Palais Galliera reveals Anatomy of a Collection II
The Parisian fashion museum will reopen to the public with a revamped display including a section dedicated to late designer Sonia Rykiel.
Upon visiting a fashion exhibition, one can easily (and understandably) be mesmerised by the clothes, accessories and images that encompass such well-attended events. In often immaculate condition and arranged within equally curated settings, everything from a swollen NASA space suit to a delicate Elie Saab wedding gown can absorb one's attention within seconds.
With ‘Anatomy of a Collection’, the Palais Galliera museum in Paris had such intentions in mind: to develop a fashion exhibition to the highest of standards that simultaneously exposed the who and what behind the over 100 pieces extracted from its vast garment and accessories collection. On November 3rd, the venue otherwise known as the City of Paris Fashion Museum will unveil Anatomy of a Collection II, a revamped chapter of the original exhibition to be on display until February 2017.
The new exhibition – which has experienced a rotation of objects previously foreseen for conservation reasons – includes items from the 18th century until present-day and seeks to 'draw attention towards those who have worn the clothes,' Olivier Saillard, curator and director of Palais Galliera, explains. To elaborate on this statement he remembers a quote by designer Issey Miyake, who claimed 'a dress is at its 50% when it leaves the atelier and at its 100% when worn over a woman’s shoulders.'
While perusing the exhibition’s corridors, visitors will, for instance, stumble upon a modest blue silk-taffeta corset, worn by queen Marie-Antoinette in the mid 1780s as a flexible version of the grand corps corset used in court costume; a luxurious short ermine and lamb-fur cape worn by actress Sarah Bernhardt in the late 1890s; a black felt and grosgrain shoe-hat designed by Elsa Schiaparelli in collaboration with surrealist artist Salvador Dalí and worn by his partner Gala in the late 1930s; and a synthetic hair coat and wig by Maison Martin Margiela and worn by Jamaican model Sam Kareen Taylor at the fashion house’s 40th show, where she walked the runway for 28 seconds without showing her face to the public.
Additionally, a section of Anatomy of a Collection II is dedicated to French designer Sonia Rykiel, who passed away this August, aged 86. Rykiel, an admired figure within the fashion scene, is often referred to as a pioneer due to the liberating and colourful clothes she created in the 1960s. She went on to dress personalities such as Brigitte Bardot and Audrey Hepburn and continued to work following her Parkinson’s diagnosis.
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Fashion exhibitions have become grand events amidst opening galas and highly elaborated setups, yet often omit the journey of the garment as it was worn. This, as a matter of fact, is an incredibly sought-after element among curators and conservationists, who frequently base an item’s value on its historical place, within the life story of its wearer. Clues on provenance may come from obvious components such as brand tags and personal initials, as well as signs of wear, distinctive colours and even the appearance of the wearer on paintings and pictures. 'It is this autobiographical reading that we wanted to touch upon in this exhibition,' Saillard points out.
The Palais Galliera, a magnificent architectural ouevre from the 19th century, was first inaugurated as a museum in 1977 and it remained closed for two years from 2009 for refurbishment. Since its grand reopening in 2013, the institution has unveiled successful shows such as Alaïa (2013-14), Jeanne Lanvin (2015) and La Mode Retrouvée (2015-16). Altogether, over 60 exhibitions have been showcased over its 30-year lifetime.
Palais Galliera’s extensive archives range from 18th-century clothes to haute couture, undergarments and accessories and the museum has described its conservational endeavour as a 'perennial challenge (…) to reconcile the seemingly contradictory tasks of displaying garments for months at a time in exhibitions, and attempting to preserve them for centuries to come'. This mindset is what keeps the museum from holding permanent exhibitions, as its main focus is the preservation of such treasures.
Anatomy of a Collection was seen by over 70,000 visitors and a similar response is expected for its successor. Anatomy of a Collection II is on display now at Palais Galliera in Paris and will be open until February 2017.
Please visit the museum’s website for further information: http://www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr/en/exhibitions/anatomy-collection
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Published on November 3rd, 2016 by the online student publication _shift.