“Offrande à Pan”, a tapestry from Beauvais, 17 th century, is the background for a hunting jacket in embroidered leather, 1690, and two justaucorps for child and adult

I must say I never suspected, when I recently had dinner with Olivier Gabet, director of Musée des Arts décoratifs, that his exhibition of « 300 years of fashion », would be as pretty and as much fun as it is. The first rooms of 17 th to 19 th century are ravishing, with a very special decor created by Christopher Wheeldon and Jérôme Kaplan, who both usually work in the dance and theatre worlds. Furnished with tapestries, antique wallpapers and some furniture, they show the best of Louix XV dresses and men’s embroidered vests, Directoire costumes and romantic crinolines from Napoléon III rd’s times.

A wallpaper by Joseph Dufour shows the monuments of Paris in 1812-13 and serves as decor for 1800 style dresses and coats from the Directoire period

Musée de la Mode was created thirty years ago by President Robert Bordaz, and in 1986, its first curator, Pierre Provoyeur, presented an exhibition called « Moments de Mode » with decors by Alfredo Arias. Already a stage director! Another smaller one, « Les Peintres et la mode » was photographed for the catalog by David Seidner, one of the top fashion photographers of the time. The 80’s and the early 90’s were fabulous years for Paris fashion and Musée des Arts de la Mode, as it was then called, was the height of the fun ! With Yvonne Deslandres an her assistant Florence Müller (now curator in Denver), Provoyeur managed to show a number of fabulous exhibitions including « Le petit Théâtre de la Mode » and « Roger Vivier ». Marie Hélène de Rothschild sponsored grand dinner parties with Henry Racamier, the then President of Louis Vuitton.

Dresses by Christian Lacroix, Jean Paul Gaultier and Azzedine Alaïa dominate the Grande Nef

It seems that the museum is picking up again with this exhibition. Shown without glass protection, dresses and men’s suits can be seen at leisure. The detail of the embroideries and cuts are amazing. There is only one small problem, all captions are placed so low that when you bend to read them you start the alarm. But I am sure hat this will soon be fixed !

Fans fly in a window where a monkey wears a specially made suit in silk taffetas, 1730

The long meandering gallery shows classical fashion among beautiful decors and ends with the 1930’s… Lanvin, Schiaparelli, Chanel and Vionnet are as brilliant as ever! Take your time to look at the show windows which contain amazing items from the collections of the museum.

It then leads to the Grande nef, a high ceiling central room, where special exhibitions usually take place. There, a huge decor of white staircases and stages, unveils contemporary fashion. It is very striking and theatrical.

The Worth room is equally beautiful to the Poiret and Fortuny

French fashion treated as a star, is what this exhibition is all about with Worth, Poiret, Cardin, Givenchy, Courrèges, Lacroix at the height of their excellence. The effect is fabulous and the pleasure of the public equally great. (Musée des Arts Décoratifs, until August 14)