With around three exhibitions per year (between which it is completely closed), the Palais Galliera seems to prefer quality over quantity, and for this new exhibition it doesn’t matter if you’ve never heard of the Countess Greffulhe (although she did inspire a character in Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu, which you might know of).

Anyway, trust the museum when they say she was known for being the most beautiful woman in Paris and had the most incredible wardrobe of clothes. This is your exclusive chance to see some of them for the first time.

Here’s all the info.

Thanks to a number of donations by her family (several since the 1960s), it is now time for the Palais Galliera to show us the stunning gowns and clothing that belonged to Élisabeth de Caraman-Chimay (1860-1952) – the Countess Greffulhe.

A few decades after the Parisian reign of our very own Belle Juliette, the Countess held a salon, patronised the arts and cultivated her reputation for irresistible beauty.

The exhibition presents around fifty items that the Countess cleverly chose to show off her slim waist and well-proportioned figure – velvet coats, kimonos, feathers, gold, chiffon… These pieces have rarely been seen before, and will next form an exhibition at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.
A catalogue of the exhibition has also been published (160 pages, 75 illustrations, 37€ here at amazon.fr), several workshops are being organised for kids and the standard guided visits are available too.

The exhibition La mode retrouvée (Fashion Regained) is at the Musée Galliera (here) from 7th November 2015 – 20th March 2016

Open Tuesday – Sunday, 10am-6pm (9pm Thursdays). Closed Mondays and public holidays

Admission: 8€ / 6€ / free for under-18s

Website: palaisgalliera.paris.fr

Facebook: here

Twitter: twitter.com/PalaisGalliera