The Louvre holds its first fashion exhibition

The Louvre is the world’s most famous museum, with an encyclopedic collection of more than 500,000 paintings, drawings, archaeological finds, and art objects spanning thousands of years. But with the exception of the extravagant cloaks of the Chivalric Order of the Holy Spirit, which were restored last year, this French cultural institution has no garments in its permanent collection and has never previously held a fashion exhibition in multiple galleries. There isn’t. Louvre Couture: Art and Fashion: Statement Pieces, which opens on January 24, brings together more than 100 different looks and accessories from 45 Maisons and designers, from Cristóbal Balenciaga to Marine Serre, to showcase contemporary fashion and decor. Introducing the close relationship between art.

“What I hope people take away from this exhibition is the fact that the museum is a very free and contemporary place,” says Olivier Gabet, senior heritage curator and head of decorative arts at the Louvre. “I wanted to show that what at first glance looks like a dusty collection can be completely modern in terms of inspiration.” Gabet was a member of the Museum of Decorative Arts before joining the Louvre in 2022. Christian Dior was director at the museum: He brought a deep knowledge of fashion from blockbuster fashion shows such as Couturier du Rêve. In his assessment, the Louvre’s “vast mood boards” are an endless source of inspiration and influence for contemporary designers and fashion enthusiasts.

Covering four important historical periods: Byzantium and the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Great Century and the 18th and 19th centuries, Louvre Couture is spread throughout the museum, from the Decorative Arts galleries in the Richelieu and Sully wings to Napoleon III. The apartments feature fashion pieces created between 1960 and 2025, placed in dialogue with the historical furniture and art that inspired them. Sometimes, as in the case of Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2019 skirt suit, all-over blue and white sequin embroidery takes inspiration from an 18th-century lacquered chest of drawers once in the Louvre’s collection. It has a motif. Louise Julie de Mailly Nestle, belonged to Countess de Mailly. Some are more abstract, like Nadège Vanët’s Hermès Spring 2021 collection, a stretch silk minidress covered in geometric bronze mesh, inspired by medieval chain mail.

The 18th-century rooms are the most densely populated and feature a Rococo look by the likes of Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Nicolas Ghesquière, with nearby Boulle cabinets and Louis XV chairs. It resembles the marquetry and gold scrolls seen. . Gabet traces the enduring appeal of 18th-century fashion to the tastemakers of yesteryear, including Madame de Pompadour, Madame Du Berry, and, of course, Queen Marie Antoinette. “It was a moment of excellence in craft; there were strong female figures who embodied a particular vision of fashion,” Gabe says. “From the 18th century to today, it has been an eternal thread of inspiration and fantasy.”

The exhibition also features Balencaiga and Kalven’s subdued designs. Although the founders of these two houses were avid collectors of 18th-century decorative arts, they continued to resist the rise of Rococo in their own work. Demna’s almost ascetic sculptural black ballgown, which debuted on Balenciaga’s spring 2020 runway, echoes the way Cristóbal Balenciaga’s midcentury sculptural shapes resemble spaceships. Similarly, Louise Trotter’s Calven spring 2025 low-edged satin coat is inspired by Marie-Louise, who is known for her sharply tailored monochrome dresses and for donating more than 100 pieces of 18th-century furniture and art from her personal belongings. -Reflects Kalven’s minimalism. The collection will go to the Louvre Museum.

If the exhibition’s opening day is any indication, a fresh look at the Louvre’s decorative arts collection is already attracting new visitors. “What I like is that we have a young audience here today,” Gabe says. “If you have archaeology, or the Mona Lisa, the galleries in the decorative arts department are not always the most popular.”