Coming soon

Fashion in the 18th Century. A Fantasized Legacy

From 14.03 to 12.07.2026

The Palais Galliera is hosting an exhibition titled Fashion in the 18th Century. A Fantasized Legacy that looks at the characteristics of women’s fashion during the Age of Enlightenment and its numerous reinterpretations throughout fashion history up until the present day. Often perceived as a distant, even dusty epoch, the eighteenth century nevertheless constitutes a major stage in the evolution of the female appearance that continues to influence the world of fashion and popular culture today.

Utica Queen / Ethan Mundt, 2021 © Eric Magnussen
  • Horaires : Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Closed on Mondays. Late opening on Fridays until 9 pm
  • Tarifs : Solo ticket: 14€ ; (reduced rate 12€) Combined ticket with the exhibition Weaving, Embroidering, Embellishing: 17€ ; (reduced rate 15€). Free entry under 18 years
  • Publics :
  • Accès : By metro: line 9, Iéna or Alma-Marceau / By RER: line C, Pont de l’Alma
  • Accessibility :

You are a group: Group ticketing

Marked by an unprecedented creative energy, the eighteenth century may be characterized by its diverse silhouettes, rich fabrics, and exuberant accessories and hairstyles. It also marked the end of a model of women’s dress inherited from previous centuries, thus paving the way for a new conception of the body and the appearance.

From the Second Empire onwards, women’s fashion drew largely on the aesthetics of the Enlightenment, which served as a plentiful source of inspiration. In a context of political and social upheaval, the eighteenth century appeared as the epitome of elegance and a lost paradise that evoked a strong sense of nostalgia.

After the Second World War, French couture, seeking legitimacy in order to establish itself on the international market, once again turned to the techniques and expertise developed in the eighteenth century by the luxury industry. The massive and widespread circulation of images through the press, cinema, and entertainment transformed this heritage into a visual code that was immediately embraced by popular culture.
Gradually, eighteenth-century fashion became more than just a historical reference but a distinct aesthetic in its own right. This exhibition offers a reflection on how fashion and collective memory shape, transform, and project this past, creating a still-vibrant aesthetic, cultural, and symbolic narrative. Constantly reinvented and idealized, the eighteenth century resonates with the aspirations of each new epoch. Today, this aesthetic flirts with the world of the kitsch, camp, or queer.

Bringing together over seventy silhouettes, accompanied by fashion accessories, textiles, graphic arts, and photographs, the exhibition highlights masterpieces like Queen Marie Antoinette’s corset. The corset, which is extremely fragile, is exceptionally on display to the public for the duration of this exhibition. Visitors can also compare the silhouettes of the eighteenth-century with those of later centuries, through a selection of iconic contemporary pieces from the collections of Chanel, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Christian Lacroix, Vivienne Westwood, Dries van Noten…

Looking at three centuries of creation, the Palais Galliera examines the extent to which eighteenth-century fashion has been reinterpreted, between historical heritage, aesthetic fantasy, and creative freedom.

  • Sack-back Gown and skirt, circa 1775–1780
    CC0 Palais Galliera / Paris Musées
  • So-called ‘flying’ dress. Fabric circa 1720–1730, dress circa 1730–1735 
    CC0 Palais Galliera / Paris Musées
  • English-style dress and skirt (detail), circa 1780-1790
    CC0 Palais Galliera / Paris Musées
  • Corset from a grand dress attributed to Queen Marie Antoinette (1755–1793), circa 1770–1780
    CC0 Palais Galliera / Paris Musées

Curators

General curator

Émilie Hammen, director of the Palais Galliera

Commissariat scientifique

Pascale Gorguet-Ballesteros, Head of collections, Clothes from the 17th and 18th century and dolls, assisted by Alice Freudiger

The Palais Galliera would like to thank the Phoebus Foundation for their valuable support.

Media partners