A key memory from my girlhood is when me and my friends used to put on fashion shows for our mums during the school holidays. We would pull all of the costumes and accessories out from our fancy dress boxes and model down the corridors as if we were in Vogue styling the finest couture. From days on end of playing with Polly Pockets as children, to gossiping about who had the best outfits at the Met Gala as teenagers, fashion has played a major role in both my girlhood and that of many others.
With the insight provided by social media, we can easily see how fashion has remained intertwined within the girlhood of our current generation too. The Met Gala and Paris Fashion Week remain focal subjects for online discussions through livestreams and Instagram posts, and you can easily find ‘fit checks’ and shopping hauls by successful influencers that have amounted millions of views on TikTok. For the girls of today, the internet keeps fashion on a pedestal while maintaining its accessibility for all ages to explore. However, the accessibility and popularity of museums for young girls is often not held at the same standard.
The first Louvre Couture exhibition, Art and Fashion: Statement Piece, running from 24 January – 21 July 2025, challenges this gap in a spectacular meeting of the two worlds. Curator Olivier Gabet is the Louvre’s Director of Decorative Arts who has loaned 99 statement pieces and accessories by 45 celebrated designers for this exhibit. In an article by Edge Magazine, Gabet is quoted stating that “our hope is that this exhibition inspired a younger, more diverse audience to engage with the museum, to see it not as a distant relic but as a vibrant, living space”, and upon visiting the exhibition a few weeks ago, it is fair to say that this hope has been realised (Gabet, 2025).
By exhibiting some of the most impressive items of fashion such as gowns, suits and shoes directly alongside the historic objects and interiors that inspired their creation, the visitor can immediately draw parallels between the two mediums. Designs are grouped by periodic themes from the Middle Ages to the 19th century and the visitor is immersed between a display of art and fashion as they wander through the halls of the Louvre’s first floor. As an introduction to the exhibition, the museum revises Paul Cézanne’s statement that “the Louvre is the book from which we learn to read”, introducing the visitor to the integral idea that there are clear connections between fashion and art (Louvre, 2025). Museums are the homes to treasured items and objects from history, which is a prospect that sometimes leads people to believe that their existence is static and unrelatable to the modern world. But by directly associating these objects with an assortment of striking fashion pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries, we can see how museums are instead active influencers for the modern subjects we care so much about. As we observe how medieval tapestries are mirrored within the dressmaking designs of Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi, we can see the importance of art historical context in the modern world of fashion.
Within the exhibit there are a few pieces that I think could be of particular interest to young girl visitors. It has to be said that all of the exhibited items are of great value, but here are a few of my standout choices!
Number 28 by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac from 2010-2011. This Bambi-inspired suit is playful and fun in its representation of flora and fauna with the addition of faux-fur antlers as a headpiece. You can spend hours looking at how this outfit has been inspired by the textiles and patterns in the surrounding tapestries that present extravagant scenes of animals and sword fights.
Number 36, 37, 38 39 by Schiaparelli, Balmain, Dolce & Gabbana and Chanel. The presentation of these pieces is particularly striking for the visitor as the golden designs glow through their opaque scenography. The golden branches of the Schiaparelli make this celestial structure incredibly impressive to see and for a younger audience its mystical appearance may be particularly intriguing.
Number 50 by Demna for Balenciaga 2023-2024. This armour gown attracted particular attention when I visited the exhibition. Positioned adjacent to a complete suit of 16th century armour, the visitor can directly compare the similarities and differences to historical silhouettes against this mighty dress. Exhibited in a fascinating room full of swords and other ancient weapons, this section also hosts an iconic golden breastplate and arm piece by Thierry Mugler from 1995-96.
Number 95 by John Galliano for Christian Dior 2004-2005. This particular dress is a perfect example of how Gabet has synchronised the Louvre’s interiors with each item in the exhibition. In a reflection of the regal extravagance inside the museum’s Napoleon Apartments, the detailed beading and ruffled folds of this Dior gown fit perfectly within this corridor of grand chandeliers, ornately carved furniture and golden accented walls. For younger visitors this choice of display is completely immersive and as you wander through the various rooms, there is plenty to see while waiting for the next gown to appear round the corner.
Fashion is a subject that can traverse through time and consequently through our girlhoods. For girls of both younger and older age ranges who may have never visited a museum before, the Louvre Couture Exhibition is a refreshing reminder that museums are not stuck in the past. The vast geography of the exhibition permits you to explore at your own pace, meaning that you can easily wander between objects without following a rigid, formal format. As you encounter these incredible items of clothing, you are also introduced to the historic objects that inspired and continue to inspire the leading designers of today. In the clothes that we so often admire and experiment with as girls, there are clear connections to the wide world of art history. In this exhibition these connections are made clear in a way that is accessible and interesting for visitors of all ages as we see how museums can actively work alongside current trends and styles.
References
Louvre (2025). Louvre Couture, Art and Fashion: Statement Piece. Available at: https://www.louvre.fr/en/exhibitions-and-events/exhibitions/louvre-couture (Accessed 27th March 2025).
The Edge Magazine (2025). Louvre Couture: The Curator and the Scenographer in Dialogue. Available at: https://www.the-edge-mag.com/2025/01/24/louvre-couture-the-curator-and-the-scenographer-in-dialogue/ (Accessed 2nd April 2025).
-Rosie Bennett
Junior Girl, Curatorial
Girl Museum