At 10 am on June 5, at 16 Rue de la Calade, within the southern French metropolis of Arles, the truck lastly arrived. It had left Grasse at daybreak, however on this slender and busy avenue within the historic heart, delivering the valuable cargo proved difficult. It was an vital day. About 30 mannequins have been set to affix the long run Fragonard Museum of Vogue and Costume. At first, they’d be saved within the reserves on the third ground, alongside the library, restoration workshop and workplaces. Their equipment adopted, packed in giant cardboard containers, with a single outfit typically requiring as much as 20 containers.
Pushed on carts, these enigmatic, white-shrouded figures drew questions from an amused passerby: “What is that this? Ghosts?” With only a month to go earlier than the opening, a number of tradespeople have been placing the ending touches on the positioning. The groups have been extra excited than ever. Orchestrating the operations, museum and textile collections director Clément Trouche confirmed no signal of stress, greeting everybody with a sort phrase.
An iconic perfumer from Grasse since 1926, Fragonard is now run by the fourth technology of a household of lovers and collectors. In France, the corporate operates not solely three manufacturing websites, 25 boutiques and a guesthouse (in Arles), but in addition a number of museums in Grasse and Paris, together with one devoted to the painter and glove maker Jean-Honoré Fragonard, in addition to the Museum of Provençal Costume and Jewellery, each positioned in Grasse. The latter, inaugurated in 1997, was created to deal with the vital assortment constructed by Hélène Costa (who died in 2007), whose three daughters – Agnès, Françoise and Anne – now run the household enterprise.
Lovingly collected
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