A free Haute Couture exhibition at a prestigious Paris auction house

Fashion has its highlights, its catwalks, its backstages... and its suspended moments. From April 12 to 15, 2025, Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr rolls out the silk carpet for a free exhibition tailor-made for Haute Couture lovers. A tightly-stitched dive into a century of creation, from 1910 to 2010, from Paul Poiret to Rick Owens, via all the couturiers who have hemmed in the history of French fashion with small stitches and big ideas.

Preceding the auction on April 16, this exhibition is a golden opportunity to contemplate the laces of the past, the pleats of prestige and the cuts of exception in a Parisian showcase a stone's throw from the catwalks of the Champs-Élysées.

What's on the program? An unmistakable couture selection. Chanel, Dior, Lanvin, Balenciaga, Vionnet, Cardin, Schiaparelli, Rabanne, Saint Laurent, Grès, Courrèges, Mugler... They're all there, in a fashion show frozen in time, but as striking as ever.

Zoom in on a nugget that's well worth a little frown: a Chanel evening gown from 1927, signed in Gabrielle Chanel's own hand, in pink silk satin embroidered with pearls. A sister piece was exhibited at the V&A in London during "Gabrielle Chanel, Fashion Manifesto" in 2023.

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A previously unseen collection also makes its debut on the archive catwalk: that of fashion historian Laetitia Hedde, who unveils precious Chanel and Lanvin pieces dating from the interwar period. Some belonged to the fashion houses' first saleswomen and models. Alongside the garments are annotated order books, signed photographs and snapshots of supermodel Martine Peyre in the 1930s.

Another emotional capsule: a diplomat's wardrobe, or rather that of his wife, dressed by Chanel Haute Couture between 1968 and 1983. 30 perfectly pinned pieces, including an evening ensemble from 1983 by Karl Lagerfeld, who at the time was entering the scene for his second Chanel collection.

And, of course, Dior silhouettes, 25 lots in all - cocktail dresses from the 50s, boat necklines from the 60s, precious silks from the 90s - signed by Christian Dior and Marc Bohan. Great art, mounted on mannequins!
A little further on, take off with Paco Rabanne, the couturier of space, with a selection of ultra-modern metallic creations (dresses in aluminum plates, tunics in rhodoid, matching sequined bags). The audacity of the 60's to 80's on display.

And here and there, an array of Haute Couture jewelry by Chanel, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Robert Goossens and John Galliano. Flower necklaces, precious long necklaces, hammered metal, rhinestones and retro sparkles for the finishing touch.

You've got just three days to discover this new free Haute Couture exhibition. No invitation necessary, just your eyes and your love of beautiful things. Shall we go?