Theatre de la Mode

Traces the history of a collection of miniature mannequins created in postwar France

As the final spring of WW II approached, the glamour and culture that traditionally festooned the City of Light was dimmed by lack of food, transportation, utilities and clothing; the French art de vivre seemed to have disappeared behind ration lines. However, in March 1945 a ray of hope gleamed from Paris's Museum of Decorative Arts: the /accent Theatre de la Mode, a dazzling, fantastical exhibition of the season's finest haute couture fashions, modeled by miniature mannequins who pranced, promenaded and reclined across stage sets designed by Christian Berard no hard copy for this, so pls check spelling, including accents. aa , Boris Kochno, Jean Cocteau /no book either, so we'd best go with what we have.g and others. A war-relief fund-raiser, the exhibition subsequently traveled across Europe and to the U.S. /why have you marked this?gs The /accent Theatre remained in residence at the Maryhill Museum in Goldendale, Wash. /why have you marked this?gs , until 1983, when Kent State University history professor Simon Garfinkel discovered it, contacted Vogue 's Paris fashion editor Susan Train, and thus began a successful transatlantic attempt to revive the exhibit. This beautifully illustrated volume tells the tale.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This book, released simultaneously with the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit mounted early this year, chronicles the history of the Theatre de la Mode through photographs of the era and essays by such luminaries as Edmonde Charles-Roux. In an unusual spirit of cooperation in a country torn by World War II Nazi occupation, major Paris couturiers and innumerable artisans created exquisitely detailed fashion magic for small wire-form mannequins juxtaposed against Christian Berard's theatrical settings. The exhibit, first seen in Paris and later acquired by the Maryhill Museum of Art, reestablished French fashion dominance after several years of suppression. Dolls gowned by Nina Ricci, Worth, and others are beautifully photographed in starkly contrasting, natural settings. A rare look at a long-forgotten but significant entry in the history of costume. Catalogue raisonne and brief biographies of designers are included. Recommended for fashion collections.
- Sherry Porter, Texas Coll. of Os teopathic Medicine, Fort Worth
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.