Olivier Gabet, art historian. “When you walk through the rooms of the Louvre, fashion is everywhere”

In recent years, there is not a large institution that does not have its own fashion exhibition. Ordinary, the subject at the intersection of scientific culture and pop culture, fascinates the crowd, especially Gen Z, who like the spectacular. But until now, the “museum” had not tried. It’s done Louvre Couture (1), a dazzling journey that brings together iconic pieces on loan from forty-five of the greatest houses and masterpieces from the museum’s objets d’art department.

At the core of the collections, over 9,000 m2, are silhouettes signed by (among others) Azzedine Alaa, Rick Owens, Hubert de Givenchy, Marine Serre, Tom Brown, Alexander McQueen, Demna and Karl Lagerfeld, which resonate with the decorative arts of history. with styles, crafts and ornaments, From Byzantium to the Second Empire. An aesthetic, scientific and unique walk through the center of fashion history since the 1960s, developed by Olivier Gabé, Director of the Louvre’s Department of Fine Arts.

A subject he knows like the back of his hand, having spent almost ten years at the helm of the Musée d’Arte Décoratif in Paris.Notably, MAD was a hit with such exhibitions under his leadership Thierry Mugler, designer Or Sculpture of the sensesdedicated to the Dutch designer Iris van Herpen.

Madame Figaro. – The Louvre is an unexpected fashion destination.
Olivier Gabet. “It’s true that the Louvre doesn’t have a fashion collection, strictly speaking, but the museum has very important textile collections, medieval tapestries, for example. And when you walk through the rooms, fashion is everywhere. Here’s an ancient painting, there’s an Egyptian one.” bas-relief, then Greek sculpture… The issue of clothing is intensely artistic. It was also an object Parade at the Louvre (2), the book I worked on in collaboration with fashion critic Sophie Fontanel. Then, the Louvre and its Cour Carrée have regularly hosted fashion shows since 1982, notably those of Nicolas Ghesquière for the house of Louis Vuitton.After all, the Louvre still remains mood board absolutely, many creatives come there to get their inspiration.

How did you choose the hundreds of silhouettes and accessories featured?
There are creators who are obviously important on the subject. I think of Hubert de Givenchy, whose passion for objects of art is well-known, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel or Yves Saint Laurent, who, as we know, were great collectors, or even John Galliano for Dior. Others are more unexpected and, hopefully will surprise the public like Jonathan Anderson for Loewe, Daniel Roseberry for Schiaparelli or Matthieu Blazy’s work for Bottega Veneta (appointed artistic director of Chanel in mid-December, editor’s note).

Therefore, the new generation is very present in the exhibition.How do young artists get inspiration from art objects?
They’re well-versed in art history, for example: Iris van Herpe, featuring two of her creations, including a spectacular cathedral dress adorned with 3D-printed patterns. This work made me think of the whole vocabulary of perfumes and precious arts, which the Flemish-born Iris is very sensitive to. She is a regular visitor to the collections masters medieval art and excels at reworking visual cultures We present sumptuous medieval tapestries on the side, a coat of overcoat fabric The lady with the unicornand the connection is amazing. Other young creators have a rather distant relationship with matters of art history, like Simone Porte Jacquemus, who is very free with this theme. Then we play the baroque card and present a rather unusual ball gown model from his Le Chouchou collection (presented at the Palace of Versailles in 2024, editor’s note) in Napoleon III halls. As for the Chiquito micro bag, we compare it to our miniature display cases, such as these snuff boxes from the 18th century.

The connections are very precise and scientific, but are you playing with the inconsistency?
Otherwise, it would be completely boring. Fashion is neither an excuse nor an alibi, nor are objects simple documents about fashion; There is a real level of equality in the attitude. And even if we play with regalia, coronation objects or royal collections, it does not interfere with the humor. For example, we present Jonathan Anderson’s famous dove minaudiere (In 2020, Editor’s Note) next to a magnificent Eucharistic dove, a magnificent naturalistic bird in Limoges enamel. Jonathan Anderson’s work for Loewe is also present, with this striking one-piece hammered metallic jacket, which is shown in our vest. We also worked on contrasts, like for Balenciaga from the first couture collection for the house of , at the salon de l’Abondant, in one of the most beautiful settings of the 18th century.^e preserved in the world. Here I wanted a dichotomy between contours and decor, and I was inspired by photographs of Balenciaga women from the 1950s and 1960s, all these great New York socialites, like the Baroness de Rothschild or Mona von Bismarck… They were featured in Cristóbal Balenciaga— in dresses. in subtle and conceptual ways… in their 18th century interiors^e overstressed.

So fashion is also art.
Fashion is one of the most exciting and dynamic areas of expression in contemporary art. There are pieces of absolute beauty in the exhibition, like this sculptural dress by Azedin Alaia, which is one of the designer’s latest models (disappeared in 2017, editor’s note) and we bring it into dialogue with the crown bronzer, the Louis XIV period. In 2015, Azedin Alaia presented his creations next to the masterpieces of the Villa Borghese, so it is a sign that fashion designers are creative like everyone else, their sensitivity and sharpness of vision are the right things they say about our times.

(1) Louvre Couture. Objects of art, objects of fashion from January 24 to July 21 at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

(2) Parade in the Louvre by Sophie Fontanel, Seghers Edition, October 2024.