aktuelle Ausstellungen

40 + years of STIJL

Brüssel (B) > 18.04.2025 - 11.01.2026

An intimate look at four decades of Belgian fashion history. We are in the Dansaert district of Brussels. It is the 1980s. The forerunners of Belgian fashion are opening stores here. Sonja Noël is the first. For 40 years, through her STIJL boutique, Sonja has been translating contemporary Belgian fashion into everyday fashion wear. By supporting new brands and young designers, STIJL has played a part in writing the story of fashion in the city, the region and throughout the country. 40 + years of STIJL is more than just the story of a boutique. Both inspired and inspirational, the central role of this woman is revealed through 68 silhouettes created by 46 designers. It highlights the link she created between designers and customers, between high fashion and people’s everyday lives, between a boutique and a whole neighbourhood. At first glance, the story of STIJL is not particularly different from that of any other fashion boutique. What sets it apart, though, is its unique selection of designers. STIJL is the place where collections move from the conceptualised and image-based world of fashion to the experience of everyday life. Like the boutique itself, the exhibition 40+ years of STIJL highlights the work of designers. The exhibition is not arranged in chronological order. It is structured around STIJL’s values. What exactly are these values? The designers, collaborators and customers that Aya Noël me to build the exhibition are the best People to explain. They each describe these values in their own way: originality, authenticity, soul,…

Veranstalter/ Ort
Fashion and Lace Museum
Rue de la Violette 12
1000 Brüssel
Belgien

weitere Infos: www.fashionandlacemuseum.brussels/en/triplex/18-04-25-18-01-26-40-years-of-stijl-the-fashion-boutique

Rococo Reboot! Fashion 1750 - 183

Hasselt (B) > 04.04.2025 - 22.02.2026

Eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century fashion inevitably evokes images of lavish ball gowns in macaron colors, extravagant jewelry, and towering hairstyles adorned with feathers. But does this cinematic image align with historical reality? Rococo Reboot! answers this question and takes you on a fascinating journey through fashion from 1750 to 1830. Through a thematic journey, the exhibition reveals the role of fashion in daily life. Did you know that dressing was a ritual, from lacing a corset to carefully arranging bows and ribbons? That clothing not only served as a status symbol but also contributed to hygiene? Or that city fashion was an entire universe, with specialized luxury boutiques and a love for strolling in parks and salons? This exhibition offers a critical reinterpretation of the Rococo era and its fashion history. Rococo Reboot! breaks through common stereotypes and shows that fashion history is not a series of neatly defined periods but a continuous evolution in which styles and trends are constantly being reinvented. With contemporary insights and sensory experiences, you will discover how fashion from this period continues to influence today.

Text - und Bildquelle: Museumswebsite

Veranstalter/ Ort
Modemuseum Hasselt
Gasthuisstraat 11
3500 Hasselt
Belgien

weitere Infos: www.modemuseumhasselt.be/77077-77076-Rococo-Reboot.html

Dior, Jardins Enchanteurs

Granville (F) > 12.04. - 02.11.2025

Depuis 1997, année d’ouverture du Musée Christian Dior au public dans la maison d’enfance du couturier, l’association Présence de Christian Dior organise des expositions thématiques mettant en valeur ses créations et celles de ses successeurs. Plus de vingt ans après l’exposition « Dior côté jardins » en 2001, les jardins sont à nouveau à l’honneur. Essentiels dans la vie de Christian Dior, ils ont aussi été une source d’influence majeure pour le couturier tant en matière de mode qu’en matière de parfums. A leur tour, les directeurs artistiques de la maison Dior aujourd’hui, Maria Grazia Chiuri directrice artistique des collections femmes, Kim Jones, directeur artistique des collections masculines, Francis Kurkdjian, directeur de la Création Parfums, ainsi que les créateurs des accessoires, de la joaillerie ou encore des arts de la table, toutes et tous s’emparent des jardins qu’ils déclinent avec talent, élégance et fantaisie. Cent vingt ans après la naissance de Christian Dior à Granville, relire le jardin de son enfance par le prisme de ses créations et celles de ses successeurs, grâce aux prêts généreux de la maison Dior et de prê

