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Madame Grés Exhibition
Today I went to the exhibition of a fashion icon that i had never actually heard of…and had my breath taken away. It became apparent that I had infact been missing out, and although the name had alluded me, I knew some of her creations from photos that ive seen over the years.
Madame Grés was an expert at draping during the 20th century up untill the late 80s in fact, and what a master she was.
The quaint little museum in the south of Paris is usually host to sculptures of all sizes and shapes with special significance to France or even the world, but currently its guest exhibit of around 80 pieces of Paris Couture, stand among the stone sculptures, but without drawing great contrast. This is because Madame Grés believed fashion and sculpting to be one and the same. That sculpting fabric and stone were equal, and I am beginning to believe her.
This retrospective is probably one of the most thought provoking that I have seen during my time in Paris. There were original drawings by the lady herself, vintage magazines showcasing her creations and most surprising of all: photos of her dresses draped over classical sculptures (as seen in Vogue & Harpers Bazaar in the early half of the 20th century). The pleated taffeta, wool and jersey pieces in stoney colours of white, brown, grey, black and beige, resembled those garments of Greek goddesses - the dress of Aphrodite for example.
I had many “favorite” pieces from the collection and eventually bought the book on sale at the museum shop, so look out for my next few photos.
xoxo LLM
