Salon International de la Lingerie: Art, Fashion & Lingerie Merge

By MARIECRISTINA RIGHI

In Paris this season, art, fashion, and lingerie spoke the same language. Ornament is back, not as excess, but as meaning. Maximalism is no longer a whisper. It is a declaration.

The signals were quietly stacking up, and then suddenly they were everywhere.  From the beauty world, think Chappell Roan’s unapologetically theatrical Grammy makeup and the visual impact of Euphoria, shaped so indelibly by Donni Davy. Across Europe’s museums, the thesis became undeniable.

The major influence, Marie Antoinette Style, exhibiting in London at the Victoria & Albert Museum’s  delivers the formal coronation: baroque is beautiful, compelling and inspirational.  In Paris, the message sharpens further. At the Grand Palais, The Rediscovered Treasure of the Sun King, and at the Palais Galliera, Weaving, Embroidering, Embellishing: The Crafts and Trades of Fashion, make a compelling case for the return of hyper-decoration, virtuoso embroidery, and sumptuous textiles. This is not cosplay. It is Baroque reimagined, disciplined, artisanal, and knowingly modern.

That same dialogue was unmistakable at the Salon International de la Lingerie. What we saw on the lingerie floor mirrored these observations: a renewed reverence for beauty, craft, and theatrical detail. Precious embroideries, refined lace, and opulent surfaces returned with confidence. Corsetry with boning, ties, and architectural intent felt less historical reference than contemporary assertion. Even panier-inspired structures appeared, reintroducing volume and waist emphasis with wit and purpose.

Crucially, much of this lingerie refuses to stay hidden. These are pieces designed to be seen, styled, and lived in, liberated from the rigid categories that have long constrained intimates. It is lingerie as both underwear and outerwear. The line between the two is blurred.

That philosophy aligns seamlessly with Jos Berry’s concept of the 24-hour wardrobe: lingerie rooted in emotional connection rather than consumption. “Women don’t dress by category,” Berry reminds us. “They dress by emotion, moment, and desire.” Technology may give lingerie power, but decoration gives it soul.

Her framework identifies four emotional states shaping today’s lingerie conversation. Calm embraces natural hues, skin-friendly materials, and a sense of refuge. Noble is ceremony and self-celebration, expressed through jewel tones, velvets, silks, and decorative weight. Bold brings play and cultural immediacy with graphic lace, humor, animal motifs, and expressive color. Sweet returns us to intimate pleasures: pastels, bows, frills, and a whisper of nostalgia.

In Paris, lingerie didn’t follow fashion this season. It led. Here we showcase some of the brands that captured the m

 

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