5 Fashion Exhibitions you should not miss in France this summer!
If you are heading to France for this summer’s haute couture presentations in July, here are 5 couture exhibitions you should not miss!
Worth: Inventing haute couture
Discover how it all started through an exhibition dedicated to the legendary British couturier Charles Frederick Worth, Worths is widely considered as the founder of haute couture in the 19th century, laying out mechanisms for creating and marketing high end fashion that are still in force to this day.
Worth (1825-1895) founded a fashion house that became the epitome of Parisian luxury and as such played a pivotal role in the history of fashion. He established the ˝Worth & Bobergh˝ house in Paris at 7 Rue de la Paix in 1858, which was then headed by four generations of Worth that made the House of Worth was the embodiment of French refinement and savoir-faire for nearly a century.
Evening Bodice and Skirt, c. 1866-68. Silk Satin with Lace and Tulle. © 125th Anniversary Acquisition. Gift of the Heirs Of Charlotte Hope Binney Tyler Montgomery, 1996, Philadelphia Museum Of Art
The landmark retrospective celebrates the opulence of fashion’s Gilded Age with a chronological overview of the House from the Second Empire to the inter-war period through more than 400 works (clothing, objects, painting).
Charles Frederick Worth arrived in Paris in 1846 and began working as a salesclerk for Gagelin, a well-known textile merchant. He quickly made a name for himself and in 1858, with the Swede Otto Gustav Bobergh, founded ˝Worth & Bobergh.˝ The house dressed the Princess von Metternich, the imperial court and the Empress Eugénie, as well as the emblematic Countess Greffulhe, who was the inspiration for Marcel Proust’s Duchesse de Guermantes. Portraits painted by Carolus-Duran, La Gandara, Louise Breslau and others punctuate the exhibition and demonstrate wealthy women’s desire to be portrayed in their most beautiful Worth gown.
In 1870, Worth ended his collaboration with Bobergh and his creations were from then on labelled ˝Worth,” while 1895 marked a turning point in the history of the house, when Charles Frederick passed away and his sons, Jean-Philippe and Gaston Worth, took over. Under teir direction, the House continued to grow. At that time, First Empire styles were making a comeback, while fashion was also responding to new societal aspirations for more understated, straight and tapered silhouettes.
Worth’s creations, promoted by the specialised press, such as La Gazette du Bon Ton, consolidated its reputation. In the 1920s, Gaston’s own sons, Jean-Charles and Jacques took control of the House of Worth which fully embraced modernity. The House’s signature ˝Worth blue˝ reigned supreme.
Running until 7 September 2025 at the Petit Palais, Paris.
George Barbier — Couverture du magazine Les Modes, Avril 1912 Paris, Manzi, Joyant et Cie, 1912 © Les Arts Décoratifs
Paul Poiret: Fashion is a Feast
The Musée des Arts Décoratifs presents its first major monograph dedicated to Paul Poiret (1879-1944), a key figure in Parisian haute couture at the beginning of the 20th century, who incidentally briefly work at the House of Worth before founding his own fashion house in 1903.
Paul Poiret revolutionized fashion, breaking from the S-shaped silhouette of the early century by removing the corset and simplifying lines The exhibition is an immersive journey into the creator’s rich universe, from the Belle Époque to the Roaring Twenties and explores his creations in the fields of fashion, decorative arts and perfume, amongst others.
The designer found inspiration in Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes and translated their modernity into his own work, while dressing dancers such as Isadora Duncan and Nyota Inyoka. He was deeply influenced by his many travels in Europe and North Africa and was also the first couturier to hire artists to work on his textiles, decorations, illustrations, and other means of communication. He is thus the pioneer of what we now call “collaborations,” a common practice between fashion brands and artists since the early 2000s.
Poiret catered to an affluent and cultured clientele eager for novelty and enjoyed himself an extravagant lifestyle as his business expanded. In 1925, at his own expense, he participated in the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts: he chartered three barges on the Seine to present his universe. This event turned out to be a financial disaster. He was forced to sell his fashion house in November 1924 and to leave it permanently in December 1929.
The exhibition is both chronological and thematic, immersing visitors in modern Paris at the beginning of the 20th century. It presents Poiret’s many talents: in addition to being a couturier, he was a painter, actor, writer, restaurateur, and musician.
Running 25 juiin 2025 to 11 january 2026 at the Arts Decoratifs, Paris.
Écume, a soft sculptural gown embroidered with quilted cotton foam and set with hospital gauze, beading and French knots, on a silk-organza base. Les Rives de Lunacy FW 2013–2014 haute couture collectiom, Yiqing Yin (Photo©Laurence Laborie)
Yiqing Yin. Of Air and Dreams
Yiqing Yin was the first designer of Chinese origin to be awarded the haute couture label in France back in 2015. To celebrate this 10-year milestone, the Cité de la Dentelle et de la Mode in Calais is showcasing her multi-disciplinary creations through haute couture gowns, visual artworks—photographs, films, drawings—sonic textures of whispered words and rustling air, and delicate olfactory trails, inviting visitors to embark on an exploration of their own imagination.
