Perhaps, you’ve noticed how opulence and embellishment have been on trend lately? You even may be adding some luxe to your wardrobe now. But nothing beats the elaborate and ornate fabrications of centuries gone by.
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Fashioning Fashion. Deux Siècles de Mode Européenne at Les Arts Decoratifs in Paris an exhibition in tandem with LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum) showing the extensive collection of Martin Kamer and Wolfgang Ruf, two antique and costume dealers. Shown in chronological order, you get a clear sense of how fashion evolved from century to century and how tastes and styles changes just as much as styles change presently.
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Fashioning Fashion focuses on clothing and accessories for men and women from the 18th century to the early 20th century, mainly from France, Italy, and England. One of the most remarkable things about the exhibit of over 100 looks is the immaculate condition of the clothes, most of them looking like they were made today.
One of the other refreshing things was how many men’s costumes there were and I noticed men dressed even more elaborately than women during certain periods. One other observation I made was how much more compact people were built in those times with most of the mannequins no taller than five feet. — Richard Nahem
Richard’s photo gallery of Fashioning Fashion, Deux Siècles de Mode Européenne:
Visit in Paris:
Till April 14
Les Arts Décoratifs
107 rue de Rivoli ,75001
Open Tuesday to Sunday 11AM to 6PM, Thursday till 9PM
http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/english-439/