'Fashion Icon': The Virgin Mary's 700-Year-Old Wardrobe On Display At Exhibition In France (PHOTOS)

"Fashion Icon," an exhibit on display at Lyon's Fabric Museum (Musée des Tissus) features elaborate dresses made for the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus from the 12th to the 19th century. The exhibit explores how clothes, full of intricate religious symbolism, were designed to adorn their statues, sometimes even becoming objects of adoration themselves.

For hundreds of years, rare and expensive fabrics were used to clothe the Virgin Mary, and on special occasions, men and women would commission tailors to cut dresses for the Virgin Mary from their own precious or memorable clothes. It was a fairly common practice for brides to donate their wedding dresses to make dresses for the Virgin Mary. In a quote reported by the AFP, Maximilien Durand, director of the Lyon fabric museum said, "They [Virgin Mary statues] were dressed like real women, like fashion icons, with real hair, wigs, even make-up."

While the Virgin Mary is popularly depicted in robes of blue, white and red, symbolic of heavenly grace, purity and humility, the exhibit also features dresses in vibrant hues of green and purple, worn in accordance with the Catholic liturgical calendar. The exhibit, that will run till March 25, also features dresses designed by haute couture French designers Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and Franck Sorbier.

Please click through the slideshow to see striking imagery from the exhibition:

Comments

[TheLadyOphelia]

11:01 PM on 12/17/2011

Since this article was very short, there is no expanation as to who these dressmakers were and what was their social status.

It says rare or expensive cloth was used, and tailors where "commissioned" to make this clothing and brides would donate their dresses.

I would guess that these were the very wealthy, 700 years ago, who were able to have fine cloth, money to commission tailors and afford to have a special dress for their marriage. Most people were dirt poor than with just a few at the top with money.

Maybe they dressed up these statues of Mary as a hope of gaining favor from "on high". I know the wealthy often bought dispensations for their sins through the ages. This may have been a way that the wealthy women were able to buy a dispensation without having to have it out in the open or even consult a religious official about it. Wealthy/high status women generally weren't in the public view and were expected to almost be cloistered.

This is very interesting. The dressing of religious icons is quite common in many cultures in hopes of appeasing the gods/god.

[naschkatze]

11:54 AM on 12/17/2011

There is a striking similarity to the papal wardrobe.

[MIKEinNYC]

06:52 PM on 12/14/2011

If they make these in miniature, and put a slip in its head it would make a neat piggybank.

[phyrro]

01:22 AM on 12/13/2011

Wow. The Virgin Mary is the equivalent of today's Barbie Doll. If the Barbie Doll is a virgin then maybe that's from whom the second coming of Jesus will come from - The Virgin Barbie.

[phyrro]

01:18 AM on 12/13/2011

I didn't realize the Virgin Mary was anorexic.

[Maryam Hajar]

08:06 AM on 12/13/2011

Well, she was only 13 yrs old when impregnated...so, would look rather small....

[Negative Nancy]

12:16 AM on 12/13/2011

One thing I don't get about the Catholic religion they say they are born with sin they get baptised to wash away their sin then they spend their life sinning & then they go confess their sins & pray for forgiveness of their sins and go right back out into the world and commense sin again and around & around they go..never really accomplishing anything (The Sindrome) Catholics have all these physical representatives of God that they worship like the Golden Calf in the day of Moses..... what was the purpose of their Christ giving His life for their sins if no change ever occurs individually & personally just a perpetual chasing of ones tail in a circle... I think there is a missing link.

[grailknight]

09:40 PM on 12/13/2011

Have you ever known of a confessed sinner who sinned no more? It's analogous to doing you laundry. You wash your panties. You wear them again, you have to wash them again. It's a process of spiritual renewal, unlike certain prod sects who believe in salvation through a simple act of declaration of faith. That's every bit as dodgy a propostition. As to the use of iconography, it's clear you don't know the history of the ancient church. It was able to thrive by the subsumption of classical religion. The icons aren't prescirbed as idols, in this world view, but representations intended to focus your attention. The the purpose of Christ giving his life is an allegory. There is nothing missing except in your perception, life is a circle.

[Robert Frano]

09:00 PM on 12/12/2011

Re: "elaborate dresses made for the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus from the 12th to the 19th century..."

How is this modern, 'Gucchi-shod' pope any different as he pretend 10's-of-1,000's of sex-felonies are mere 'gossip'?

