Versailles revives the magnificence of 18th century French luxury
A special exhibition entitled “Le XVIII au gout du jour, Couturiers et créateurs de mode au Grand Trianon”, is dedicated to the French fashion style of the 18th century and, in particular to the sumptuous creations characterizing the life and the personality of certain notable women of the past, such as Madame de Pompadour, Madame Du Barry and, above all, of Marie-Antoinette. It opened on July the 8th in the beautiful setting of the Versailles Palace, specifically in the halls of the Grand Trianon, the historical residence of the French queen Marie Antoinette.
This important event, on show in Versailles until October the 9th, is promoted by the top French (and other) fashion designers, deeply inspired by the ceremonious styles of the 18th century in the creation of some of their most famous masterpieces. Through this show, they aim to demonstrate the close relationship between the very gorgeous splendour of the past and their personal collections today, where the care for accessories and the use of wide underskirts continue to be a symbol of undisputed elegance and luxury.
About 50 models created by the top designers of the 20th century, from both their haute-couture collections and their prêt-à-porter styles, are compared to dresses and accessories of the 18th century, emphasising the major influence that the French cultural and social environment of the 1700s had on the culture and on the fashion panorama of the entire world, the effects of which are still evident today.
Women such as Madame de Pompadour, Madame Du Barry and Marie Antoinette, in fact, represent three models of vanity for that period, and their behaviour and style of life have certainly influenced the literature and the fashion rules of that period but also of the succeeding generations of artists and designers, as well as the cinema.
Their towering powdered hair styles, their restricting whalebone corsets and their wide circular ruched underskirts have deeply inspired the top couturiers of the 20th century, as testified by some extravagant creations conceived by Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain, Vivienne Westwood, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel and Christian Lacroix.
Christian Dior and Pierre Balmain offer evening dresses carefully embroidered with the typical decorative elements of 1700, while Vivienne Westwood confers new life on flirtatious courtesans.
Givenchy proposes the image of rich marquises whose dresses are decorated with gold wire, while Martin Margiela transforms the man dress into an absolutely gorgeous feminine dress. Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga instead, focuses his whole attention on the use of lace; Thierry Mugler hides the exaggerated circle-shaped underskirt under the dress itself.
All the dresses and accessories displayed at the Grand Trianon in Versailles, at this important fashion show, come from the collections of the Galliéra Museum and they create a special and successful scene, rather like a musical composition where the old is perfectly fused with the contemporary.
If you want to experience the luxury and the splendour of the fashion style in the eighteenth century, (and compare it with the one skilfully reproduced nowadays by our contemporary designers) and spend a day like a real princess, surrounded by lace, embroideries and gorgeous long dresses, we advise you not to miss this exhibition: a special occasion to discover in more detail all the elements belonging to the true history of fashion.
