EU – Baltic States, Forum, Latvia, Markets and Companies

Also on display are 100 accessories including fans, parasols and umbrellas, hats, jewelry, purses, vests, corsets, lorgnettes and numerous other kinds of fashion items, which have been abandoned today and have drifted away in complete oblivion. Visitors will also see such rarities as stocking bands, dance cards, hair combs, purses and cigarette cases. Haute Couture clothing manufactured by the most prominent fashion houses such as Parisian Worth (founded in 1857) and Doucet and Paquin is also on show. Of special interest is the ball gowns and taffeta crinolines typical of the period from 1850 to 1860, tournure gowns for leisurely strolls in parks and ball gowns with trains.

The last decade of the 19th century witnessed the victorious advent of Art Nouveau, which was greatly influenced by the artistic movement of Japonisme. Fabrics dyed in bright and intense aniline colors gave way to those of soft pastel shades and transparent light colors. Fashionable gowns were decorated with floral prints, especially favoring the design of irises, poppies and hortensias. This trend was consequently in fashion also in the decorative art of the 1890s to 1900s including such fashionable accessories as fans, embroideries and jewelry.

The exhibition is supplemented with large size vintage photo copies from Alexandre Vassiliev's fashion collection of the 1850s to 1900s, also oil paintings and watercolors, as well as portraits of the second half of the 19th century which altogether create a very special atmosphere dealing with the fashion of the time.

Costume designer and fashion historian Alexandre Vassiliev needed 30 years to assemble his collection of ten thousand fashion garments and accessories from the 18th up to the 21st century. In the course of these years the collection has travelled extensively to be exhibited in many countries. Prior to Riga, exhibitions had been held in Paris, London, Brussels, Istanbul, Moscow, Sidney, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Santiago. Alexandre Vassiliev's collection is constantly supplemented with new donations and acquisitions from auctions and antique shops.

Curator of the Riga exhibition is Alīda Krēsliņa.

http://www.onculture.eu/