Tuxedo jumpsuit, Ready-to-wear, spring/summer, 1985 |
Karl Lagerfeld, former artistic director of the house of Chanel, drew on the world of surfing for the house's Spring/Summer 1991 collection.
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| Cocktail ensemble: jacket and leggings, Ready-to-wear, Spring/Summer 1991. |
There was a section on the 1980s, celebrating the Athletic Body and the 1990s and the Rise of Sportswear.
A number of outfits from the 2000s were also included.
Dirk Bikkembergs was a member of the "Antwerp Six" a group of designers who had graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. He set himself apart with a menswear collection starting in the mid-1980s that incorporated sports-inspired styles into his designs.
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| Dirk Bikkenbergs, Polo shirt, briefs and towel ensemble, Ready-to-wear, Spring/Summer 2011. |
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| Yohji Yamanoto and Adidas, Jacket and trousers outfit- 2001-2002 |
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| Football shirt signed by Kylian Mbappé, 2018- "Nike Breathe" polyester jersey, |
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| Sneaker wall |
There was a very large section of the evolution of swim suits and bathing etiquette. Dieppe was an early site of seaside resorts. Later the French Riviera became popular with the arrival of an American elite in the 1920s. The French law of 1936, which granted two weeks of paid leave led to the spread of sea bathing to a wider population.
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| Bathing costume, circa 1895 |
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| Fans with bathing pictures- 1902 |
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| Beach shoes, circa 1870, bathing costume or gymnastic suit, circa 1876 |
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| Bathing costume, circa 1890 and 1895, Beach bonnet, circa 1912, |
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| Seaside fashions in magazines: Art Goût Beauté, August 1925, no.60 |
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| July 1928, no. 95 |
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| Louis Réard, Swimsuit and skirt ensemble, 1945-47 |
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| Madame Grès, Beach ensemble: dress, knickers and head scarf, Haute couture, Spring/Summer 1966 |
It was an excellent exhibit beautifully displayed in the renovated galleries. Lots of fascinating history and detail. When we left it was still raining.
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| Across the street- a statue of Comte de Rochameau (1720-1807), Marechal de France, commander of the Franch army during the war of American Independence. |
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| Rainy view of the Eiffel Tower |
We decided to get a bite to eat at nearby Café Léon.
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| Inside of Café- quite busy even at 3:00 p.m. |
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| We shared a roasted goat cheese salad--- a staple of French bistros |
While we often walk from this area to the Museum of Decorative Arts, we decided to take the Métro, due to the rain. We had been planning a short visit to the Museum- but one of the exhibits had unexpectedly closed for the next few days. We perused the wonderful gift shop and then decided it was time for a very late afternoon coffee at Nuances, a coffee shop located in an old dairy store.
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| Outside of Nuances--- they kept the old signage |
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| Inside the coffee shop |
We then headed to our favourite scarf shop Épice located in the wonderful Palais Royal.
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