Paris may be the world’s fashion capital, but there was a time when even Parisiennes took their style cues from the lavish layers of silk, gauze, velvet, ribbons and lace worn by the ladies of Arles.
Now, the city — tucked in Provence, in southeastern France, best known for its Roman-era edifices and busy contemporary art scene — has welcomed a new showcase for fashion treasures both past and present.
“No one realizes it today, but in the late 18th and 19th centuries, Arlésiennes were the fashionistas of the day,” said Clément Trouche, a fashion historian and the curator of the new institution, the Fragonard Museum of Fashion & Costume (Musée de la Mode & du Costume).
Six years in the making, the museum is housed in an 18th-century mansion that was restored by Studio KO, the Paris-based agency behind the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakesh, Morocco. It was officially inaugurated with a huge gala dinner, held in the city’s ancient amphitheater on July 3.
Arles’s location near the mouth of the Rhone River made it a strategic trading hub starting in Roman times. With the rise of global commerce, Arlésiennes were among the first to have access to textiles imported from India and the Middle East. By the late 18th century, local fashion evolved into its own language, a means for women, especially, to reconcile convention with freedom of expression.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The post The Sisters Behind Fragonard Open a Major Fashion Museum in Provence appeared first on New York Times.
