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ABOUT OUR COLLECTIONS

Dear visitors, 

After the success of "A History of Fashion", our second collections tour will open to the public in June 2023.

This next collections tour will be an opportunity for you to discover a new history of fashion, from the 18th century to the present day, through our exceptional collections presented in a new theme dedicated to the body in motion.

The link between fashion and sport will be the subject of the second display of this new collections tour, echoing the Olympic Games that will be held in Paris in 2024.

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  • 18th-Century Dress Department

18th-Century Dress Department

This is one of the world's leading collections of eighteenth-century dresses. Home to some 1,600 items, it comprises men's and women's garments dating from the late 17th century to the year 1800, together with children's wear and theatre costumes; these are an interesting reflection of both the fashions and the textile industry of the time.

The 900-plus male items represent more than half the department's holdings, with such rare and elaborate pieces as a 1670s jerkin and court clothes of silver brocade or velvet embroidered with gilded silver thread – not to mention 350 waistcoats, whose quantity reflects an Ancien Régime fashion craze. The women's collection includes a host of dresses à la française and à l’anglaise, as well as caracos and bodices. There are reminders of France's royal past, too: two suits and a chemise worn by the Dauphin, the future Louis XVII, together with a bodice said to have belonged to Marie Antoinette. They are shown here both for their historical interest and as indicators of the fashions of the period.

The exuberance of the early 18th century can be seen in the men's long basques, cut from dark fabrics with thick embroidery, and for women, large-patterned dresses with pleated backs and the skirts puffed out with paniers. Around 1750–1755 the dresses were made of silk, with long, sinuous trimmings testifying to the period's rococo taste. During the reign of Louis XVI the male silhouette slimmed down and clothes were made of velvet or taffeta, either plain or with little patterns of delicate floral embroidery. Waistcoats were light-coloured and picturesquely embroidered. The feminine wardrobe became more varied, the dress à la française with its wide, pleated back alternating with the dress à l'anglaise, whose narrow waist highlighted feminine curves. At the end of the century, close-fitting coats, straight waistcoats and tunic dresses of cotton muslin or lawn signaled a new relationship with the body: the natural replaced the artificial.

 

Fashion in 18th-century Paris saw many radical changes. The varied range of clothing was illustrated by the fashion press, which had begun to publish periodically; new, alluring engravings – printed cottons, white cotton muslin, silk or silk/wool jersey – reflected technical advances and guaranteed the wearer unheard-of comfort and an aura of modernity. One iconic figure stands out in this century when modern fashion was born: the marchande de mode, or dressmaker/milliner, whose most famous representative was Rose Bertin, Marie-Antoinette's 'minister of fashion'.  Bertin captured royal and princely clienteles not only at Versailles, but in other European courts as well. With her arrival, the marchande de mode no longer settled merely for decorating dresses and selling lace, feathers, gauze, hats and fans; she imposed on her customers the need for a knowledgeable guide in the supreme realm of fashion.

  • Gown known as 'Robe volante'

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    'Robe volante', circa 1730 © Julien Vidal / Paris Musées, Palais Galliera
  • Sack-back gown

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    picture : Sack-back gown
  • Mantle and shoulder cape of a knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    View of the mantle and shoulder cape of a knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit
  • Chemise worn by Louis XVII

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    View of the chemise worn by Louis XVII
  • Coat and trousers worn by Louis XVII

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    View of the coat and trousers worn by Louis XVII
  • Coat, waistcoat and trousers worn by Louis XVII

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    View of a coat, waistcoat and trousers worn by Louis XVII
  • Bodice said to have belonged to Marie Antoinette

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    View of bodice said to have belonged to Marie Antoinette
  • Ribbon said to have belonged to Madame Adelaïde

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    View of the ribbon said to have belonged to Madame Adelaïde
  • Dress coat bearing the livery of the King of France

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    View of the dress coat bearing the livery of the King of France
  • Waistcoat worn by Claude Lamoral II

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    View of a waistcoat worn by Claude Lamoral II (1685–1766)
  • Casaquin

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    View of a Casaquin
  • Man's Waistcoat

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    View of a man's waistcoat
  • Man's coat of Saint François de Sales

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    View of the coat said to have belonged to Saint François de Sales
  • 'The People's representative' coat

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    'The People's representative' coat © L. Degrâces et Ph. Joffre / Paris Musées, Palais Galliera
  • Man's Waistcoat

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    Man's waistcoat, c. 1730-1740 © Eric Emo / Paris Musées, Palais Galliera
  • Man's dressing gown

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    Man's dressing gown, first half 18th century © Eric Emo / Paris Musées, Palais Galliera
  • 'Rinaldo & Armida' waistcoat

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    'Rinaldo & Armida' waistcoat © Eric Emo / Paris Musées, Palais Galliera
  • 'Voltaire & Rousseau' waistcoat

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    'Voltaire & Rousseau' waistcoat  © L. Degrâces et Ph. Ladet / Galliera / Roger-Viollet
  • Harlequin costume

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    Harlequin costume © Fr. Cochennec et St. Piera / Paris Musées, Palais Galliera
  • 'Carmagnole' jacket

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    'Carmagnole' jacket © Eric Emo / Paris Musées, Palais Galliera
  • Man's three-part ensemble

    Voir la fiche de l'oeuvre
    Man's three-part ensemble  © L. Degrâces et P. Joffre / Paris Musées, Palais Galliera

Discover the 14
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