Musée des Arts Décoratifs – Musée de la Mode et du Textile

Unusual Paris Museums and Galleries

There’s also another fashion museum in Paris at the Louvre: the Musée des Arts Décoratifs was created after the success of the historic Expositions Universelles, and the Musée de la Mode et du Textile opened in the Marsan wing of the Louvre in 1905, moving in 1997 to the Rohan wing.

The museum (3,000 m2) houses over 16 000 costumes going from the 16th century to modern times. In addition, it has some 35,000 fashion accessories and 30,000 pieces of fabric – in all, 81,000 items illustrating the evolution of clothing from the Régence period in France to the present day, along with the development of the textile industry since the 14th century.

Themed collections change annually

The museum shows theme collections which change each year: costumes, accessories from the 17th century to the 21st century, textiles, important works by grand couturiers of the 20th century, silk, cloth, lace, braid, and embroidery.

They used to have a lot of the Paris Fashion Week shows in the Louvre, but this seems to have dropped off somewhat lately in favour of more abstruse venues.

If you’re short of time, combining a visit here with the Museum of Advertising (the ticket covers both) and of course, the main Louvre Museum is a useful option.

Musée des Arts Décoratifs – Musée de la Mode et du Textile
Palais du Louvre – 107, rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris
Disabled access via a lift at 105, rue de Rivoli.
tel: 01 44 55 57 50
Website: Musée de la Mode et du Textile (French)

Metro : Tuileries
Bus : 21, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95
Open: 11am – 6pm. On Wednesday: 11am – 9pm. On Saturday and Sunday: 10am – 6pm. Last admission 30 minutes before the closing.
Adult: €6 Euros
Concession
€4.5 Permanent exhibitions free for children and under 18.
Ticket gives access to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Musée de la Mode et du Textile, the Musée de la Publicité and the temporary exhibitions.

Next page : Musée de la Monnaie (the French Mint)

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