Weave, Embroider, Sublimate: An Exhibition of Fashion and Know-How
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This is an installation we greatly anticipated and which absolutely fascinated us. The exhibition Tisser, Broder, Sublimer. Les savoir-faire de la mode at the Palais Galliera shines a light on the richness of our craftsmanship, revealing it at the heart of a pathway resembling an enchanted garden. This first part, which is part of a cycle of three segments, delights as much with the pieces presented as with everything we learn during our visit! A lesson in fashion, history, and craftsmanship not to be missed.
An exhibition meeting craftsmanship
Once again, the Palais Galliera offers us a unique dive into fashion, its history, and its techniques. Always skillfully combining the presentation of exceptional pieces with an immersive and information-rich visitor path, we discover at the heart of the exhibition Tisser, Broder, Sublimer the rich heritage of artisanal crafts related to fashion.
Designed in three parts, which will unfold until October 2026, this installation captivates with its educational aspect. Highlighting different crafts, our visit proves rich in discoveries, particularly thanks to the numerous explanations, creations, and tools presented, even including samples to touch and pieces to observe under a magnifying glass.
A true love letter to craftsmanship and its history, this visit amazes as much as it enriches our knowledge. More than ever, the Palais Galliera invites the visitor to question and observe the evolution of fashion and the role of its actors through a different lens.
The history of ornamentation at the heart of the exhibition Tisser, Broder, Sublimer
For this first part of the exhibition Tisser, Broder, Sublimer, the Palais Galliera focuses on embellishment techniques. Between weaving, embroidery, dyeing, printing, artificial flowers, feather work, jewelry, and lace, we discover the richness of these techniques, as well as the possibilities they have offered over the centuries to play with silhouettes, volumes, materials, colors, and patterns.
Presented as a chronological timeline, the installation allows for highlighting both the evolution of techniques and the professions associated with them, as well as the relationship between society and fashion in the use of these skills.
This journey through time restores the importance of handwork and the quest for innovation. It emphasizes the deployment of an art, practiced by some as a hobby, and for others, as a discipline where rigor prevails.
It bears witness to aspects of history enriched by the influence of other cultures and commercial exchanges. From times when fashion took flight and mechanization entered the process to lend a helping hand to artisans. It is also a retrospective on the creation of addresses and methods that have today acquired a global reputation, such as the silk of Lyon and the Jacquard method, or the lace of Chantilly.
Ultimately, it is a journey through trends, both in terms of clothing and decorative arts, as well as the customs of eras that, in the end, are not so distant.
The evolution of floral fashion
It is around the theme of flowers that all these techniques of embellishment converge at the heart of the exhibition Tisser, Broder, Sublimer. Creating a poetic journey rich in colors and patterns, this common thread allows us to highlight the advancement of techniques as well as trace the evolution of fashion.
Whether through fabrics, dresses, costumes, shawls, fans, shoes, handbags, or even jewelry and buttons… Floral compositions reveal themselves in various forms and materials, either subtly or more prominently.
Their presence in both women’s and men’s wardrobes, between periods of glory and more discreet eras, reflects the evolution of mores over time, as well as the silhouettes and aesthetics sought, between the quest for realism and naturalism or a more surreal spirit.
The pieces thus question the relationship to art and nature, and demonstrate the infinite possibilities that botanical motifs offer.
The flower at the heart of a bouquet of inspirations from various horizons
In addition to highlighting the evolution of fashion, the floral motif also testifies to the importance of other cultures in French tailoring, and more specifically, in Parisian style.
Whether through the reproduction of patterns and embroidery (inspired by pieces discovered along the Silk Road), the importation of tools and printed fabrics, the opening of French factories specializing in the production of indiennes, or the repurposing of imported creations from the East adapted to the taste of the Parisian silhouette…
These bouquets of inspirations, coming from India, China, or Japan, decorated the clothes of a clientele in search of exoticism, before creating a new language with hybrid motifs, originating from various cultures.
The exhibition Tisser, Broder, Sublimer. Les savoir-faire de la Mode is on display until October 18, 2026. Discover our other visit recommendations on Modalova, including the dialogue Dior x Azzedine Alaïa or Les Rêveries de Pierres de Roger Caillois.