Text - und Bildquelle: Museumswebsite

Veranstalter/ Ort
MUSÉE CHRISTIAN DIOR - GRANVILLE
Villa les Rhumbs
Rue d'Estouteville
50400 Granville
Frankreich

weitere Infos: musee-dior-granville.com/fr/expositions/dior-images-de-legende/

Azzedine Alaïa, Thierry Mugler

Paris ( F) > 03.03. - 31.08.2025

Established in Paris in 1956, Azzedine Alaïa owes his training more to his female friends and customers than to any training school. He accompanies them in their desire for a demanding yet discreet wardrobe. A great couturier who has lost none of the closeness that a fitting or cutting session imposes, Azzedine has acquired the reputation of a great cutter heir to an academic tradition that places him in the direct line of Cristóbal Balenciaga or Madeleine Vionnet. His expertise and technical virtuosity are coveted not only by the elegant women of the moment. Couturiers and fashion designers know they can count on him to refine certain complex designs or lend a hand on a collection that needs finishing. This was the case for Yves Saint Laurent. It was also the case with Thierry Mugler, whom Alaïa met in 1979 and with whom he forged a real friendship. For his autumn-winter 1979-80 collection, Mugler invited Alaïa to design the series of tuxedos for his fashion show, and in the press kit that accompanied the presentation of his creations that season, he thanked him publicly. In the hands of the man who never wanted to transgress the laws of cut, powder-grain and satin trouser suits acquired a form of notability and fluidity that was much appreciated. This collaboration encouraged Alaïa to become a designer himself. Thierry Mugler strongly encouraged him, and his support proved both vital and unfailing. On Rue de Bellechasse, where Azzedine has set up his workshops, Mugler, always flanked by his bicycle, brings in the top fashion journalists. In 1982, at the request of the American department store Bergdorf Goodman, Alaïa presented a show in New York. It was Mugler who persuaded him to do so, Alaïa imagining that the invitation was a joke! The designer, friend and admirer, accompanied him, organized and built the show himself, answered and translated interviews, and supported his comrade in the smallest tasks, for which he was eternally grateful. In the summer, they spend their vacations together in Tunisia at the home of lifelong friend Latifa and Leila Menchari.

Text - und Bildquelle: Museumswebsite (Foto © Stephane Ait Ouarab)

Veranstalter/ Ort
Fondation Azzedine Alaïa
18 Rue de la Verrerie
75004 Paris
Frankreich

weitere Infos: fondationazzedinealaia.org/en/expositions/30826/

Bals costumés Habiller l’Histoire, 1870-1927

Montreal (CA) > 14.11.2024 - 17.08.2025

A century and a half ago, extravagant costume balls and skating carnivals were the pinnacle of society entertainments, bringing forth a kaleidoscopic array of fanciful costumed characters. But, beneath all the anachronistic exuberance, these balls reinforced core myths of colonial destiny and imperial futures. This exhibition captures the splendour of entertainments where, for just one evening, guests transformed themselves into characters inspired by history or fantasy. The invitation to reimagine oneself as an alter ego was no less than an opportunity of a lifetime, occasioning study, expense, and a trip to the photographer’s studio. Costume Balls: Dressing Up History, 1870-1927 tells an extraordinary story, showcasing some of the most extraordinary objects in the Museum’s collections. Rarely do visitors get a chance to see so many garments from the nineteenth century —that have survived in spite of being created to last a single evening— in an exhibition space. And rarely do we see captured in photography such a lighthearted side of life from a time where public presentation of the self was a most serious matter. The exhibition fully explores the tremendous scale of the efforts to commemorate these balls, which in itself will surprise visitors, making clever use of digital technology all while taking a critical look at the way these grand events helped reinforce imperialist myths. Over 40 dazzling outfits worn will be on display as well as photographs of guests in costume, souvenir publications and more —that capture the spirit and prestige of these grand events. This exhibition and the accompanying publication represent the culmination of a research effort which draws on the quintessential strengths of the McCord Stewart Museum’s rich collections. Many remarkable discoveries, unveiled to the public for the first time.

Text - und Bildquelle: Museumswebsite

Veranstalter/ Ort
Musée McCord Steward
600, rue Sherbrooke Ouest
Montreal (Quebec) H3A 1E9
Kanada

weitere Infos: www.musee-mccord-stewart.ca/en/exhibitions/

Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style

London (GB) > 28.03. - 17.08.2025

A major exhibition celebrating our enduring love of the water over the last 100 years. Explore the full spectrum of the design of swimming — from sports performance and fashion, to architecture. Across three in-depth sections that reflect the three locations in which we swim — the pool, the lido and nature — the exhibition dives into design’s role in shaping our relationship with swimming, both in the water and beside it. The exhibition’s story starts in the 1920s, when swimwear began to be marketed for swimming rather than the Victorian’s preference for bathing, and when beach holidays exploded in popularity. It explores right up to the present day, and swimming’s role in modern life such as how it influences and subverts our ideas of body autonomy and agency, as well as its link to environmental issues. Discover over 200 objects, collectively exploring swimming’s evolution in its social, cultural, technological and environmental contexts, including Pamela Anderson's sensational Baywatch swimsuit, the first Olympic solo swimming gold medal won by a British woman, and a selection of eye-catching men’s Speedos from the 1980s. Other objects on view are the banned ‘technical doping’ LZR Racer swimsuit, one of the earliest surviving examples of a bikini, and a detailed architectural model of the Zaha Hadid-designed London 2012 Aquatics Centre. Splash! is guest-curated by Amber Butchart, a dress and design historian and broadcaster known for her history segments on BBC One’s The Great British Sewing Bee.

