What do I know about fashion museums you might ask? Like all good travelers, I do my research before every trip and I just so happen to have traveled to Paris with several fashionistas in my day. I’m a big proponent of exploring your interests when traveling abroad and have often planned entire trips around special museum exhibitions.
In Paris, culture and style have long been a way of life. I remember on my first visit to the city I noticed the average Parisian on the street appeared to take fashion much more seriously than their US counterparts.
This is the country that brought us the work of Chanel, Dior, Saint Laurent, Hermes, Lacroix, Givenchy, Balmain, Louis Vuitton…the list is seemingly endless. French designers have long created the most well-known and coveted fashion brands in the world.
Next time you find yourself in Paris, take a look to see what exhibits may be on offer in some of the following venues. You might just get motivated to kick-up your own personal sense of style. It couldn’t hurt, right?
Palais Galliera
Officially known as the Musée de la mode de la ville de Paris (Fashion Museum of the City of Paris), the museum takes its name from the Palais Galliera in which it is housed. The Palais Galliera was built by Marie Brignole-Sale de Ferrari, the Duchess of Galliera, to host her personal art collection. After a few intermediate incarnations, the building became a fashion museum in 1977.
Temporary exhibitions focus on costume and fashion design and have showcased the works of Alaia, Chanel, Lanvin and Balenciaga. The museum’s collection includes approximately 100,000 dresses and accessories that run the gamut from streetwear to haute couture. Details on current shows are available on the museum website.
10 avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie, 16th arrondissement
Metro Access: Iéna or Alma-Marceau (Line 9), Boissière (Line 6)
https://www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr/en/
Musee des Arts Decoratifs
The Musée des Arts Decoratifs is the largest exhibition space dedicated to fashion and textile in the world, with more than 16,000 sf. The museum is located in the north-west wing of the Palais du Louvre with its entrance on the fashionable rue de Rivoli. Its permanent collection comprises over 150,000 pieces including costumes, accessories and textiles from the 3rd century to the present day. The greatest names in fashion design are represented, including creations by Paul Poiret, Christian Lacroix, Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent. As with the Palais Galliera, the collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs do not offer permanent displays. The fashion division of the museum organizes temporary exhibitions. Details on current shows are available on the museum website.
107 rue de Rivoli, 1st arrondissement
Metro Access: Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre (Line 1)
Musee Pierre Cardin
An expansive former tie factory on the rue Saint-Merri has become the home to a permanent retrospective of Pierre Cardin’s wearable work, offering a comprehensive look at the designer’s career. The new space in the Marais replaces a previous Pierre Cardin museum in the somewhat-hard-to-reach Paris suburb of Saint-Ouen. The space showcases designs from his first collection in 1953 alongside more recent creations. Inaugurated by the couturier in person, the “Past – Present – Future” Museum traces the creative passion of Pierre Cardin through couture, accessories, jewelry and design.
5 rue St-Merri, 4th arrondissement
Metro Access: Hôtel de Ville (Line 1) or Rambuteau (Line 11)
https://pierrecardin.com/museum
Fondation Pierre Berge – Yves Saint Laurent
The Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent was established in 2002 to conserve and promote Yves Saint Laurent’s body of work. The museum is housed in the original hôtel particulier where Saint Laurent worked for nearly 30 years. His career is presented in a series of thematic rooms, each showcasing a different aspect of his signature style and includes a recreation of the designer’s studio, filled with drawings, scraps of fabric, boxes of buttons and finished designs.
5 avenue Marceau, 16th arrondissement
Metro Access: Alma-Marceau (Line 9)
Cité de la Mode et du Design
Formerly industrial warehouses, The Docks were transformed into the Cité de la Mode et du Design (City of Fashion and Design) in 2004. It is not a true museum but an exhibit and event space dedicated to fashion and modern art. The Paris Fashion School IFM (Institut Français de la Mode) opened a campus here in 2008. On the roof you will find a rooftop bar and a nightclub where students, fashion professionals, club kids and curious people all mix. A calendar of events is available on their website.
34 quai d’Austerlitz, 13th arrondissement
Metro Access: Gare d’Austerlitz (Line 5), Quai de la Gare (Line 6) or Gare de Lyon (Line 1 or 14)
https://en.parisinfo.com/paris-museum-monument/71547/La-Cite-de-la-Mode-et-du-Design
