The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) will host a special exhibition, "The Adorned Body: French Fashion and Jewellery 1770-1910 from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris," from June 26 to October 14, 2024.
Jointly organized by HKPM and the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, this marks the first time such a comprehensive collection of French historical fashion is showcased in Asia.
The exhibition features nearly 400 exquisite French garments, jewelry, and accessories from 1770 to 1910, illustrating how fashion has shaped body image and social status while highlighting the cultural exchange's influence on French fashion.
According to Daisy Wang, Deputy Director of HKPM, this is the first fashion exhibition held at the Hong Kong Palace, and it spans a century of French silk garments. The museum is the first stop in Asia, and Wang recommends that all friends in the Greater Bay Area visit the exhibition.
Dr. Dennis Bruna and Mathieu Rousset-Perrier, curators from the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, and HKPM Associate Curator Ingrid Yeung lectured on "The Adorned Body."
When asked by a Dotdotnews reporter about the inspiration French fashion art could offer to Hong Kong's fashion industry, the Parisian curators welcomed designers from China and Hong Kong to seek inspiration from the exhibition.
"Butterflies, which are very popular among Chinese people, frequently appear in 19th-century jewelry, along with other insect motifs inspired by nature," Bruna and Rousset-Perrier noted. They particularly encouraged students from design schools to visit, emphasizing that art requires inspiration.
The exhibition begins with the "Court Splendour" period from 1770 to 1790, showcasing the opulent attire of ancient courts, supported by linings and hoop skirts to enhance their grandeur, and the following "Sense and Sensibility" period from 1810 to 1830 contrasts with the previous opulence, initially shifting towards simplicity but returning to elaborate court attire with the rise of Napoleon and Empress Josephine's Neoclassical high-waisted dresses. This era evolved into voluminous puff sleeves, corsets, and expressive long skirts defining female silhouettes.
As fashion moved into the "Tradition and Innovation" period from 1850 to 1860, middle-class access to fashion increased, with brighter, more vibrant women's clothing. Novel steel hoop skirts lightened the weight while enlarging their size.
The "Birth of Luxury" period from 1860 to 1880 saw booming foreign trade and the prevalence of luxury, with women frequently changing outfits to match various social activities and hoop skirts emphasizing the hips.
The exhibition culminates in the "Belle Époque" period from 1890 to 1910, where advancements in transportation and Art Nouveau's flowing decorations energized urban life. Silk dresses became more ethereal, jewelry drew inspiration from nature, and people began breaking away from traditional constraints, with women opting for more practical blouses, skirts, and jackets for modern living.
Men's fashion, however, remained relatively unchanged over the century, with standard attire being three-piece suits during the day and tailcoats in the evening. The curators displayed film footage from each era throughout the exhibition, providing an immersive experience.
2024 marks the 60th anniversary of Sino-French diplomatic relations, and "The Adorned Body" is one of four significant exhibitions launched by the West Kowloon Cultural District to celebrate this milestone.
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