From royal court to couture, La Mode en Majesté at Musée des Arts Décoratifs explores Thai royal dress from Queen Sirikit and Pierre Balmain to its influence on modern Thai fashion.

In the visual language of Thai cultural history, silk occupies a singular place, one associated with elegance, ceremonial power and artisanal precision. 

La Mode en Majesté – Royal Thai Dress: From Tradition to Modernity, now showing at Musée des Arts Décoratifs until 1 November, traces the lineage of Thai royal dress from the celebrated collaboration between Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother and French couturier Pierre Balmain to its enduring influence on contemporary Thai high fashion.

The exhibition celebrates two big milestones: 340 years of Thai-French relations and 170 years of official diplomatic ties between Thailand and France (1856–2026). More than 200 pieces fill the space, moving from the royal elegance and precise tailoring of Pierre Balmain, Erik Mortensen and Valentino Garavani to Maison Lesage and the contemporary visions of Thai designers such as Asava, Mesh Museum and Vatit Itthi.

Also on view are all eight variations of the Chud Thai Phra Ratcha Niyom, each built on specific construction methods: tightly woven silk with heritage patterns and sbai arranged in diagonal folds. It’s Thai craftsmanship at its most exacting, which prioritises aesthetic continuity over decorative transience.

Patron of the exhibition is Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya, and the showcase also introduces, for the first time at the museum, her house SIRIVANNAVARI, with a collection that ranges from beautiful mudmee silk to rich Raj-pattern designs.

Courtesy of sirivannavari_shop

With Thailand nominating the Chud Thai Phra Ratcha Niyom for UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, the Paris exhibition lands right in the middle of a bigger conversation about the rising visibility of chud Thai globally. Thai fashion is having a very good moment right now.