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In the light-filled, sun-drenched galleries of the Petit Palais, the name Worth
sparkles among the brocades and ruffles.
This spring, Paris and the Petit Palais pay tribute to the man who made couture
an art and fashion an institution.
Charles Frederick Worth (1825-1895), an English tailor who became a Parisian
legend, was behind a silent revolution: haute couture.
He was also a mentor to future fashion greats, notably Paul Poiret.
The exhibition «Worth - Inventing Haute Couture,» produced in collaboration
with the Palais Galliera, is much more than a simple retrospective.
It is a journey through time and fabrics, where more than 400 pieces, sump-
tuous gowns, and iconic perfume bottles recount the meteoric rise of a designer
who became a symbol of French refinement.
It all began in 1858, at 7 rue de la Paix, where Worth founded an avant-garde
couture house with the Swede Bobergh, soon to be frequented by Empress
Eugénie herself. He didn’t simply design dresses; he imposed silhouettes, or-
chestrated runway shows, invented seasonal collections, and signed his crea-
tions with a handwritten signature—a first in fashion.
The exhibition showcases the most brilliant figures of the society of the time,
from Countess Greffulhe, Proust’s muse, to the Italian Franca Florio and Lady
Curzon, draped in gowns worthy of tableaux vivants.
Anonymous, Evening dress with plunging back, between 1920 and 1930.
Gelatin silver print, 23 × 17 cm.
Palais Galliera, Fashion Museum of the City of Paris.
CCØ Paris Musées / Palais Galliera, Fashion Museum of the City of Paris.