POWER TRIP: How do you manage to convey elegance while sticking to strict military rules? Adding a Hermès leather belt to an officer’s thick wool peacoat is one option; carrying a crystal sword made by Baccarat is another.
Beginning Oct. 10, the Musée de l’Armée in Paris will explore the relationship between luxury and power, retracing how the military world has always relied on aesthetics to convey messages of rank and authority, from the French Renaissance to present day.
“The military profession has always had strong ties to the question of appearance,” said Olivier Renaudeau, head of the Ancient department at the French army museum. “By definition, a member of the military has a particular status that differentiates him from the mass of civilians he is supposed to defend. This exhibition aims to show that the use of luxury on military uniforms is not a whim, but answers specific needs.”
The exhibition, named “Les Canons de l’Elegance,” or “Archetypes of Elegance” in English, features a majority of objects that are shown to the public for the first time: previous events at the Musée de l’Armée focused on the practical details of a soldier’s life. “This is the first time we’re dedicating an exhibition
Beginning Oct. 10, the Musée de l’Armée in Paris will explore the relationship between luxury and power, retracing how the military world has always relied on aesthetics to convey messages of rank and authority, from the French Renaissance to present day.
“The military profession has always had strong ties to the question of appearance,” said Olivier Renaudeau, head of the Ancient department at the French army museum. “By definition, a member of the military has a particular status that differentiates him from the mass of civilians he is supposed to defend. This exhibition aims to show that the use of luxury on military uniforms is not a whim, but answers specific needs.”
The exhibition, named “Les Canons de l’Elegance,” or “Archetypes of Elegance” in English, features a majority of objects that are shown to the public for the first time: previous events at the Musée de l’Armée focused on the practical details of a soldier’s life. “This is the first time we’re dedicating an exhibition