The Fashion Museum at the VDNKh

For nearly a year the Pavilion №16 (Hydrometeorology) has hosted the collection of Alexandre Vassiliev, a fashion designer and historian.

The exhibition design celebrating the 20th century costume is reminiscent of a typical Soviet department store of the 1960s, where the restored garments look as if they have never left the place.

The elaborate ornamentalism of the exhibition conjures up the atmosphere of a different epoch. Its core element is the flower petal, while the geometry of the chandelier replicating floral patterns symbolises growth and prosperity.

The design of the space was conceived to accommodate three consecutive exhibitions in one pavilion — the same podiums were painted in different colours and new details were added, which resulted in three distinct display areas over a year depending on the character of the exhibits.

The first of the three exhibitions, ‘Spring and Fashion’, embraces the period from the 1920s to the early 1980s. The second one, ‘Resort Fashion’, relates the history of the swimming costume. The ‘Glamour of the 1980s’, opened in December, on the eve of Christmas holidays, is the finishing exhibition of the cycle.

The exhibition stretches beyond the interior of the pavilion projecting onto the facade, as the flower-in-bloom shaped podiums can be spotted from the street. A glimpse inside the pavilion through the glass, which is transparent perimeter-wise, reveals the stunning petals enticing visitors to come and see the exhibition.

Architecture: Olga Treivas, Vera Odyn, Elena Kornilova
Client: VDNKh
Curators: Alexander Vassiliev, Cyrille Gassiline
Status: Completed
Location: Moscow, VDNKh, Hydrometeorology Pavilion
Area: 490 m2
Year: 2018
Photography: Olga Alekseenko

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  • The form of a flower petal is the main visual component of exhibition

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  • The design of the space was conceived to accommodate three consecutive exhibitions in one pavilion — the same podiums were painted in different colours and new details were added

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  • Podiums form a blossoming flower which can be seen from the outside

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