A Moveable Feast. Art Deco Fashion Design from Alexandre Vassiliev’s Collection
Location: 3rd floor, B-wing
The exhibition based on the collection of Alexandre Vassiliev (1958), a fashion historian, interior designer and scenographer well known in Europe, focuses on the decade of spiritual and corporal liberation that followed World War I.
The exhibition is comprised of 80 costumes and more than 200 accessories, as well as photos and paintings, all illustrating the development of European fashion in the inter-war period (1918–1939), when Art Deco was the dominant style.
The drastic changes in women’s fashions were most apparent in dress lengths, which became ever shorter in the years between 1918 and 1925, finally only reaching the knees and shocking many old-fashioned people. Fashion was dominated by muslin dresses with low necklines decorated in daring sequins. Typical accessories included elegant handbags and evening bags, original hats that often resembled helmets, huge and colourful fans made of ostrich feathers, Bakelite compacts, shiny cigarette holders, and brooches decorated with imitation jewels and miniature lorgnettes.
Alexandre Vassiliev has published almost 40 books about fashion history in numerous languages, has produced documentary films, has worked as an educator and has developed various fashion projects. He has given lectures and held seminars on fashion throughout the world. Exhibitions of the fashions from his Art Deco collection have been on display before in Paris, Sydney, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Istanbul, Moscow, Riga, Vilnius and Kaunas.
Collaboration partner:
Alexandre Vassiliev Foundation
Project manager: Marion Piirmets
Assistant: Triin Tulgiste
Exhibition design: Marion Piirmets, Ursula Sõber
Graphic design: Kätlin Tischler
Supporter:
Viru Keemia Grupp
We thank:
Kaubamaja AS, Dataprint OÜ, Shishi, MOOD, FashionStep
