In the 1980s, Thierry Mugler was the couturier of the staging, the king of fashion shows.
But more unexpectedly, he also stood out in the hemicycle of the National Assembly.
It was April 17, 1985, Jack Lang, Minister of Culture for four years, came to the podium to answer a question about the work of the Grand Louvre.
He wears a suit with a Mao collar, which changes from the traditional suit worn by deputies and conceals the tie, and is directly inspired by the attire of Indian officials.
Returning from a trip to India with François Mitterrand, Jack Lang had placed an order with the French couturier in order to have a jacket on the same model.
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In video, the bronca of the deputies against the Mao collar of Jack Lang in 1985
"Looks like Gaddafi"
He has not yet spoken at the microphone that it rumbles in the spans of the Palais Bourbon.
The black jacket annoys some: it may well promote French creation, it does not reveal a tie.
For the opposition, it goes too far.
If no provision of the rules of procedure specifies any dress code for men, the conventions however want them to present themselves with ties.
For several minutes, Jack Lang is the target of whistles and jeers.
“It looks like Gaddafi”, “the carnival is over”… The attacks fuse.
A bronca which will have been right of the habit.
Even if Jack Lang is amused by the effect produced by his jacket, he will no longer wear it during his appearances at the Assembly.
The case made an impression – the costume is currently on display at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris as part of the “Couturissime” exhibition – but it has not changed cultural habits so much.
Thirty-seven years later, the tie is still "required" within the Hemicycle.
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