HAVING A BALL: The soaring nave at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, recently the site of fashion shows for Thom Browne and Wales Bonner, will next year host a “Grand Ball.”
The popular Paris museum has set July 6, 2025, as the date for a gala to celebrate the centenary of the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris.
In a short press release, Les Arts Décoratifs said the event would be “in the tradition of the great Parisian balls” and a “celebration of fashion and French art de vivre.”
While perhaps best known for its blockbuster fashion exhibitions dedicated to the likes of Thierry Mugler, Iris Van Herpen, Louis Vuitton, Dries Van Noten and Dior, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs also showcases its vast collections of furniture, tableware, textiles, jewelry, wallpaper, art and design objects, glass, toys, advertising, drawings and photographs.
Looks from the “Fashion and Sports” exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
Dominique Maitre/WWD
The museum boasts one of the largest decorative arts collections in the world, spanning some 1.5 million objects dating from the Middle Ages through to today.
At present the museum is hosting several exhibitions at its main site in the Louvre building’s Rohan and Marsan wings, including “The Birth of Department Stores,” “Luxury in China,” and one mingling fashion and jewelry creations with the museum’s permanent display of furniture and design masterpieces.
The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts took place on the Esplanade des Invalides, along both banks of the Seine and in and around the Grand Palais, from April to November 1925, according to documentation on the Musée des Arts Décoratifs website.
It notes that two major sites were devoted to fashion: the Grand Palais and the Pavillon de l’Élégance on the Cours-la-Reine. Designer Jeanne Lanvin served as chairwoman of the international awards jury and also was in charge of selecting exhibitors and the exhibition’s architectural décor.
