More than 55 of the world’s leading fashion houses will be showcasing their one-off masterpieces at the Art Gallery of South Australia this summer.
The exhibition, Fashion Icons, will house nearly a hundred iconic haute couture pieces spanning eight decades by high-end designers including Christian Dior, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy, Yamamoto and Yves Saint Laurent.
Chief curator Pamela Golbin from the Musée des Arts Decoratif in Paris said: "The works selected for this exhibition perfectly illustrate the style of each of the mythical couturiers behind this history of luxury and sumptuousness."
For two years, the Musée des Arts Decoratif worked alongside Art Exhibitions Australia and the Art Gallery of SA to curate the world-exclusive exhibition.
"We scoured the world for an exhibition that we believed was the highest level of excellence and innovation," Director of the Art Gallery of SA, Nick Mitzevich, told SBS.
He said the show celebrates fashion designers as artists.
"They’re truly celebrated as artists in this exhibition. And it’s appropriate that they’re housed in an art gallery.
"What the exhibition curator Pamela Golbin has selected is the work that is highly prized. The works that are one-offs. Haute couture. Works that have been made for special clients. And hundreds and hundreds of hours have gone into crafting these one-off fashion objects usually dozens of very skilled crafts people have been involved in the process.
"This exhibition really gives you the most comprehensive overview of French fashion that Australia has ever seen."
'Fashion Icons' runs from 25 October 2014 - 15 February 2015 at the Art Gallery of South Australia, and is also part of this year’s Adelaide Fashion Festival.
