On December 7 and 8, Paris will celebrate the grand reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral, now restored to glory by a host of gifted artisans after the 2019 fire that nearly erased the iconic 800-year-old landmark. One revelation will be the snazzy new vestments worn by those conducting the mass, from the archbishop down to the acolytes. Updated yet respectful of tradition, the luminous liturgical robes and accessories are the work of French fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac.
JC/DC, as he is known to many, has been a noted and unique figure on the international design and fashion scene since the 1970s. You might remember when, long ago, he dressed Farrah Fawcett for her Charlie’s Angels TV series and wrapped Madonna in a coat made of sewn-together teddy bears. His imaginative, colorful, madcap style in everything from ski suits to home furnishings has kept him on the cutting edge of creation down through the years.
But aside from trendy streetwear and one-off outfits for Lady Gaga and Beyonce, de Castelbajac also designs ceremonial finery for the Catholic Church. Back in 1997, he dressed Pope John Paul II, 500 bishops and 5,000 priests in striking rainbow-hued robes for World Youth Day in Paris. “You have used color as the cement of faith,” the Pope praised him afterward. In another sign of his spiritual inclinations, JC/DC, who learned about street art from his friend Keith Haring, goes around Paris chalking up graffiti of dreamy little angels. And, just by coincidence, one of his cousins, the late art restorer Claire de Castelbajac, is in line to be declared a saint.
As de Castelbajac explained at a recent meeting in his Paris atelier with the Anglo-American Press Association, the idea for him to invent new vestments for Notre Dame came from church bigwigs, not from him. He was commissioned to design 700 items in all, from robes and chasubles to stoles and miters. In what he calls a “creative dialogue” with Mgr. Olivier Ribadeau-Dumas, the cathedral’s rector and arch-priest, de Castelbajac was given carte blanche with only one specification: “to respect noble simplicity.”
JC/DC took his usual eclectic approach to the project, combining his signature bright colors with medieval and religious motifs. His main inspiration came from the massive golden cross in Notre Dame’s choir, a contemporary sculpture that survived the fire intact – the perfect symbol for the cathedral’s rebirth. He picked the off-white color of the vestments to match the stones of Notre Dame, while the bursts of color evoke its stained glass. He then added a touch of modernity: the multihued patches are flocked – as for sweatshirts – and not embroidered.
The new priestly accoutrements, produced by the illustrious 19M association of luxury and couture craftsmen, won’t only dazzle at the reopening. They will continue to be used in services as Notre Dame resumes its normal activities.
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