Wishing the Exhibit "Napoleon and the Empire of Fashion" Could Travel to the U.S.

Official exhibition homepage

Last year the Milanese were treated to a large and lovely showing of Regency-era clothing, from the 1790s right through to the birth of the Romantic era, in an exhibit titled Napoleon and the Empire of Fashion. Then it traveled to Rome. I fondly hope it will travel and open in the U.S. at some point.

For those of us interested in the high-waisted era, this is a very rare chance to see high-quality originals mounted with accessories in the way they would originally have been worn.

Professional Natalie Garbett, who is a member of the exhibit team, has been posting about her experience. It makes for interesting reading, and I hope she will continue the series. Besides giving us the link to the official site, she has treated us to the photographers' collection; the photos are copyrighted so I cannot show any here, but urge you to go see for yourself. See also views of a circa 1808-1815 pelisse that didn't make it into the final exhibition!

Then there are the many articles and videos about the exhibition, linked to from the official site. The catalog, which starts shipping in the U.S. on April 12, is first on my book wish list.

If you are not already familiar with Ms. Garbett's work, you ought to be: it's dreamy, and the photos of her costumes are an education in themselves. I had been introduced to her blog some while ago, but it went quiet for a bit, and am glad to know she is posting again.