LOUVRE COUTURE

'LOUVRE COUTURE. Art and fashion: statement pieces' opens at the Louvre on January 24, 2025, creating a dialogue between the museum's decorative arts collection and contemporary fashion from 1960 to 2025. Spanning nearly 9,000 square meters, the exhibition pairs masterworks from the museum's collection with over a hundred looks and accessories from forty-five of fashion's most influential houses and designers, from Cristóbal Balenciaga to Iris van Herpen. Designed by Nathalie Crinière, the exhibition flows through several historical periods, from Byzantine and Medieval treasures to the grandeur of the Napoleon III Apartments. Each section reveals how designers have drawn inspiration from the museum's vast collections - whether translating patterns from Boulle furniture into embroidery or reimagining ancient armor as contemporary dress. Though the Louvre paradoxically holds no clothing collection of its own, this exhibition demonstrates how deeply intertwined the worlds of decorative arts and fashion have become.

Photo Credit: Musée du Louvre / Nicolas Bousser