It’s been a few years since I’ve been to Paris, but is arguably the best city to study the art of fashion. The city of Paris is never without a fashionable exhibit but, this visit was special because I was accompanied by my two young daughters. Together we viewed their very first major fashion exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (MAD), Fashion and Sports: From one Podium to Another.
Paris is hosting the upcoming summer Olympic Games and this exhibition honors the intersection between sports and fashion. It explore the ways in which sportswear has evolved from antiquity to modern times and the influence it’s had on contemporary fashions. Fashion and Sports features pieces from Lanvin and Schiaparelli and illustrates how sportswear became everyday clothing. I took my chance to observe some of the looks up close as my daughters offered their very honest commentary on the garments. As we made our way around the gallery, I couldn’t help but think about the lives of the people who once wore the clothes on display. Particularly the women who wore these clothes. Was it easy to play tennis in a floor length skirt? Or was it comfortable to swim in a heavy costume with puffy sleeves and a large collar? I wondered if these type of costumes made these women feel empowered or hindered. What did the evolution of these types of dress mean for women? What types of sportswear will be popular when my daughters are older? Perhaps what was most interesting were the garments that the modern eye would not readily associate with sports. The evolution of shapes, forms, and textiles is fascinating.
Fashion and Sports provokes the question is sports influencing fashion or is fashion influencing sports? I think it’s both. Some may not naturally associate fashion and sports, but clothing and accessories are apart of nearly every aspect of our lives. The colorful exhibit is an amazing display of historical costume that weaves themes of community, identity, gender, and technology to the clothing and accessories. Fashion and Sports highlights how a jersey or pant should be viewed as more than just a uniform. A striped numbered shirt can be an outward visual representation of one’s pride, affiliation, and dedication.
The center of the exhibition replicates an indoor track populated with fashionably sporty characters and complete with a winners’ podium at the far end. The podium platforms are of varying heights meant to illustrate levels of victory, but I assure you, with this exhibit, we all have won.
I exited through the gift shop to collect my ephemera. I purchased an exhibition catalogue, a poster, French fashion sticker books for my daughters, and an extra pamphlet to add to my archives. My daughters enjoyed the exhibition and I know that on some sunny afternoon we’ll find ourselves at the MAD again to view more beautiful dress and costume. Because Paris is always a good idea.
