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The 7 Best Fashion Museums in Paris You’ll Love

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Paris is known as one of the fashion capitals of the world and is home to some of the most famous design ateliers.

Being a fashion designer myself, I was keen to discover the best fashion museums in Paris. From iconic French designers, like Yves Saint Laurent and Dior, to learning about the history of French fashion, I was not surprised to find that Paris has some of the best fashion museums to visit.

In this post, we are sharing 7 must-see fashion museums in Paris, including practical information like ticket prices, opening times, and more. Let’s dive in!

The Best Fashion Museums in Paris

Here are the 7 best fashion museums in Paris. At the end of this post, you’ll find a map of all of the museum locations and some tips to help you have the best visit.

1. Musée Yves Saint Laurent

The Musée Yves Saint Laurent is one of the best fashion museums in Paris and pays homage to the iconic French designer Yves Saint Laurent. Located in the 16th arrondissement, just across from the Eiffel Tower, the museum was opened in 2017, 9 years after the designer’s death.

The fashion museum is located in YSL’s former haute couture atelier, which is a fabulous Parisian building. The French designer spent over 30 years here designing his timeless collections from the 1970s until the closure of the haute couture house in 2002.

Inside of the museum, you’ll find Yves Saint Laurent’s office and studio. Fabrics, buttons, sketches, and inspiration photos surround his desk. In this room, you’ll get an intimate look into his creative process and wish you had a room like this to design or create in.

The museum is split up into several levels and is best visited by wandering through the rooms, exploring decades of Yves Saint Laurent’s work, from sketches to his actual designs.

Practical Info
Address: 5, avenue Marceau, 75116 Paris – France
Hours: Open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00am – 6:00pm (closed Mondays & open until 9:00pm on Thursdays)
Tickets: €10 full rate | Reservation recommended | Purchase tickets and find more info on the official museum website.

2. Musée des Arts Décoratifs

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs, located in the 1st arrondissement in between the Louvre and Jardin des Tuileries, is a museum dedicated to the decorative arts.

While the focus of this museum may be decorative and interior design, it hosts annual exhibitions dedicated to the world of fashion design. In 2022, the Schiaparelli exhibition was on display for a few months showcasing this female designer’s iconic and artistic collections.

Inside of the exhibition, you got to discover the incredible designs, jewelry, sketches, and inspiration from the world of Schiaparelli. It was one of the best curated fashion exhibitions that I’ve attended.

This year, in 2023, the museum is celebrating the 1980’s with an exhibition featuring the design and fashion from this unforgettable decade. You can reserve your tickets on the Musée des Arts Décoratifs website.

Of course, you can’t forget about the permanent collections at the museum. These collections showcase some of the best interior design and objects from the Middle Ages to the Art Nouveau period. You’ll find rooms filled with ornate objects, from Napoleon I tableware to period rooms decked out in luxurious fabrics and furniture.

You can also discover the fabulous interior’s of Jeanne Lanvin’s apartment, designed by Armand-Albert, in the Art Nouveau section.

Practical Info
Address: 107, rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris
Hours: Permanent collections – Open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00am – 6:00pm Temporary exhibitions – Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00am – 6:00pm
Tickets: €14 full rate | Reservation recommended (especially for weekend visits) | Purchase tickets and find more info on the official website.

3. The Palais Galliera

The Palais Galliera, also known as the Paris Fashion Museum, is one of the largest fashion museums in the world.

With a collection of over 200,000 works on display, this museum offers visitors the opportunity to explore over 150 years of French fashion history.

Walk around the museum and discover fashion through the centuries, from 18th century dresses and 19th century costumes to fashion accessories and photographs. Not to mention the incredible haute couture collection of over 7,000 pieces from French designers like Dior, Chanel, and Balenciaga.

You’ll also find prints from historic fashion campaigns and sketches by the designers themselves.

The museum hosts exhibitions every year featuring an artist or a design icon. This year’s exhibition is focused on Frida Kahlo, the famed Mexican artist.

Palais Galliera is definitely the best fashion museum in Paris and is a must-visit to get an extensive look into the history of fashion.

Practical Info
Address: 10 avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie, Paris 16e, 75116 Paris
Hours: Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00am – 6:00pm (closed Mondays & open until 9:00pm on Thursdays)
Tickets: €15 full rate | Reservations recommended for exhibitions | Purchase tickets and find more info on the official museum website.

4. La Galerie Dior

La Galerie Dior, located right off of the luxury shopping street Avenue Montaigne, is a fashion museum exhibiting designs from the Dior fashion house. This traveling exhibition has finally found a permanent location for fashion lovers to visit year round in the heart of Paris.

Experience the glamorous world of Dior as you walk through the different galleries in the museum admiring the incredible craftsmanship of all the clothes on display.

Dior is known for its meticulous attention to detail and handmade fabrics. From hand embroidered tulle to hand beaded dresses, you can get a close up look of some of their most iconic haute couture and runway looks.

