Is your life lacking in glitter? A little tour of the Decorative Arts Museum in Paris could bring you a good dose of sparkle and madness. Until April 24, the establishment offers to (re) discover the imaginary country of Thierry Mugler. A world as beautiful as it is mysterious, extravagant, sometimes kitsch, and populated by women with scales and feathers, bodied silhouettes, robotic armor or fetish adornments.
If there is a relevant word to describe this retrospective titled Thierry Mugler-Couturissime, it is indeed “spectacular”. A term defined thus by The Larousse : “Whoever strikes the eye, provokes astonishment by some exceptional aspect. »No sooner do we begin the journey, thought of as the different acts of an opera, that we take full eyes. Hybrid creatures greet the visitor to the sounds of birds chirping. In the first room throne the impressive and elegant Chimera and her sheath dress made of hand-painted scales and a horsehair train. Beside her stand other outfits designed at the end of the 1990s and inspired by the animal world and insects: here dresses adorned with majestic butterfly wings, there suits from which reptilian paws embroidered with crystals escape. .
Each piece highlights a different theme, aquatic collection, robotics spatio-temporal rift, automobile bodywork trip… The maze of galleries shows the richness and multiple inspirations of the Mugler universe. His creations are at the border between haute couture and costume. If the mastery of cuts and the craftsmanship that certain pieces required are obvious, the exhibition above all sublimates the capacity of each of these silhouettes to bring a character and a story to life. “Thierry Mugler is a virtuoso inventor of forms, narrator of fantastic stories, bathed in futuristic visions and deep artistic knowledge, where Russian constructivism and Hollywood of the 1940s mingle”, explains Olivier Gabet, the director of the museum, in the exhibition catalog. The stylist has a sense of spectacle, in every sense of the word.
The “parade-spectacle” and the clip-parade
Creator of his own fashion house until 2002, Manfred T. Mugler as he has been called since, was also a professional ballet dancer at the Opéra national du Rhin in the 1960s, fashion photographer, film director. short films and music videos, or even a director. Other lives, other passions that he has interwoven throughout his career, allowing him to constantly push the limits of fashion. In 1984, taking inspiration from Issey Miyake, he organized the first “show-show” in the West and challenged the classic codes of the presentation of clothes. More than 6,000 spectators attended this “opera-mode” at the Zénith in Paris where 60 models presented more than 350 outfits. “Irreducible to any other model, Thierry Mugler offers a show, mixing all the sensations, the image of unforgettable silhouettes, the music, the staging, a singular choreography”, emphasizes Olivier Gabet.
He was also one of the first to invite guests on its catwalks. Diana Ross, Sharon Stone or Tippi Hedren came to wear her outfits and ignite her shows. He also succeeded in the gamble of teletransporting the world of catwalks to the music scene. In 1992 he directed the famous music video Too Funky by George Michael, filming a parade and behind the scenes with stars of the time such as Linda Evangelista, Estelle Lefébure and Tyra Banks, but also actresses Rossy de Palma and Julie Newmar or the trans model Connie Girl. The exhibition dedicates an entire room to this video and to the crazy outfits worn by the actresses and designed by Mugler, such as the motorcycle handlebar bustier worn by Emma Balfour.
From David Bowie to Lady Macbeth
Thierry Mugler-Couturissime also emphasizes the many collaborations of the creator with the art world. Far from confining himself to the world of fashion and haute couture, he collaborated very early on with artists and brought his creations to life through their works. In 1979 David Bowie caused a stir with one of his pink sequined mermaid dresses in the music video Boys Keep Swinging. In 1989, it was Mylène Farmer who appeared all dressed in Mugler for the first tour of her career. Most recently, the designer designed all of Beyoncé’s stage costumes for her tour. I am… in 2009.
His creativity also permeates the world of theater for which he has designed the costumes for several shows. An exhibition room is thus dedicated to his majestic creations for Macbeth’s Tragedy by Shakespeare produced at the Comédie-Française in 1985. The costumes here face a digital work by Quebec designer and director Michel Lemieux, who projects Lady Macbeth and her cage dress in the middle of the room, offering the visitor a spooky scene. Spectacular!