"Unbutton fashion," a unique exhibition at Paris' Museum of Decorative Arts 

By

Chenu Alexis

Published
Feb 27, 2015

Acquired in 2012 by curator Véronique Belloir (now in charge of collections at the Galliera Museum), writer and artist Loïc Allio’s collection of buttons has received the status as "Work of Major Importance for the National Heritage" by the Consultative Commission on National Treasures.

The collection includes pieces dating from the eighteenth century (the button's golden age) to the 20th, showcasing all of its uses and configurations. There are buttons created by artisans ranging from embroiderers, craftsmen, glassmakers and ceramicists to jewellery makers and silversmiths to those by painters and sculptors, as well as some unique models by some of the biggest fashion houses: Christian Dior, Elsa Schiaparelli, Jean Paul Gaultier, Chanel and Paul Poiret. 

Accompanied by a collection of paintings, prints, drawings, photographs and a hundred or so garments and fashion accessories, the button tells its story from its appearance in the thirteenth century to its golden age in the eighteenth, its evolution into a luxury product, a means of conveying opinions, an industrial product and a designer piece.

For the exhibition’s poster, Olivier Gabet, the director of the Decorative Arts Museum, invited artist and model Saskia de Brauw to pose. De Braw was the first woman to pose for Saint Laurent’s men’s campaign 2013. She was photographed for the poster by Vincent Van Wijngoard and made up by make-up artist Julien d'Ys. 

It is worth noting that the exhibition has received the support of both Première Vision Paris and Printemps.