exhibit in paris: haute couture

Bonjour! I'm back from Paris and wanted to share pictures from one of my favorite things on the trip. I attended an exhibit featuring nearly one hundred haute couture gowns, all hand crafted by the ateliers in Paris.

Photos weren't allowed, but I couldn't resist snapping a few shots without my flash, so some are a little blurry. The dresses in the exhibit dated from the late nineteenth century on up to the most recent collections. One of my favorite pieces was the Givenchy dress on the right that was absolutely sheer on top and had gorgeous gold details on the bottom.

All of the usual suspects were displayed, including Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Alaia, Balenciaga, Lanvin, and Christian Lacroix. It was wonderful to see some of Christian Dior's original looks and a contrast of Chanel suits designed by Coco herself (in white) and Karl Lagerfeld (in black).

The exhibit is at the Hotel de Ville in the fourth arrondissement and admission is free. That's right, gratis! It displays until July 6, 2013, so if you're a couture lover, this may help justify a trip to Paris because who knows when you'll see so many beauties together like this again.