Costumes of lights !

Since the 18th century, the distinctive costume traditionally associated with the bullfighter has ignited passions. It catches the eye and sparks the interest of those who encounter it. Inspired by the clothing of the Bourbon court, it attests to a strong identity, imbued with diverse influences. Between aristocratic customs and practices, the costumes evolved thanks to the influence of the aesthetics of bullfighters from the common people.

It was in the 19th century, and particularly through Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen, with its character Escamillo, that the figure of the bullfighter was transformed into the toreador.

On the sand as on the stage, light emanates from every movement, giving the costume’s motifs a breath of life.

Discover in this exhibition dossier unique pieces so beloved by the Spanish painter Francisco de Goya, drawn from the private collection of Alberto Perales in Madrid, as well as from the archives of the Christian Lacroix fashion house dating from 1987 and 1989. Like Picasso and Cocteau, the Arles-born couturier nurtured a fascination with these brightly colored costumes, entirely embroidered with gold, which he glimpsed in the amphitheater twice a year, and which would later become a recurring and defining element of his style.

Bullfighters also greatly inspired other designers, such as Yves Saint Laurent, who, in 1977 and 1979, succumbed to the charms of this proud figure and interpreted the suit of lights in his own way. It bestows upon the modern woman the power attributed to this noble and popular figure, symbolizing a sophisticated and sensual androgynous archetype while defying the gender norms dictated by Western society.

Painters, filmmakers, photographers, directors, and more recently Instagrammers, beyond prejudice, capture these elaborately adorned male bodies, clad in silk stockings and metallic embroidery embellished with cut stones and sequins—the last vestiges of a fantasized, baroque 18th century.