It was for the Universal Exposition of 1889 that a contest was held in Le Journal Officiel. That year marked the centennial of the French Revolution. The task: “Study the possibility of erecting an iron tower on the Champ-de-Mars with a square base, 125 meters wide and 300 meters tall,” meant to be the “centerpiece of the Exposition of 1889 to be held in Paris.” 1887: Gustave Eiffel and his collaborators were chosen to rise to the challenge. Work would soon begin on what was initially called “la tour de 300 mètres”. In just two years two months and five days, the symbol of progress à la française would be firmly planted in Paris’ Rive Gauche. Its “A” shape symbolized the Babylonian immensity of the City of Lights. A symbol of Paris and France that has since been a success beyond anything that anyone could have imagined at the time of its construction in 1889, especially in light of the vehement critiques. Like a number of artists, Guy de Maupassant was opposed to its construction. After its opening, it was said he would often lunch in one of the restaurants on the second floor. One day a journalist questioned him about this change of heart, to which he responded: “It’s the only place in the city where I can’t see it.” While the Tower was an attraction in the beginning, it became an allegory for modernity and avant-garde in the 20s. Little by little, its image would be associated with Paris to the point of becoming a national mascot. Finally, by a just sleight of fate, the iron muse and its famous rivets would lend inspiration to poets, painters, singers, filmmakers, photographers, couturiers, and designers.
An architectural mascot become a legend: it’s nigh impossible to evoke Parisian chic without it. It’s thanks to designers and artists that the object was able to become an elegant one, off kilter and ludic, metamorphosing in our consciousness. From Louis Vuitton to Chanel, Hermès, and Dior, the big fashion houses have been able to take inspiration from it to create a completely unique aesthetic. On their garments, shoes, or ad campaigns, the “Dame de Fer” alone transposes the emotions of Paris. And, when she appears in the imagination of a couturier seeking inspiration everywhere from the streets of Paris to the world of sci-fi, the result can only agitate one’s sensibilities. For his Fall/Winter 2011 runway, Jean-Paul Gaultier played with the idea of adorning fishnet bottoms with an Eiffel motif. Even better, in 2004 he made an Eiffel Tower dress for Yvette Horner. And how could one forget the Parisienne, the very elixir of Yves Saint Laurent, who was also cut from this same aura of a somber Paris at dawn – a symbol in and of itself.
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