Text - und Bildquelle: Museumswebsite

Veranstalter/ Ort
Design Museum
224 – 238 Kensington High Street
London W8 6AG
GB

weitere Infos: designmuseum.org/exhibitions/splash-a-century-of-swimming-and-style

Mode aus Paris. Schenkung Erika Hoffmann

Berlin (D) > 27.02. - 14.12.2025

Seit dem 19. Jahrhundert bietet Paris vielen Designer*innen eine Plattform, um ihre Kreativität zu entfalten und ihre Kollektionen einer internationalen Öffentlichkeit zu präsentieren. Die frühen 1980er-Jahre waren geprägt von Optimismus und gewagter Opulenz, die besonders in der Mode zum Ausdruck kamen. Das kreative Zentrum dieser Ära wurde von Manfred „Thierry“ Mugler, Jean Paul Gaultier und Jean-Charles de Castelbajac dominiert, die mit ihren Entwürfen ein neues, starkes und selbstbewusstes Frauenbild prägten: Es äußerte sich in breiten Schultern über akzentuierte Silhouetten bis hin zu auffälligen Materialien und Farben. Für die Kunstsammlerin und Textilunternehmerin Erika Hoffmann war die Pariser Mode stets eine bedeutende Inspirationsquelle. Durch ihren Beruf und ihr Interesse an zeitgenössischer Mode und Kunst war sie in Künstlerkreisen bestens vernetzt. Regelmäßig reiste sie in die Modehauptstadt, um die Boutiquen der Designer zu besuchen. Zweiundzwanzig ihrer dort erworbenen Outfits schenkte sie nunmehr dem Kunstgewerbemuseum der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin, das diese erstmals präsentiert. Neben Objekten von de Castelbajac, Gaultier und Yves Saint Laurent liegt der Fokus auf den frühen Entwürfen des jungen Manfred „Thierry“ Mugler. 1978 hatte er seine erste Boutique an der Place des Victoires eröffnet. Für ihn waren Frauen „Glamazonen“ – glamouröse und selbstbewusste Amazonen. Exemplarisch hierfür ist der in der Ausstellung präsentierte Brustpanzer mit passendem Zipfelrock aus der Frühjahr/Sommer-Kollektion 1980. In dieser Zeit erwirbt Erika Hoffmann in jeder Saison luftige Tageskleider, ausgefallene Jumpsuits, modische Alltagskleidung und ausgefallene Abendkleider des aufstrebenden Designers. Eines dieser Tageskleider, ein beige-braunes Etuikleid mit durchgehender Knopfleiste am Rückenteil, trug sie auch beim Treffen mit Andy Warhol in dessen Atelier in New York. Erika und ihr Mann Rolf Hoffmann begannen bereits in den 1960er-Jahren ihrem persönlichen Geschmack folgend zeitgenössische Kunst zu sammeln. Bei Andy Warhol hatte das Paar ein Doppelporträt in Auftrag gegeben, und Erika Hoffmann entschied sich, an diesem Tag dieses Mugler-Kleid zu tragen. Eine Fotodokumentation dieser Session wird ebenfalls in der Ausstellung präsentiert. Das zentrale Ausstellungsstück, eine Weste aus Papier von Maison Margiela, steht für Erika Hoffmanns zwei Leidenschaften: Das Sammeln von avantgardistischer Kunst und ihr Interesse an zeitgenössischer Mode. Gefertigt im Jahr 1994, zeigt die Weste den experimentellen Ansatz von Martin Margielas Werk, in dem sich vor allem sein konzeptueller Entwurfsprozess widerspiegelt und die Grenzen zwischen Kunst und Mode verschwimmen. Über die 22 Stücke der Ausstellung hinaus umfasst die Schenkung an das Kunstgewerbemuseum 21 weitere Kleidungsstücke, die nach Entwürfen russischer Konstruktivisten aus den 1920er-Jahren angefertigt wurden. Deren Präsentation ist für einen späteren Zeitpunkt geplant.

Kuratorin
Die Ausstellung wird kuratiert von Katrin Lindemann, Kuratorin für Mode und Textil am Kunstgewerbemuseum – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

Veranstalter/ Ort
Kunstgewerbemuseum (kgm)
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Kulturforum Berlin
Johanna und Eduard Arnhold Platz (ehemals Matthäikirchplatz)
10785 Berlin
Deutschland

weitere Infos: www.smb.museum/museen-einrichtungen/kunstgewerbemuseum/ausstellungen/detail/mode-aus-paris/

Christian Lacroix auf der Bühne

Moulins (F) > 05.04.2025 - 04.01.2026

Diese Ausstellung Christian Lacroix auf der Bühne ist ein Eintauchen in das faszinierende Universum von Christian Lacroix, dessen Werke das Publikum weiterhin begeistern. Als visionärer Künstler, berühmt für seinen extravaganten und barocken Stil, widmet er sich seit mehreren Jahren der Kreation von Kostümen für Theater, Oper und Tanz.

