Parisian designer Sonia Rykiel (who is rightly known as the queen of knits) has had an eventful year celebrating 40 years in fashion. It began with a fete during Paris Fashion Week, and continues now as her work is being honored by the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, an applied arts museum found in the wing of the Louvre in Paris. The exhibition, which is open to the public from November 20th through April 19th 2009, features her most memorable designs as well as her most famous advertising campaign shot by famed French photographer Dominique Issermann in 1980. Everything in the exhibit demonstrates the timeless Rykiel style from flouncy dresses to her famous striped knits. They all have a certain je sais quoi Parisian quality which epitomizes the mysterious allure of Parisian women.

Black and white photos from the 1980 advertising campaign shot by Dominique Issermann
POSTED BY ELIZABETH PANTALEO
PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH PANTALEO