From the original Dior Bar Jacket, designed by Christian Dior himself, to the modern collections by Maria Grazia Chiuri, the gallery takes you through centuries of designs by the famous French fashion brand.

Practical Info
Address: 11, rue François Ier Paris 8e
Hours: Open Wednesday to Monday from 11:00am to 7:00pm (closed Tuesdays)
Tickets: €12 full rate | Reservation highly recommended | Purchase tickets and find more on the official museum website.

5. Musée de l’Éventail (Fan Museum)

The Musée de l’Éventail, also known as the Atelier Anne Hoguet, is the only fan museum in France.

Located in the 10th arrondissement, this museum is also a workshop that has been around for four generations. It’s one of three fan workshops left in France and is currently helmed by Anne Houguet, a master fan maker. She still makes fans to this day for the Paris Opera and haute couture brands.

Inside of the museum, you can discover decades of unique fan designs made in France. You’ll find over 2,500 fans in the museum’s collection, drawing inspiration from different historical time periods and themes.

If you’d like to purchase your own hand-made fan from the workshop, then you’ll find many designs available to purchase at the boutique in the workshop.

Practical Info
Address: 2, boulevard de Strasbourg, 75010 Paris – France​
Hours: Workshop is open Monday to Friday from 9:00am -12.30pm and 2:00pm-6:00pm | Reservation currently required for museum – +33 (0)1 42 08 19 89
Tickets: Must call for pricing – +33 (0)1 42 08 19 89 | Visit the official museum website for more info.

6. Fondation Azzedine Alaïa

The Fondation Azzedine Alaïa is a fashion museum in Paris dedicated preserving and showcasing the work of the designer Azzedine Alaïa.

The museum is located in the Marais in the former residence of Alaïa. Inside of the museum, you’ll find many of his designs on display, as well as items from his personal art collections.

A prominent designer in the 1980’s, Alaïa is known for his structural pieces and edgy silhouettes. Walk through the different rooms in the museum and get a close up look of the haute couture designer’s most famous work.

The museum holds a couple of exhibitions throughout the year. Currently, the museum is featuring photographs by fashion photographer and close friend of Alaïa, Arthur Elgort.

Practical Info
Address: 18 Rue de la Verrerie 75004 Paris
Hours: Open everyday from 11:00am – 7:00pm
Tickets: €10 full rate | Reservation recommended | Purchase tickets and find more info on the official museum website.

7. Musée de la Toile de Jouy

The Musée de la Toile de Jouy, located just outside of Versailles, is a museum dedicated to the classic French fabric Toile de Jouy.

Toile de Jouy is a cotton fabric printed with monochromatic repetitive scenes displaying countryside living, landscapes, and florals. It became popular in the 18th century in France by a man named Christophe-Philipe Oberkampf. His factory in Joey-en-Josas produced over 30,000 different prints, some of which can be previewed at the museum.

This fabric was commonly used as wallpaper, bed covers, and fabric for women’s dresses. Many of the toile de jouy designs are still being reproduced to this day and it’s a very popular print in the interior design world.

The museum offers a look into the history of this iconic fabric and has an excellent collection of historic prints on display.

It’s a bit of journey to get to the museum from Paris, but it can be visited during a day trip to Versailles.

Practical Info
Address: 54, rue Charles de Gaulle 78350 Jouy-en-Josas
Hours: Open Tuesdays from 2:00pm – 6:00pm | Open Wednesday to Sunday from 11:00am – 6:00pm | Closed Mondays
Tickets: Full rate €9 | Find more info on the official museum website (tickets can be purchased at the museum only).

Map of the Fashion Museums in Paris

Here is a map of the best fashion museums in Paris. If you select the icon on the left with the arrow, you will see a list of all of the museums. Select which one you’d like to visit and the address will show up with more information.

Tips for Visiting the Fashion Museums in Paris

  • Many of the fashion museums in Paris offer youth discounts. Since these are private museums, the prices vary from place to place. Make sure to look into this ahead of time in case you need to bring a student card or certain form of identification to get this discount.
  • We highly recommend reserving a time slot in advance. Some of the exhibitions sell out quickly, and it’s important to reserve ahead of time in order to get a spot.
  • If you don’t have time to see all of seven these Paris museums, then we recommend at least visiting the Musée Yves Saint Laurent, Le Galerie Dior, and Le Palais Galliera.

We’d love to hear about your experience visiting the fashion museums in Paris. If you have a favorite that’s not on this list or any recommendations, let us know in the comments below!

2 COMMENTS:

  1. Is there a company that would offer transportation or a tour in order to see these lovely spots ?
    As an American planning to visit for my 80th birthday , I would appreciate a small group experience.
    Thank you
    Love the website

    1. Hi Rose,
      What a fun and memorable birthday trip you are planning!

      I did some research, and I can’t seem to find a tour specifically for fashion museums. What I do recommend is reaching out to your hotel to see if they have a contact for a driver who could take you to some of these spots.

      – Jenoa

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