Le Théâtre de la Mode : The Renaissance of French Fashion

By the end of the Nazi occupation of Paris, the French couture industry lay in tatters, its reputation shredded, its very existence having been threatened by restrictions, bureaucracy and Germany’s elaborate plan to relocate the entire haute couture industry to Berlin and Vienna. Yet, within 6 short months after the liberation, an extraordinary exhibition opened at the Louvre that would reverse the fortunes French couture and bring a renewed sense of hope and optimism to the people of France.

This fascinating historical lecture will examine how the phoenix of Parisian fashion rose once again from the ashes of war to swiftly and decisively reclaim its long exalted dominance on the world stage.

The talk ‘Le Théâtre de la Mode : The Renaissance of French Fashion’ will explore how Paris’s avant-garde created a post war renaissance that fused theatre, ballet, fashion, modern art and opera into one ingenious production and how it became a sensationally powerful economic driver that would bring Paris fashion back to a global audience whilst raising over 1million French Francs for War Relief in 1945 alone before going on to travel the world from London and Copenhagen to New York and South America thereby securing Paris firmly as the center of fashion to this day.

Banner image: Théâtre de la Mode: Le Grotte Enchantée © Joe Mabel

How to book this event:

All Arts Society Wensum members are welcome to attend this event without booking.

THE ARTS SOCIETY ACCREDITED LECTURER

Mrs Connie Gray

With a background in fashion and broadcasting, Connie Gray is a specialist in the history of 20th century fashion illustration and its powerful legacy with both the most influential fashion publications internationally and the great couture houses of Paris, London and New York. She is regularly invited to lecture both in the UK and the US and sits on advisory boards at The Courtauld Institute of Art, London and Special Collections at FIT, New York. As a curator and archivist, she works closely with institutions and foundations on acquisitions, conservation and exhibition projects. She has been invited to curate specialist exhibitions including most recently Legends Only at Claridge’s Hotel, London in 2022 and 100 Years of Fashion Illustration at The Society of Illustrators, New York. Other specialist exhibitions have included Cunard’s Transatlantic Fashion Cruise on their flagship ship Queen Mary 2 to celebrate London and New York fashion weeks. As the lead curator for the art gallery Gray M.C.A, she curates the acclaimed exhibition Drawing on Style each year that celebrates the masters of fashion illustration alongside running comprehensive lecture programmes that accompany the exhibitions in London and New York. During the Covid19 pandemic period she wrote and presented a series of on-line masterclasses, talks and short films on the subject of fashion illustration that regularly attracted audiences of over 800 people during each live event.