In recent years, Yin has not been showing during couture week, but she has collaborated with numerous luxury brands (Cartier, Vacheron Constantin), create artwork for the Dubai World Expo (2020) while working as Artistic Director of French fashion houses Léonard and Poiret.
Around 70 gowns, dating from 2009 to 2025, illustrate Yin's creativity, placed in dialogue with documents, drawings and works taken from her artistic universe.
Nébuleuse, pintucked, organza bustier gown. Blooming Ashes SS 2016 haute couture collection. Photo ©Laurence Laborie
Écume, a soft sculptural gown embroidered with quilted cotton foam and set with hospital gauze, beading and French knots, on a silk-organza base. Photo©Laurence Laborie
The designer has a very sculptural approach to design and has long harnessed the dynamics of pleating. But while previous masters of the art of pleating such as Madame Grès (1903-1993) and Madeleine Vionnet (1876-1975) structured the body, Yin “sculpts the void around the body seeking balance and rupture between the floating and sculpted areas as a guiding principle.” In this way, “[the] silhouette ripples through ether.”
To the question “What if Donkey Skin asked you to design a dress?”, Yiqing Yin replies: “It would be a dress the colour of tears.” Tears of joy, tears of sorrow? Tears of emotions that glisten. This search for the lacrimal palette translates into an exploration of light and matter
Running from June 14, 2025 to January 4, 2026 at the Cité de la Dentelle et de la Mode in Calais.
Christian Dior. © Musée du Louvre ©Nicolas Bousser
LOUVRE COUTURE: Art and Fashion: Statement Piece
CHANEL. © Musée du Louvre / Nicolas Bousser
If there is only one… this is the absolute must see in Paris!
A fresh and fascinating dialogue between masterpieces from the Department of Decorative Arts and key pieces from the history of contemporary fashion from 1960 to 2025, the exhibition includes work by designers ranging from Cristóbal Balenciaga to Iris van Herpen.
Each gown has been selected to resonate with the history of the decorative arts against which it is showcased. A first time for the Louvre and hopefully not the last!
Paul Cézanne once said that ‘the Louvre is the book from which we learn to read’. This same inexhaustible wellspring of inspiration has also nourished the world of fashion.
Increasingly, research and monographs on great designers have begun to draw aesthetic ‘family trees’, rooting these figures and their inspirations in a historical and artistic context. Le Louvre has been and remains a vast mood board: a source of endless inspirations and influences.
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, © Musée du Louvre / Nicolas Bousser
Although the Louvre paradoxically does not conserve any garments, with the exception of the sumptuous mantles of the Order of the Holy Spirit which were restored last year, clothing is depicted throughout its galleries, from ancient bas-reliefs to 18th-century paintings. Textiles are a vital part of the Department of Decorative Arts’ collection, although the focus is on tapestries and decorative textiles rather than clothing.
The exhibition is structured around several main historical periods, which visitors are free to explore in or out of chronological order. In the section on Byzantium and the Middle Ages, precious artworks made from gold, ivory and gemstones are reflected in the looks on display, majestically presented on mirrored podiums. In a similar scenographic vein, the designs shown in the rooms devoted to the Renaissance echo other types of artworks: richly enamelled ceramics, finely decorated armour, and impressively large and colourful tapestries. The Conseil d'État rooms reveal the ever-present influence of artistic créations from the Grand Siècle, while in the period rooms, where 18th-century pieces are displayed, dresses, ensembles and accessories are shown against a backdrop of the eras which inspired their creation.
The final part of the exhibition is devoted to the excesses of the 19th century. The Napoleon III Apartments serve as a grand finale, where the grandeur and splendour of the décor is echoed by the exuberant shapes and colours of the designs on display.
Running until August 24,2025
RICK OWENS, Temple Of Love
The Palais Galliera is holding a major retrospective of the work by avant-garde fashion designer Rick Owens.
Born in 1961, the American designer started out as a pattern-cutter in Los Angeles before launching his own label in 1992. With limited resources, he was an early adopter of upcycling fabrics, repurposing salvaged materials such as military bags, army blankets and washed leather to turn them into dresses and jackets.
In 2003, Owens left Los Angeles for Paris. Independent and provocative by nature, his expressive fashion shows often reflect a political stance that condemns discrimination and male dominance.
He’s been labelled the “Prince of Dark Design” with his work described as “goth, macabre, apocalyptic. He describes his own work as “glunge” - a mix of “glamor” and “grunge.”
He has a predilection for black and muted shades, including a special grey he calls "dust", which has become one of his signature colours.
Featuring over 100 silhouettes, the retrospective will be augmented by Owens's personal documents, as well as videos and some never-before-seen installations. Works by Gustave Moreau, Joseph Beuys and Steven Parrino provide insight into the designer's sources of inspiration and will show his work
in a new light. The exhibition will also focus on the central role played by his wife, designer Michèle Lamy.
Running 28 June, 2025 – 4 January, 2026 At Palais Galliera, Paris.
