See Now: Christian Lacroix’s Theater Costumes at SCAD Lacoste

Traveling to Provence this summer or fall? We highly recommend a stop at SCAD Lacoste, a medieval village overlooking the lavender-filled Luberon valley that’s home to Savannah College of Art and Design. (Here are 10 reasons why you should go.) It doesn’t just offer a picturesque immersion in Provence, but also a fascinating cultural fix courtesy of art and design exhibitions.

The latest must-see exhibit is Christian Lacroix Habille Peer Gynt pour la Comédie-Française, which shows off the famous fashion designer’s extravagant costumes for the stage. Lacroix- whose many talents extend from the runway to hotel design- has infused the pieces with exuberance and color, while staying true to the technical precision that’s a hallmark of high fashion.

Running until 1 November 2023, the exhibit also provides a peek into the famous play by playwright Henrik Ibsen. The Comédie-Française is one of the world’s longest-standing theatrical institutions in the world, and this collaboration with Lacroix illustrates the characters from Ibsen’s play “Peer Gynt” through 40 flamboyant costumes.

To quote the official program:

The exhibition celebrates Lacroix’s extensive work with the Comédie-Française, a collaboration that began in the 1990s. Founded by Louis XIV in the 17th century, the Comédie-Française is one of the longest-running theater companies in both France and the world. Its production of Peer Gynt premiered during the company’s Spring 2012 season, with the play’s bevy of characters — from the titular ne’er-do-well adventurer to brides, Scandinavian villagers, a troll princess and her troll king father, and a Bedouin tribe — imagined anew by Lacroix through his stylized designs. The 40 costumes on view at SCAD FASH Lacoste synthesize the designer’s signature style with Ibsen’s fantastical saga, ushering viewers through the unpredictable tale.

The exhibit’s opening reception notably inaugurated a new museum space, which was once the Galerie Centre owned by designer Pierre Cardin, a longtime Lacoste resident and cultural ambassador for the region.

For more information, visit www.scadfash.org