The colors of fashion, the stunning photo exhibition at the Palais Galliera - our photos

The Palais Galliera continues to unveil the treasures of its astonishing collections, bringing to life the great and small moments of fashion. From June 16, 2023 to March 15, 2024, the spotlight is on the 1920s.

In one of its garden-floor galleries, the Musée de la Mode will be showcasing some one hundred previously unseen photographs, usually kept at the Musée des Arts et Métiers. These images are very special: they are autochromes, i.e. photographs whose color has been restored using different tinted grains, according to a technique perfected by the Lumière brothers.

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The exhibition Les couleurs de la mode brings together some one hundred images from this special collection of photographs. What do they have in common? They showcase French fashion and luxury, from 1921 to 1923. During this period, the Salon du Goût Français showcased French art industries, including fashion.

These photographs allow us to discover the outfits, styles, hairstyles and accessories considered to be"in good taste". The exhibition is intriguing in its subject matter, but utterly captivating in its scenography: the photographs on display are backlit. This light brings out the colors of these autochromes, transforming them into"stained glass windows of fashion".

The quality of these images, the purity of these colors, already over a century old, astonishes and fascinates. We discover, as in a fashion magazine, all the trends of the time, all the clothes, bags, accessories and shoes that represented French know-how and luxury. We also appreciate the presence of certain garments and accessories in the exhibition, allowing us to compare images with reality.

A wonderful exhibition to discover at the same time as Fashion in Motion!

Fashion in motion, part two: the exhibition that blends sport and fashion at the Palais Galliera
The Palais Galliera examines the relationship between fashion and sport in a chronological exhibition to be discovered from June 16, 2023 to September 7, 2025. [Read more]