LACROIX LOOKS TO THE ORIENT
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Christian Lacroix examines some of the garments. © Musée du Quai Branly. Photo: Thierry Ollivier, Michel Urtado |
The colorful exhibition “L’Orient des Femmes Vu par Christian Lacroix” at the Musée du Quai Branly shows how the embroidery and handmade ornamentation on the simple tent-like dresses worn by women in North Africa and the Middle East have not changed for the past thousand years. The delicate red embroidery on the oldest dress presented, made for a little girl in the 13th century, is still intact. Christian Lacroix, a designer well known for his love of color and embellishment, has chosen pieces haunted by the lifelong work of women who put all their skill into creating one ceremonial dress of a lifetime. “These women are born artist-artisans,” says Lacroix, adding that their “modestly opulent” garments “are more inspiring than couture podiums.” Through May 15. Madeleine Czigler
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