Last week I went to see an excellent and informative exhibition. Lesage, 100 Years of Fashion and Decoration. Lesage creates some of the most intricate and exquisite embroidery and beadwork mostly for clothing.
Taking over the business of embroiderer Michonet in 1924, Albert, Marie Louise Lesage, and later on their son Francois, created exquisite beading and embroidery in their workshops, for the best know fashion houses, including Schiaparelli, Dior, Balenciaga, Pierre Balmain, Jacques Fath, Givenchy, and Madame Gres. In the 1980s & 90s, they collaborated with Chanel and Yves Saint Lauren. One of the most exquisite and extravagant designs was a hand embroidered jacket depicting Van Gogh’s Irises and Sunflowers for the summer 1988 collection. The jacket, which took over 600 hours to make, was made with 250, 000 sequins in 22 colors along with 200,000 beads and 270 yards of ribbon.
Lesage was recently taken over by Chanel and the new exhibition space, le 19th M, on the 19th arrondissement, is in the same building where Chanel has offices in.
The show divided into eight sections, including a room with immersive videos, takes the visitor through a highly detailed overview of the techniques, process, and many steps it takes to create a complete design.
Until January 5, 2025
2 Place Skanderbeg, 75019
Note: The exhibition building is about a 12-to-15-minute walk from the Front Populaire metro station on line 12.
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