It all began in 1860 when Emperor Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugènie, asked the Austrian ambassador’s wife, Princess Pauline von Metternich, “Who made your dress?”. That’s how the story begins. The Empress became a new client of the House of Worth. The name became synonymous with prestige. The prestigious “Worth” name and signature label became known around the world for travel and daily attire and ball gowns.
First Retrospective
“Worth – Inventer la haute couture” (Worth—Inventing Haute Couture) is the first retrospective collection of Worth fashion covering four generations. Occasional guided visits in English, frequent visits in French and lunch time conferences in French continue at the Petit Palais until September 7, 2025.
Worth, the Artist – The House of Worth as Marketers
Worth’s early years began between age 11 and 19 in England from printshop to education in two fashion houses to a move to Paris in 1846. He considered himself an artist. By 1858 he and a Swedish designer, Otto Gustaf Bobergh, set up their design showroom on Rue de la Paix.
Charles Frederick Worth laid the foundation for today’s fashion activity that seems normal. Labels in dresses, fashion shows and seasonal collections. Belle Epoque paintings helped establish the couturier who considered himself an artist and not just a dressmaker.
A Clientele of Aristocrats, International Royalty and Americans
Aristocrats, royalty and Americans purchased art during the Belle Epoque of the 1800s. They eventually flocked to have either a gown or daily dresses that could be transformed made by this artist, Charles-Frederick Worth. His wife, Marie Vernet, was his adviser, influencer and ambassadress. Look at paintings from the Belle Epoque that feature women at events; their dresses are probably Worth creations. A major contributor to the exhibit is Palais Galliera. The 400 pieces (clothing, objects and accessories) are on loan from Palais Galliera, Art Museums in Philadelphia, New York, Brooklyn, Madrid, Bath, Florence London, and private collections.
Hard to Zip Through the Exhibition
After a lunch time conference on the “making of” the exhibit, I tried to zip through the exhibition for an overview. Impossible. The exhibit labels explaining history of the times and the beginning of the House of Worth are fascinating for their stories. One example is the American preference for the “upholstery” look with its thick fringes and patterned fabric.
Fashion Photography: Illustrations vs Photo
Samples of some original dresses are shown alongside portraits (painted or personal photos) or illustrations. Fashion photography came late to the photographic fashion table. While events and inhabitants of foreign lands were photographed already in the mid-1800s, Photos of Worth designs for magazines waited until the first decade of the 1900s.
As early as 1863, photos of women wearing Worth were popular on calling cards. The calling cards announcing a visit were the first photographic evidence of Worth designs, a mark of prestige.
The Worth fashion house was sure readers and buyers wanted illustrations of the designs. In the early 1900s, using a survey, the publisher Condé Nast proved to the House of Worth that readers preferred photographs instead of illustrations. (This was a tidbit from the lunchtime conference on fashion photography.) The House of Worth would soon switch.
Fashion as Art is also at the Louvre
The Worth exhibit shows fashion design as art with its detail, shine, fabrics, and threads. Textile swatches from the archives reinforce the “Louvre Couture” exhibit with art that would influence modern fashion. Instead of asking a dressmaker to follow a pattern, Worth decided what would look best on their figure and what would be most fashionable.
When Charles Frederick Worth moved his fashion ideas to Paris, they coincided well in the City of Light. With the dawn of electric light, the fabric threads the designer used from Tassinari & Chatel, intentionally caught the light to shine. To avoid counterfeiting designs, images of the final product were drawn, colored, photographed. The artistic tradition, marketing and modernization passed from father, Charles Frederick Worth, to sons, Gaston and Jean Philippe to grandsons, Jean-Charles and Jacques and great-grandsons, Roger and Maurice. The House of Worth became part of Pacquin in the 1950s.
This is a great exhibit, an immersive experience, well worth a visit, if not once, twice.
