LONDON (AP) 鈥 A new exhibition in Paris celebrates the history of fashion 鈥 as worn by Snoopy and the Peanuts gang.
鈥淪noopy In Style," which opens Saturday, pays tribute to and his beloved creations by looking at the evolution of the characters鈥 outfits and their context in 鈥 and influence on 鈥 popular culture ahead of the 75th anniversary of the 鈥淧eanuts鈥 comic strip on Oct. 2.
The first time Schulz drew Charlie Brown, he didn鈥檛 have his iconic zig-zag shirt. Peppermint Pattysa国际传媒 stance on what to wear to school pre-dates a legal change for girls鈥 uniform. And Snoopy has been dressed by some of the worldsa国际传媒 top designers, from Chanel to Fendi to Vivienne Westwood.
Seventy-five outfits created for the soft toy versions of Snoopy and his sister Belle are on display, including those designed by Dolce & Gabbana, Betsey Johnson, Zac Posen and Christian Siriano.
鈥淲e have dolls from every single designer around the world. Chanel is here. Karl Lagerfeld is here. Dolce Gabbana, Balmain," Peanuts Worldwide executive Melissa Menta said. 鈥淲e also have 18 sets of dolls that include Lacoste, and also Valentino by Alessandro Michele.鈥
Schulz's widow Jeannie Schulz, who is the founder of The Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, said the cartoonist 鈥渦nderstood that comic strip characters had to have a style.鈥
鈥淗e realized after a while that you need to know immediately who the character is and what that character represents. So thatsa国际传媒 when Charlie Brown got the stripe and Lucy got the painted dress and Sally got a bow," she said.
The show highlights a cultural difference in how Peanuts has been embraced in the United States and Europe, Menta said.
鈥淚n the United States, we know them from these classic specials: 鈥楥harlie Brown Christmas鈥 is something that most Americans really embrace Peanuts for. But here in Europe, itsa国际传媒 most often known as a fashion brand,鈥 she said.
Vintage fashion inspired by Snoopy and friends is also on display, from the likes of Marc Jacobs and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac 鈥- whose affection for Snoopy led to a memorable catwalk moment in 1989, when Vanessa Paradis modelled a jacket entirely covered with Snoopy plush toys for his fall-winter collection.
His 鈥淜ing Snoopy鈥 statue also holds court, while elsewhere in the exhibition the vintage Peanuts merchandise on show dates back to the 1960s.
Asked why Peanuts continues to appeal 75 years on, Jeannie Schulz said she couldn't tell 鈥渉ow much is just because that dog is very cute and very lovable and very sweet ... (and) how much also the comic strip represents humanity.鈥
鈥淭he characters in the comic strip, even Snoopy, worry about whether people like him," she said. "Charlie Brown doesn鈥檛 know who likes him and how he fits in the world.鈥
The free exhibition runs March 22 through April 5 at H么tel du Grand Veneur in the Marais district of Paris.
___ Associated Press journalist Deborah Gouffran contributed to this report.
