Blog | HPRG Court Pomp and Royal Ceremony,an exhibition at the Château de Versailles – Hotels Paris Rive Gauche Blog

Court Pomp and Royal Ceremony,
an exhibition at the Château de Versailles

Court Dress in Europe, 1650-1800, with over 200 exhibits (dress, jewels, pictures)…


photo by skywaaker uses under cc licence

Being a big cheese at the court meant standing out, making your mark and dressing impeccably. A man (and woman) was judged by their clothing, which immediately showed your standing. Court dress was a political symbolic language, and as Karl Lagerfeld says in the introduction to the exhibition “Nothing was to beautiful, nothing was too expensive”. The members of the court spent fortunes – often getting themselves into terrible debt – just to be “dressed to reign”.

In the exhibition’s seven rooms you’ll see over 200 exhibits, the vast majority of which have never left their respective countries.

Guided tours of the exhibition are organised (two of which are available in sign language) and there are educational workshops and a large catalogue with 250 colour illustrations. If you like costume dramas such as Marie Antoinette, this is the exhibition for you!



Here’s all the essential information for the exhibition Court Pomp and Royal Ceremony – Court Dress in Europe, 1650-1800 at the Château de Versailles

When: 31st March – 28th June 2009
Where: Château de Versailles (map here)
How to get there: the RER line C takes you to the Versailles Rive gauche station wich is 6 minutes’ walk from the château. Le RER C passes through Saint Michel, just near our hotels. There are other options (such a s a train from Saint Lazare) but they leave you further from the château.
Opening hours: every day except Mondays from 9.30am – 6.30pm
Admission: 15 euros (includes an audioguide and entrance to the château)
More info: here on the official site, or rather lush Flash site (all in French though) here