9 Times Fashion Showed Its Love for the Eiffel Tower

L'OFFICIEL looks back at the most iconic fashion moments featuring the Eiffel Tower on its 132nd anniversary.

Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2019

The Eiffel Tower, first inaugurated at the 1889 World’s Fair, was initially critiqued by many intellectuals of the era who feared that the tallest structure in Paris would leave an unappealing effect on the city. In its 132 years, however, la dame de fer has been a beacon for tourists, an emblematic symbol in French cinema, and an unmovable pinnacle in fashion. Connoting romanticism and elegance, the landmark has become a character in its own right, one communicating modernity and avant-garde. On the Eiffel Tower’s 132 anniversary of opening to the public, L’OFFICIEL looks back at the swoon-worthy fashion moments with the tower that will go down in history, from Dior to Emily in Paris.

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When launching his first collection, the New Look in 1947—which celebrated a refreshing take on women’s style and focused on ultra-femininity and opulence in the Post-WW2 era—Christian Dior presented his model side-by-side with the Eiffel Tower. The model and the locally nicknamed “la dame de fer” mirror each others’ silhouettes, illustrating Paris’ enduring depiction as inherently romantic, beautiful, and wistful.

In “An American in Paris” starring Gene Kelly, the actor illustrates the birth of the emerging theme in popular media of the ingenue American flocking to Paris for professional success, often deeply rooted in artistic occupations. The musical, filled with escapist imagery of elegant ballerinas and artists passionately dedicated to their craft, embodies the notion that Paris is incomparable to other modern cities. As Kelly describes, “Paris is like art or love or faith, it can’t be explained, it can only be felt.” In communicating the intangible essence of Paris, the poster advertising the film prominently features the Eiffel Tower, a symbol of the glamorous image of urban Parisian life.

In “An American in Paris” starring Gene Kelly, the actor illustrates the theme in popular media of the ingenue American flocking to Paris for professional success, often deeply rooted in artistic occupations. The fashion-favorite musical, filled with escapist imagery of elegant ballerinas and artists passionately dedicated to their craft, embodies the notion that Paris is incomparable to other modern cities. As Kelly describes, “Paris is like art or love or faith, it can’t be explained, it can only be felt.” In communicating the intangible essence of Paris, the poster advertising the film prominently features the Eiffel Tower, a symbol of the glamorous image of urban Parisian life.

Audrey Hepburn, as the great American tourist in the 1957 film “Funny Face,” depicts the fashion coming-of-age evolution of Jo Stockton from shy bookstore employee to Parisian model. Hepburn fittingly breaks into song while wandering through Paris alongside co-stars Fred Astaire and Kay Thompson in the musical number “Bonjour Paris,” which the three lovingly sing as an ode to the City of Lights. Naturally the three end up at the most quintessentially Parisian landmark, the Eiffel Tower. There, Hepburn, Astaire, and Thompson, dressed in ‘50s Parisian chic coordinate into a dance in the restaurant of La Tour Eiffel.

In 1965, Yves Saint Laurent released an image of a model dressed in an evening gown, carefully placing the Eiffel Tower subtly in the background of the black and white advertisement. The image represents the ethos of the brand in using femininity as a feature of empowerment as well as the elegance the Eiffel Tower had come to represent.

French avant-garde fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier paid homage to the Eiffel Tower in his Fall/Winter 2010 runway adorning tights with the iconography of the structure on the calves of his model.

While, Karl Lagerfeld’s ambitious set in the Grand Palais to showcase the elaborate Chanel Fall/Winter 2017Haute Couture collection, isn’t at the actual Eiffel Tower, Lagerfeld’s team should be commended for the terrific feat of creating a scale model replica of the bottom half of the tower. The recreated Eiffel Tower that vanishes amongst a cloud and appears to ascend through the glass-domed roof, was particularly important as a backdrop for his models to walk under. Lagerfeld, the ingenious designer, much like many drawn to Paris, was inspired by the Eiffel Tower as a symbol of avant-garde modernity, much like Coco Chanel herself.

While Karl Lagerfeld’s ambitious set in the Grand Palais for the elaborate Chanel Fall/Winter 2017 Haute Couture collection isn’t at the actual Eiffel Tower, Lagerfeld’s team should be commended for the terrific feat of creating a scale model replica of the bottom half of the tower. The recreated Eiffel Tower that vanishes amongst a cloud and appears to ascend through the glass-domed roof, was particularly important as a backdrop for his models to walk under. Lagerfeld, the ingenious designer, much like many drawn to Paris, was inspired by the Eiffel Tower as a symbol of avant-garde modernity, much like Coco Chanel herself.

Saint Laurent’s Spring/Summer 2018 collection will go down in fashion history for its dramatic pouf silhouettes, glitter dresses, and leather boots that walked the runway underneath a sparkling Eiffel Tower. As the models walked through smoke, the vibrancy of the show alight by the monumental masterpiece of Gustave Eiffel, communicates an inherent optimism that is awe-inspiring and evidently dazzling. Anthony Vaccarello, Saint Laurent’s creative director, told Vogue Runway that he wanted to “tell the story of Saint Laurent, of Paris—nothing more deeply than that.”

Saint Laurent has hosted many runway shows backdroped by the Paris landmark. The Spring/Summer 2018 collection will go down in fashion history for its dramatic pouf silhouettes, glitter dresses, and leather boots that walked the runway underneath a sparkling Eiffel Tower. As the models walked through smoke, the vibrancy of the show alight by the monumental masterpiece of Gustave Eiffel dazzles. Anthony Vaccarello, Saint Laurent’s creative director, told Vogue Runway that he wanted to “tell the story of Saint Laurent, of Paris—nothing more deeply than that.”

In Balenciaga’s Spring/Summer 2019 collection, designer Demna Gvsalia had visual artist Jonn Rafman create an immersive set, creating commentary on futurism and technology. Fittingly, the Eiffel Tower appeared as miniature motifs on multiple signature pieces.

In Netflix’s 2020 comedy “Emily in Paris,” fashion, a young American ingenue, and the Eiffel Tower seemingly appear once again. Emily Cooper, played by Lily Collins, an ambitious 20-something marketing executive introduced to the world of French luxury, accidentally offends fictional couture designer and potential client Pierre Cadault with her Eiffel Tower charm that he deems "ringarde.” Emily, in attempting to redeem her faux-pas, professes her love of fashion, proving that while some things might get lost in translation, the enduring symbol of the Eiffel Tower as representative of the glitz and the glam of high fashion transcends even Emily’s poor French. Notably, throughout the show, Emily pays homage to another tale of the quintessential “American in Paris” troupe, with Collins dressing as the spitting image of Audrey Hepburn in “Funny Face.”

In Netflix’s 2020 comedy “Emily in Paris,” fashion, a young American ingenue, and the Eiffel Tower seemingly appear once again. Emily Cooper (Lily Collins), an ambitious 20-something marketing executive introduced to the world of French luxury, accidentally offends fictional couture designer and potential client Pierre Cadault with her Eiffel Tower charm that he deems "ringarde.” Emily, in attempting to redeem her faux-pas, professes her love of fashion, proving that while some things might get lost in translation, the enduring symbol of the Eiffel Tower as representative of the glitz and the glam of high fashion transcends even Emily’s poor French. Notably, the actual Eiffel Tower backdrops several scenes throughout the series. Even more, Emily pays homage to another tale of the quintessential “American in Paris” troupe, with Collins dressing as the spitting image of Audrey Hepburn in “Funny Face.”