March 12, 2011 – July 31, 2011
Ellman Fashion Design Gallery
Liberation in the fall of 1944 after four years of foreign occupation found Paris surviving on minimal resources. To reaffirm Paris as the center of fashion, couturiers, jewelers, milliners, hairdressers and theatre designers joined together to present Théâtre de la Mode.
Using the ages-old tradition of traveling miniature mannequins dressed in current couture, the Chamber Syndicale de la Couture mobilized a whole industry with unprecedented cooperation and creativity. The petite 27” tall dolls became giant ambassadors of fashion. The exhibition, inaugurated in Paris in March 1945, began a long journey, first to other capitals in Europe and Great Britain, then in 1946 to the United States.
Théâtre de la Mode continues to be a timeless story of hope and survival. The exhibition features three of the original scenes from the historic collection on loan from the Maryhill Museum.
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"Flashy, hip and a little sexy".... |