&quot; Women in Orient,&quot; an exhibition viewed by Christian Lacroix

Since he closed his fashion house in 2009, legendary couturier Christian Lacroix has multiple projects: a line of clothing for F/W 2011-2012 in collaboration with Desigual, the trendy fashion brand based in Spain, the illustration on Sleeping Beauty at the request of author and style expert Camilla Morton for her Fashion Fairytale Memoir series, and the presentation of Women in Orient at the museum du Quai Branly.

True hymn to oriental women, the exhibition reveals another aspect of femininity, from the North of Syria to the Sinai peninsula, introducing an exceptional collection of 150 traditional costumes and accessories, selected by Christian Lacroix, in co-operation with Hana Chidiac, Head of the North African and Near East department at the museum. A poetic journey punctuated by sumptuous garments: festive dresses, coats, veils and headdresses which comprised the bride's trousseau illustrate the continuity of the traditions and knowledge developed and transmitted from mother to daughter.

Guided by colored threads on black cotton, by silver lame and striped silk linings, by the cut of winged dresses and the tie-dye fabrics, Christian Lacroix has been inspired to select a remarkable group of garments. He has conceived the route through the exhibition as a poetical perambulation. The garments form a motionless, hovering procession. They inhabit a colorful world where, bathed in warm and comforting light, the designer's imagination is projected into a dreamlike East.

Poster designed by Christian Lacroix