In anticipation of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs presents Mode et Sport: From one Podium to Another, now on view through April 7, 2024. The exhibition explores and showcases the history of fashion and sport from the Ancient World to the present day.
The 450 items on view include clothing, accessories, photographs, sketches, magazines, posters, paintings, sculptures, and videos that illustrate the evolution of sportswear and its influence on contemporary fashions. Sports featured include football, golf, tennis, cycling, ski, swimwear, and more.
The exhibition is staged with a dynamic energy befitting the sports, and immersive experience with objects displayed in a 360 degree view. Graphics pick up sport references and at the center of the exhibition is a fashion running track, overhung with golden rings in homage to the Olympics, with mannequins displaying the styles in action.
Jean Patou, Jeanne Lanvin, Gabrielle Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli were a few of the pioneering fashion designers to first find inspiration in the world of sports. The exhibition shows how they made sportswear fashionable in a wider range of contexts, and set the stage for current fashion labels such as Balenciaga, Off-White, and Louis Vuitton who have transformed sportswear into streetwear. Intermixed are sport uniforms like a soccer kit, fencing wear, tennis outfits, the Speedo body suit, and even Serena William’s Nike catsuit.
For sport and fashion fans, Mode et Sports puts it all together in one comprehensive and fun exhibition not to be missed should you find yourself in Paris. The exhibition was curated by Sophie Lemahieu, keeper of the museum’s post-1947 Fashion and Textiles Collections, and exhibition design is by BGC Studio. Installation photographs (c) Les Arts Décoratifs/Christophe Dellière.
