I spent my last day in Paris ditching Brian and going to peek at a new exhibition at the Louvre.
https://www.louvre.fr/en/exhibitions-and-events/exhibitions/louvre-couture
It was an interesting visit. It started with a first for me - seeing a would-be guest denied access to the Louvre. I glimpsed her in the security line ahead of me and wondered what was going on. She was wearing what looked like a cheap wedding dress, white gloves, a thick white and gray wig, a short veil, white face paint, and weird plastic jewelry. When I reached her group and while the guard was saying no, she was throwing odd hand gestures. Perhaps she was dressed as an anime or manga character? She was Asian, with a group of 7 people, and they were struggling to understand why they couldn't enter. The guard just kept telling them the outfit was not acceptable in the Louvre.
I whisked past quickly, so no photo was taken of the getup. And then popped into the new exhibit. It was a bit on the odd side, too. It felt a little contrived. The exhibit was timed to coincide with Paris Fashion Week. It was also in the Richelieu Wing, which is generally the less crowded area. They may have been trying to shift crowds over there to ease the pressure on the Denon Wing (while the escalators were shut down for service).
The conceit of the exhibit is that it was inserted into existing exhibit rooms, and showcased inspiration designers (may) have taken from existing art? So tapestry coats on mannequins were displayed by wall tapestries. Several bejeweled gowns were displayed by Catholic reliquaries, with a particular Dolce & Gabbana dress with the Virgin Mary printed on the front nestled in with altarpieces. The Napoleon III Apartments, with their over-the-top decor housed similarly styled red and gold gowns, silver garments, and other pieces. Some of the pairings made sense. Many felt like a stretch. But I suppose when your collection is as vast as the Louvre's, you get a bit creative in your visuals.
 |
| Matching the Draperies? |
 |
| This Dior dress was lovely, but the headless dinner party theme was confusing. |
~Lucy
