This exhibition explores the ‘underworld’ of undergarments such as the fly, the pannier, the corset, the crinoline, the bustle, the pouf, the stomach belt, the bra fashioning the body according to the changing dictates of fashion. Modelling the body sometimes to extremes, these “mechanical garments” enabled the wearer to artificially attain the ideal of beauty of the time. Illustrating the diversity of modifications and their mechanics with museum pieces rarely shown to the public, this exhibition takes us ‘backstage’ into behind-the-scenes history of clothing and fashion.

For more information, please visit Les Arts Dècoratifs.

Image: Paris, Les Arts Décoratifs, collection Mode et Textile et dépôt du musée de Cluny © Patricia Canino