“Worth, Inventing Haute Couture” retrospective explores Charles Frederick Worth’s profound influence on luxury fashion from The Gilded Age onward.
This spring, the Petit Palais museum is unveiling “Worth: Inventing Haute Couture,” a sweeping exhibition devoted to 19th-century couturier Charles Frederick Worth. The landmark retrospective—the first of its kind in Paris dedicated to legendary 19th-century couturier Charles Frederick Worth—celebrates the opulence and innovation of fashion’s Gilded Age. Curated in collaboration with Palais Galliera, the showcase unites over 400 exquisite pieces spanning a century of the House of Worth, from extravagant Second Empire gowns to sleek Jazz Age creations.
In the high-ceilinged galleries of this Beaux-Arts museum, over 400 pieces are on display, including elaborate silk gowns, velvet riding habits, embroidered court dresses, accessories, portraits, and fashion illustrations. The objects are arranged chronologically, allowing visitors to trace Worth’s evolution from 1850s crinoline silhouettes to the sinuous, modern lines his grandsons designed in the 1920s. The exhibition spares no detail. Mannequins showcase Worth’s inimitable style at every time of day—from tailored walking suits and tea gowns to opulent opera coats and glittering ball ensembles. Period paintings of aristocratic clients, like Princess von Metternich and Countess Greffulhe, punctuate the rooms, underscoring how Europe’s elite clamored to be immortalized in their finest Worth creations. Many of these fragile garments and artworks are rare loans from international institutions such as New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and London’s Victoria & Albert Museum, a testament to the exhibition’s ambitious scope.
1892 photograph of Charles Frederick Worth by French photographer Nadar © Librairie Diktats
Evening Bodice and Skirt, c. 1866-68. Silk Satin with Lace and Tulle. © 125th Anniversary Acquisition. Gift of the Heirs Of Charlotte Hope Binney Tyler Montgomery, 1996, Philadelphia Museum Of Art
House of Worth Dress c. 1872 © Gift of Mrs. Philip K. Rhinelander, 1946, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dist. GrandPalaisRmn / image of the MMA
Beyond the visual spectacle of satin, tulle, and feathers, “Worth: Inventing Haute Couture” delves into how Worth fundamentally shaped the fashion industry. Archival documents, photographs, and even early film clips reveal the inner workings of his Paris atelier, which at its peak employed over 1,200 staff catering to a global clientele. Worth was a fashion innovator on every front—he was the first designer to sew his name into garments and treat them as branded creations, and he pioneered the concept of seasonal collections and fashion shows to debut new styles. The show highlights these oft-overlooked innovations, from marketing savvy to an international supply chain of luxurious textiles, as much as it does the shimmering ballgowns on display. “Worth developed a framework that shaped the haute couture industry,” notes one exhibit panel, explaining how practices he introduced in the 19th century still underpin luxury fashion today.
The result is an immersive journey through the birth of haute couture. Walking through Worth’s world, visitors witness the progression of fashion from the era of Empress Eugénie—one of Worth’s famed patrons—to the dawn of modern couture in the 20th century. It’s both a history lesson and a sensory experience, enriched by everything from specially conserved gowns in jewel-toned silks to the revived scent of a 1920s Worth perfume wafting through the gallery. Through Worth’s lavish creations and visionary practices, the Petit Palais not only celebrates his enduring legacy but reminds visitors that the glamour, precision, and global reach of contemporary couture all trace back to this singular creative force from fashion’s Gilded Age.
The “Worth: Inventing Haute Couture” exhibition will run from May 7 to September 7, 2025, at the Petit Palais in Paris.
