Thierry Mugler joined the ballet of the Opéra du Rhin at fourteen, and it was there that he acquired his sense of the stage and that awareness of the body. Broadened shoulders, wasp waists, silhouettes pushed to the point of sculpture: his style is recognisable at a glance. His shows were closer to opera, before thousands of spectators. He dressed the Palace, then Mylène Farmer on tour.
The story
Manfred Thierry Mugler was born in Strasbourg on 21 December 1948. At fourteen he joined the ballet of the Opéra du Rhin: the awareness of the body and the sense of the stage that made his fashion came out of dance.
His style is recognisable at a glance — widened shoulders, wasp waists, silhouettes pushed to the edge of sculpture. In 1978 he dressed the waiters of the Palace, the great Paris nightclub, and turned a dance floor into a permanent catwalk.
In 1989 he dressed Mylène Farmer for her tour, and stage costume became a character in its own right. Thirty years on, he would sign Kim Kardashian's dress for the 2019 Met Gala.
His shows looked like nothing else fashion was doing: productions for audiences of several thousand, with operatic entrances and science-fiction costumes. The Clarins group bought the house in 1997.
He died at Vincennes on 23 January 2022 and lies in Division 49, avenue Feuillant — the Division of Nerval, of Nodier, and of the recumbent effigy of Hélène Andrianoff.
The grave
A cavotin — a small vault — on the avenue Feuillant: a grave of modest dimensions, without monument or ornament, for one of the most spectacular designers of his century. The inscription is limited to his full name — “Manfred Thierry Mugler” — without dates or mention of the trade. The contrast with his shows, staged before thousands of spectators, is the very subject of this grave.
On site, do not miss
A discreet little vault and three names engraved — Manfred Thierry Mugler — for the most spectacular of couturiers.
Visitors' questions
Where is Thierry Mugler's grave?
In Division 49, avenue Feuillant, first row, in a cavotin, a small vault — the Division of Gérard de Nerval, Charles Nodier and the recumbent effigy of Hélène Andrianoff. The inscription gives his full name, without dates.
Gérard de NervalWas he a dancer?
Yes, classically trained: at fourteen he joined the ballet of the Opéra du Rhin. That is where the awareness of the body and the sense of theatre that shaped his fashion and his shows came from.
Yvette ChauviréWhat was his style?
Broadened shoulders, wasp waists, silhouettes pushed to the point of sculpture. He dressed the waiters of the Palace nightclub in 1978, Mylène Farmer in 1989, and Kim Kardashian at the 2019 Met Gala.
René LaliqueWhat did he change about the fashion show?
He turned it into total theatre: productions staged before several thousand spectators, with operatic entrances and science-fiction costumes, at a time when fashion was still shown in salons.
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