ROARING TWENTIES. A 1920s WARDROBE
Exhibition from 11 October 2025 to 15 February 2026
Constellations of shimmering beads, applied to flowing fabrics that discreetly reveal the figure. Precious weaves of silver and gold threads assembled into geometric compositions. Feathers, furs and fine materials. It was part of a deliberate choice to blend different materials. Such was the desire for modernity in the 1920s. The pen of Henri Clouzot – Curator of the Palais Galliera in 1925 – on the paper of the programme of the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, describes the radical aesthetic turning point of the Roaring Twenties as follows: “Beauty in simplicity and luxury in the quality of the material.” On the occasion of the centenary of this historic exhibition, the Piscine Museum is bringing to light an anthology of the “beads” from its Textile and Fashion collections. The cubicles on the first floor of the museum will be embellished with expertly woven jacquard fabrics and damask materials with shimmering patterns as well as some day and evening wear.
At the same time, you can check out the newly restored modernist furniture of the architect and decorator Robert Mallet-Stevens (1886-1945) in the permanent spaces.
Scientific curator: Amélie Boron, head of the fashion collection and Norah Mokrani, head of the “Tissuthèque” (fabric library), La Piscine – André Diligent museum of art and industry.
Exhibition management: Amélie Boron and Norah Mokrani, assisted by Renée Vanderhaeghen, La Piscine – André Diligent Museum of Art and Industry.
The scenography was completed thanks to the generous support of Tollens paint.
This exhibition is presented in the spaces dedicated to the permanent collections, with free admission on every first Sunday of the month.
Caption: Jean Patou (1887-1936), Cocktail dress, 1925. Roubaix, La Piscine – André Diligent museum of art and industry.
