Category: 18th century

I’ve been wanting to post but no computer! In Paris I went to the Musee du Costume at the Palais Galliera to see their exhibit on 18th c. French and Dutch costume and OH MY, it was SO exciting. About 40 or more gowns from the mid-18th c. through the 1780s. The only bad part was no photos (bastards!) and the gowns were in glass cases, so in most cases you could only see one view. A lot of really interesting gowns, like one robe a l’anglais that had obviously been remade – the center back pieces, near the shoulder seams, had pleat markings. One really amazing 1780s redingote in green and ivory satin with amazing embroidery. They do have a fabulous catalog, but I don’t know if it’s available for sale by mail.

I also went to an exhibit at the Musee Carnvalet, which is the museum on the history of Paris, on the directoire and consulat periods, and they had about 5 gowns from the 1790s and 1800s (along with many fashion plates and drawings). Catalog available for that one too!

Now I am in the wilds of Italy (Umbria) with no costumes in sight, but having fun!

I hope I’m not creating too much travel envy, but I am busy planning my four week European jaunt this May/June, and here is the list of costume-related things that are making be go BOUNCEY BOUNCE!

Antwerp: MoMu will have a modern exhibit on African influence on Western fashion. Trying to figure out if they display any of their permanent collection.

Brussels: Le Musée du Costume et de la Dentelle. Not sure what will be showing, but sounds potentially interesting.

Paris:
– Le Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris will be showing “Le costume hollandais et la mode en Europe au siècle des Lumières” (Dutch costume and European fashion in the Age of Light)
– Musée de la Toile de Jouy will be showing La Galante : garde-robes, parures et secrets de la mode au XVIIIe siècle
Collection de costumes Lillian Williams (in other words, 18th c. fashion)
– Le Chateau de Malmaison has some of Josephine’s dresses on display
– Of course, fabric shopping

London:
– The Museum of London has costumes displayed in their permanent collection, plus will be showing The London Look
– The V&A: I’ve seen their permanent costume display before, but it never hurts to see it again. Plus I just found out about Style & Splendour: Queen Maud of Norway’s Wardrobe, 1896-1938!!

BOUNCEY BOUNCEY