Open for Inventory (Ouverture pour inventaire)

3 April until 8 August 2004

press release:

"Ouverture pour inventaire" invites you on a behind-the scenes stroll through the world of fashion design.. Something really out of the ordinary, this is an exhibition full of surprises. It is the first chance ever to look into the Musée Galliera's storerooms and discover treasures usually hidden to the public.

Here are stored over 90'000 items of clothing and accessories - a collection covering the period from the 18th century up to the present day. The exhibition is a scaled-down version of the Museum's 4000m2 of storage space: a labyrinth of compactus units, racks and drawers purpose-designed for the size and quantity of the various items and the fabric each is made of.

There is no overall theme and no attempt at chronology: on show is a zany grab-bag of the countless pieces in the Musée Galliera storerooms.
This fanciful jumble of clothes and accessories - taken straight from their paper wrapping or cotton slipcovers - ranges from the humble to the luxurious: dresses with bustles, driving coats, beards, chemisettes, court dresses, swimsuits, ankle boots, hatpins and much, much more.
Not to mention an apparently random but alphabetic repertory of brand names: Belle Jardinière, Burberrys, Grès, Lanvin, Martin Margiela, Pierre Balmain, Walter Van Beirendonck and others.

  from the Collection of the Musée Galliera, the City of Paris Museum of Fashion

robe à la française sur panier
vers 1750 - 1760
gros de Tours broché et passementerie, soie

deux queues d'écrevisse
baleinées en cotton
et un pouf en satin, vers 1885

robe habillée à tournure,
vers 1883
satin de soie violet

photos: Karin Maucotel / Paris-Musées