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Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins were over the moon in 1969 when each was gifted a solid gold model of their Lunar Excursion Module created by Cartier. The glittering tribute to America’s pioneering spacemen was commissioned by the French newspaper Le Figaro, funded by its readers and presented to the crew in Paris during their “Giant Step” goodwill world tour.
The 5.9-inch-tall 18-karat replica of the spacecraft given to Collins is one of the many fascinating treasures on display through May 31 at the Comité Colbert’s “Hidden Treasures: 250 Years of Franco-American Luxury Stories” exhibit at The Shed. Tickets are $35 apiece and can be purchased online.
The show celebrates the artistic dialogue between the U.S. and France and showcases the heritage of 65 French luxury houses and cultural institutions from Baccarat, Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Van Cleef & Arpels to the Eiffel Tower. It was developed in partnership with the Villa Albertine, Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch, JCDecaux, and ISG Luxury Program, among others.
“Hidden Treasures reveals the invisible threads that connect France and the United States through craftsmanship, creativity, and cultural exchange, says Bénédicte Épinay, President & CEO of the Comité Colbert, the collective of 96 French luxury brands, 17 cultural institutions, and six European luxury maisons across 14 trades.
Another headline-making piece is Jean-Paul Gaultier’s breast-baring pinstripe dress from 1992. Although the gown was shown on the runway with star-shaped pasties and a scarf, Madonna wasn’t so modest. The Material Girl famously doffed her jacket and modeled the nipple-freeing frock at an amfAR charity gala in Los Angeles. The applause was uproarious and she helped raise nearly $700,000 for AIDS research.
Many other French legacy designs shared across the seas are on display. A heritage reproduction of the pink Givenchy couture coat that Jackie Kennedy wore in France for the Kennedy administration’s first official overseas state visit in June 1961 has price of place. A circa 1950 black Kelly bag, like the one that Grace Kelly used to hide her pregnancy from cameras, is eternally iconic. Meanwhile, Dior’s silk satin Athena evening gown was part of the company’s New York collection, founded in 1948 for the maison’s important American clientele. The line was sold at leading department stores around the country as well as at a Dior boutique on Fifth Ave.
New artifacts include Chanel artistic director Matthieu Blazy’s tweed coat and skirt (from the Métiers d’art 2026 collection) inspired by the movie poster for “Tonight or Never, a 1931 film starring Gloria Swanson. The house’s founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel designed the original costumes – from a printed jumpsuit to a strappy black evening gown – for Mervyn LeRoy’s romantic comedy.
What could be more symbolic of the France-America transatlantic bond than Louis Vuitton luggage? The Parisian house sent two pieces: a 1907 cabin trunk in Monogram canvas once owned by Louis Comfort Tiffany, the artist and son of the founder of Tiffany & Co., and a 2001 Marc Jacobs Bisten suitcase in Monogram Graffiti canvas created in collaboration with Stephen Sprouse.
Like the Vuitton trunks, this exhibit packs in a lot of glamour and history.
