Plein les Yeux

Co-curated by Shazia Boucher and Isabelle Paresys, the exhibition explored how fashion modified and altered the natural silhouette of the body, the posture and the gesture of the wearer as early as the 16th century. Historical garments include examples of the gigantic ruffled lace collars that reached their height among the European elite in the late 16th century and other exaggerated styles that made the wearer appear more imposing and majestic. Impressive theatrical costumes are also on exhibit, such as those worn in Gone With the Wind, La Reine Margot, and Macbeth, some of them amazingly rich in embroidery, beading and other ornamentation. A section on modern designs displays creations by Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Lacroix, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler that were inspired by the extravagant styles of earlier eras. The Cité Internationale de la Dentelle et de la Mode is housed in an authentic 19th-century lace factory, a vestige of the rich industrial past of the Calais region, once famous for its tulle and lace.