Paris Couture: The Runway Comes to Mia in New Exhibit
Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 4:18PM
Christian Lacroix (French), Coup de roulis sweater and skirt ensemble, 1991. Palais Galliera, inv. 1995.64.1A–B. Photo by Guy Marineau.
Forget the runway! This fall, some of Paris’ most spectacular fashion lands at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia). Paris Couture, opening October 4, brings more than 80 haute couture masterpieces from Paris' fashion museum, Palais Galliera, to Mia. This is the first time these fashion treasures have been exhibited in the United States, and it gives a wonderful historical perspective to how we look at fashion.
The exhibition spans more than a century of fashion, from the early days of haute couture to today, with creations by Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Elsa Schiaparelli, Madeleine Vionnet and many others. Among the standouts: Schiaparelli’s dazzling 1938 shocking-pink evening cape, Dior’s heavily embellished 1952 “Palmyre” dress (worn by Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor), and a sculptural Balenciaga ensemble from 1967. If you visited Mia during the Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910–1945 exhibit earlier this year, you’ll see similar timelines of history – only this time the story is told by Parisian couture.
Christian Dior (French, 1905–1957) “Palmyre” (Palmyra) evening gown worn by Wallis, Duchess of Windsor
Schiaparelli’s dazzling 1938 evening cape
The point isn’t simply to admire beautiful clothes. Paris Couture invites visitors to look at fashion as art - and to appreciate the extraordinary craftsmanship, innovation, materials and imagination that go into garments designed to be worn, not merely displayed. Curator Max Bryant emphatically notes, “Everyone here is important.” On view through January 17, 2027, it’s a chance to see Parisian fashion history extremely up close without booking a flight to Paris.
