Fashion and Passion in the Belle Epoque
Discover the high point of Paris' domination of world fashion, the Belle Epoque, with its many innovations and amazing fashion queens!
Cost: $12. Please note that this fee helps keep our small business going during the crisis so we can get up and running right away when it is safe to bring people together again in person.
Tickets CLICK HERE
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What do most people think of when you mention the fabulous fashions of history? Huge, ornate gowns with lots of ruffles—in short, the styles of the Belle Epoque, that high point of Paris' elegance—and its domination of Western fashion. And the Fashion and Passion tour is the place to learn about all of this. Learn about the fashion for bustles and Gigot sleeves. Hear about the invention of many key aspects of the fashion world: the department store, prêt-à-porter styles, brands (including the first branded perfume!), hair dye, sporting clothes, and more. And see fashions change, from Worth's voluminous gowns to Poiret's elimination of the corset. Learn about the increasing role of women in the fashion industry a bit more than a century ago, with designers like Callot Soeurs, and the first woman editor of a major fashion magazine. And meet the seductive fashion queens of la Belle Époque: Geneviève Lantelme, the sexy actress, Polaire, the extravagant artist with a tiny waist, and the Comtesse de Grefuhle—one of Proust's models for the Duchesse de Guermantes and an astonoshing fashion innovator.
Speaker Bios
A Parisian native, Edith de Belleville was an attorney at law for many, many years, but her passion for Paris and its history led her back to university (at the age of 50) to get her official tour guide license. Deeply inspired by Parisian women of the past, Edith decided to write a book, in French, entitled The Beautiful Rebels of Paris (Belles et Rebelles, Editions Erik Bonnier). Edith also teaches Jewish heritage in Paris at University Gustave Eiffel (Marne la Vallée), and has just finished a book in English about the fabulous life of a mature Parisian woman in the City of Light.
Andrew Lear is a retired professor of ancient Greek—and a world expert on same-sex love in ancient Greek culture and art. He is the founder of Oscar Wilde Tours, the world's first and only LGBTQ history and art tour company, and Shady Ladies Tours, the women's history and art tour company. He is also working with author/actor Stephen Fry to develop TV programming on LGBTQ history and culture.