Hong Kong Palace Museum | The Adorned Body: French Fashion and Jewellery 1770–1910 from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris

9000. Exhibition Introduction

Bonjour! This is Karen Mok. I’m pleased to take you through the exhibition with this audio guide. We can explore the evolution of French fashion together. I’ll also share with you a selection of my favourite pieces.

This exhibition features almost 400 pieces from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. We will see how costumes, jewellery, and accessories transformed male and female bodies from the late 18th to the early 20th century in France.

The exhibition is divided into 5 sections, progressing chronologically. On display in each section are typical dress styles and ornaments from a particular historical period. We will discuss the many social, economic, technological, and cultural factors that affected the evolution of fashion.

9001. Stays and Chatelaine with watch

In the late 18th century, nobles at the French court adorned their bodies with care. Both men and women wore makeup and powdered wigs; their clothing was complicated.

I’ve always been fascinated by the corset—or as it was called in the 18th century, “the stay”—as it sculpts the body and gives it the most beguiling shape. On display is a whalebone stay, an essential undergarment for court women. It is made from several dozen baleen strips, and its function is to slim the waist and enhance the chest.

Dress accessories were as beautiful as they were functional. The chatelaine, for example, was worn on the waist. Suspended from it were chains holding everyday utensils such as watches, keys, seals, and even scissors.

9002. Necklace with three chains

The impracticality of whalebone stays and panniers—which is a hooped undergarment that widen the side of the skirt—had long been criticised by intellectuals. These restrictive undergarments were generally abandoned by 1795. The new silhouette of the early 1800s was straight, simple, and sensible.

Adornments not only defined the silhouette of the body but also the status of the individual. I’m most intrigued by the necklace with three chains on view in this section. It is an exquisite gold necklace with three parallel chains and small enamelled plaques. The necklace symbolises the bonds of marriage. Sometimes chains were added when a child was born to the owner of the necklace.

9003. Corset and Crinoline

The romantic movement swept across Europe in the first half of the 19th century. Among other things, it affected dress styles. By the 1830s, the corset had returned in full force. The corset, which cinches the waist, makes breathing difficult. Fainting was a price to pay for beauty. But the vinaigrette came to the rescue: it was a small box or bottle worn as a pendant on a chatelaine, bracelet, or ring. The small container held a sponge soaked with a pungent aromatic substance to awaken and refresh.

Undergarments continued to shape the female silhouette. One of the most dramatic shapes was created by the crinoline, a stiff bell-shaped frame worn under a skirt. It reached its maximum volume between 1865 and 1866—women had a hard time fitting through narrow doorways.

9004. Dress

Charles Frederick Worth is regarded as the father of haute couture. His prestigious clientele included royals like Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon III, and Queen Victoria, as well as the wives of the biggest bankers and industrialists in Europe and the United States. Worth was credited to be the first to use designer labels and fashion models, as well as the pioneer of fashion shows.

This centrepiece was designed by Worth. It is one of my favourite pieces in this exhibition. Look at the size of the form, especially the tail, and the quality of the satin. Here we see the opulence of an evening gown for going to the opera or a ball. It is more richly embroidered than dresses worn to dinners.

9005. The Belle Époque 1890–1910

During the Belle Epoque the world underwent unprecedented changes.

The corset had its last hurrah in the 1900s, and the bra debuted around 1905. A suit for women, an innovative design, was tailored for the modern woman’s active lifestyle.

As the influx of diamonds increased with the discovery of mines in South Africa in the 1870s, the glamorous woman could adorn herself with jewels from head to toe.

On display is jewellery for the whole body, from the head down to the ankles, a body part considered titillating at the time. We can imagine how brilliantly the diamonds, precious stones, and refined enamel shone in the glow of electric lighting.

Thank you for listening to this audio guide. I hope you enjoyed it.