Last March, Laurence des Cars, the Louvre’s director, was at the top of her game. Dressed in a harlequin-print gown, she played hostess to a fundraising “Grand Dîner” gala at the museum during Paris Fashion Week. Guests wandered through “Louvre Couture,” the first fashion exhibition in the museum’s 232-year history, before dining among the marble sculptures in the glass-ceilinged Cour Marly.
Admittedly, this was no Met Gala, with its themed costume ball and Instagrammable arrivals. But it was the world’s most renowned and popular museum, so boldface names did not shy away. Anna Wintour arrived in Givenchy couture. Also in attendance were Grammy-winning rapper Doechii and Victoria and David Beckham; designers John Galliano, Iris van Herpen, Rick Owens, and Jean Paul Gaultier; actors Keira Knightley, Michelle Yeoh, Kelly Rutherford, and Dev Patel; models Naomi Campbell, Eva Herzigová, and Tyra Banks; and the perennial big donors Stephen and Christine Schwarzman.