The baroque dimension introduced by Christian Lacroix in the world of haute couture for the last twenty years has rarely been reached: the fantasy of a dream and the dream of a fantasy, which might not always be accessible even for the eyes.

It's also an incursion in the clothing form and thematic range extensions, spectacular, historic and relevant of the Regency style as well as the Dior new look via Poiret, the swinging sixties, couture revisited by Lesage's embroidery. It's a permanent creation of mankind's closet for an ever changing and attractive womanhood, sensual and luxurious: a woman's dream seen by the creator's polyhedral eye.

Is Christian Lacroix, the missing person's opposite? He's seen and recognized everywhere. In the twenty first century, he's the equivalent of a Renaissance's omniscient-hyper activity against a great culture with many poles of interest and many commands' boredom: a tower in Dubai, Renee Fleming's costumes for "THAÏS" at the Metropolitain Opera of New York. Air France flight attendant's uniforms, the dressing of the TGV, his collaboration with the choreographer Christian Rizzo shows the range of his creativity, from home made to High tech. From the collage album "Pêle-Mêle" of his collections to Philippe Julian's book remake : "Les Styles" which drawings are a reference for the design world, to the organization of his favourite photos exposition at Arles, his inspiration city and unquenchable Eldorado.

The somptuous retrospective at Musée Réattu in Arles demonstrates the baroque humanity of one of the twenty first century great creator. Re-creation and renaissance are the alphabet of fashion itself that, with his help, become style.