Text- und Bildquelle: Museumswebsite

Veranstalter/ Ort
Centre national du costume et de la scène
Quartier Villars -´Route de Montilly
03000 Moulins
Frankreich

weitere Infos: cncs.fr/a-visiter/christian-lacroix-en-scene/

SILK TREASURES. Textile masterpieces from the Falletti donation

Prato (I) > 20.12.2024 - 21.12.2025

The exhibition celebrates the first 50 years of the Prato Textile Museum. An exceptional donation, from the Florentine physician Giovanni Falletti, give birth to this exhibition. Thanks to over 50 years of passionate research, he has preserved and collected textile artefacts, embroidery, books, prints, jewellery, historical weapons and ritual masks from Europe and many Asian and African countries. Silk Treasures. Textile Masterpieces from the Falletti Donation is the first exhibition formed with works from this substantial collection that has extraordinarily enriched the Museum heritage. Exhibited in the hall specifically dedicated to historical textiles, the exhibition unfolds along a chronological path that spans four centuries of great textile manufacturing and crosses styles, productions, materials and subjects, exceptional witnesses of European production from the 15th to the end of the 18th century. These fabrics were used to make sumptuous secular robes for the aristocracies of the time. Thanks to their enormous prestige and value, they were later donated to religious institutions that reused them to make sacred vestments such as chasubles, dalmatics, copes: an extraordinary custom of reuse that allowed the conservation of textile masterpieces, some wonderful examples of which are displayed for the public in the exhibition. To facilitate an understanding of the historical and technical content, the exhibition hall includes two media tables that use different methods and languages to narrate the fabric-making process and the how the art of silk developed up to the pre-industrial period. Digital microscopes offer a closer look at the internal structure and intricacies of the woven velvet, damask, brocading and lampas (figured silk fabrics). Lastly, graphic reproductions alongside the textiles illustrate the development of the main decorative motifs used by the workshops between the 15th and 18th centuries. Reproductions of important paintings alongside textiles from the same period make the different functions of these precious silk masterpieces immediately apparent.

Text - und Bildquelle: Museumswebsite

Veranstalter/ Ort
Museo del Tessuto
Via Puccetti, 3
59100 Prato PO
Italien

weitere Infos: www.museodeltessuto.it/en/exhibitions/silk-treasures-textile-masterpieces-from-the-falletti-donation/

The dress makes the man

Borås (S) > 12.10.2024 - 24.08.2025

The exhibition is based on Fredrik Robertsson’s spectacular contemporary haute couture collection and explores two main themes: the revival of handcrafted fashion in the 21st century as well as the rise of personal style and self-expression in the digital era. Fredrik Robertsson is one of very few men who custom orders hand-sewn creations from Parisian haute couture houses. The exhibition showcases some of his most spectacular garments from leading fashion houses including Alexis Mabille, Balenciaga, Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda, JeanPaul Gaultier, Iris van Herpen, Stéphane Rolland, Schiaparelli, Valentino,Viktor & Rolf and Vivienne Westwood, as well as from experimental designers such as Richard Quinn and Robert Wun. Since the mid 19th century, the haute couture houses of Paris have been creating high-end, hand-made fashion – exclusively for women. Today, a transformation of this traditional genre is under way. A new generation of designers have taken over as artistic directors and a new category of expressive clients have discovered the highest level of fashion. Fredrik Robertsson is one of the leading figures in the new wave of haute couture clients. Since investing in his first creation just under ten years ago, he has amassed an outstanding collection of meticulously selected garments – originally designed for women – which have been tailored to his body. With his eye-catching, gender-fluid style he has become a style role model and a muse on the international fashion scene, at a time when the boundary between female and male has been blurred and feminine coded garments such as the dress have entered the male wardrobe. Some 50 of Fredrik Robertsson’s creations are on view, as well as a large number of unique photographs by Ea Czyz documenting Robertsson’s visits to Paris over the years. Together they provide unique insights into the art of self-expression and the new era of Paris haute couture, from the front row and backstage at the fashion shows, to the fitting room and the sewing ateliers where the extravagant garments take shape.

Text - und Bildquelle: Museumswebsite

Veranstalter/ Ort
Textilmuseet / The Textile Museum of Sweden
Textile Fashion Center
Skaraborgsvägen 3A
506 30 Borås
Schweden

weitere Infos: textilmuseet.se/en/exhibitions/exhibitions/2024-07-03-the-dress-makes-the-man