As a ‘Catholic-to-be’ during confirmation in the early '50's., I remember thinking 'what-a-fine-home-God-has' or some such…crap! This was right around the time that my cousin was ‘channeling’ (the late) Rev. John Geoghan, while my parents were ‘channeling’ the now-newly-retired Bernard-Cardinal-Law!
Now, when I think of my former monotheist-belief I remember something else…
A Methodist-PSA where a chubby middle-aged woman waddles past children of different races, scowling at them all; a voice-over intones, (as she waddles up the church steps): "If you didn't find him out there, you WON'T find him in here either!"
Sadly, that woman could be a contemporary pope-or-papal-equivalent in the soon-to-disappear organizations that use a ‘Crescent’, a ‘Star-of-David’, and a ‘Crucifix’...symbols of spiritual-emptiness!

[Negative Nancy]

05:06 PM on 12/12/2011

Madonna said : "Like a Virgin" & " Dress You Up in My Love" & " I'm gonna Keep my Baby"
Madonna to Madonna.

[Deluded]

11:59 AM on 12/12/2011

This article is typical of the nonsense around the so called mother of god the Virgin Mary. The bible has not much to say about this woman it does not describe her nor give her age. In fact her appearances in the bible are all in the background. She speaks only a couple of times. There is of course her alleged soliloquy delivered at the birth of John the Baptist. It is widely believed this soliloquy the so called ‘Magnificat’ is an adaptation of the song of Hannah. The ultimate fate of Mary is not revealed in the bible. Yet from the poverty of biblical information on Mary, the Christian Church has constructed a complete back-story for her, including grandparents. If ever proof was needed that Christianity was man made the example of the ‘Virgin Mary’ is it.

[Disillusioned One]

04:37 PM on 12/13/2011

Deluded, you're not at all 'delusional'. In my estimation, you are very clear headed and speak with common sense. I am an ex-catholic of many years who couldn't take the make believe any longer. They say they hate lying to their kids about Santa Claus but drill these myths into their heads from a toddler on up. I attended the catholic schools from 1st. grade through H.S. Religion [brainwashing] was a subject, the very first one of the day.

[sunshine14]

10:38 AM on 12/12/2011

What mother would want to take away the glory of her son? Just like the word divine, did not mean they were God, divine also meant someone who was given divine spiritual understanding of God's Word, was also thought and called divine. Jesus never called himself God, but only saying I Am the son of man son of God. Teaching us all we too are sons and daughters of man, sons and daughters of God, that God has placed Himself within every heart to know Him. With God there is no gender, God created mankind. Wo/man. Wo means in Greek -same -as, woman same as man. Mankind. One would ponder on that God being God did not have to be tempted for 40 days by Satan in the dessert now would HE? For God created all and is All powerful over all. Interesting Love all.

[sunshine14]

10:32 AM on 12/12/2011

What we do know by Jesus own sayings which all came out and can be all found in the OT, that Jesus did not come to preach about His mother, but Jesus whole teaching, preaching was about God only and knowing who we are already. I honor his mother but worship only God. All of God chosen ones were vessels through whom God chose giving a mission to accomplish. There can be found in Jesus blood line no virgin births, Abraham, Jacob, Noah, Moses etc. Abraham was told his wife would have a child,long before the child came but was born of a woman through the seed of man. Greek Hebrew meaning of virgin only means a woman of marriageable age. Love all.

[firstamendment3]

08:24 AM on 12/12/2011

I'm sure Mary would want these things sold to pay for the victims of her Son's priests.

[Adam Valen Levinson]

08:06 AM on 12/12/2011

Can she wear white after labor day?

[ThinkCreeps]

05:20 PM on 12/12/2011

Bravo.

[Adam Valen Levinson]

05:43 PM on 12/12/2011

Thx. That one was like an onion.

[phyrro]

01:32 AM on 12/13/2011

Sure. She was a virgin on labor day so she is still a virgin unless she did some hanky-panky after she was fertilized.

[Noble9]

07:59 AM on 12/12/2011

If she was dressed like this they probably wouldn't have turned her away to sleep in a barn.

[phyrro]

01:36 AM on 12/13/2011

Yes they would have kicked some poor souls out of the inn to make room for her and the whole nativity myth would have been exposed. No Jesus. No Christmas. Durn I would have given her immaculate clothing so she could have slept in the inn and saved us all the misery.

[bensonwood]

07:53 AM on 12/12/2011

We all love mothers ..........but not out place mothers.
Who needs a mother trying to be God.

[Quai DOrsay]

09:44 AM on 12/12/2011

Mary never tried to be God ... :)

[bensonwood]

08:26 AM on 12/16/2011

No, Mary did not but the coookes did. They were OFFICIALLY OF THE OFF THE DEVIL.

[Razpooten]

12:54 AM on 12/13/2011

This is the mother of all myths.

[bensonwood]

08:26 AM on 12/16/2011

THANKS