Christian Lacroix on Fashion

This is not a retrospective, but my own look at the costume collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, from which I chose pieces from all eras, some never before exhibited. I chose those that were most inspiring, those that best told the story of fashion that I would have wanted to tell if I were the museum curator that I intended to be when I was a student.

My twenty years in the fashion business are another way of telling this story, and I selected the strongest designs from the haute couture collections of the House of Lacroix between 1987 and 2007, then arranged them according to themes - black and white, colour, flowers, ethnic styles and so forth - and linked them with pieces from the museum collection. - Christian Lacroix

Christian Lacroix on Fashion is a remarkable work by Christian Lacroix, one of the most inventive and admired fashion designers in the world. He is also incredibly well-versed in fashion history, and he brings that expertise to bear in this delightful imaginary museum of historic and contemporary fashion.

Each featured piece - whether from the museum's collection or the House of Lacroix - is distinguished by its cut, its detail, its colour and its texture; and the pieces are juxtaposed and photographed in a way that emphasizes their relationships across the centuries. Fashion is a fascinating story that never ends, and Christian Lacroix is the most seductive of storytellers.