If you can't imagine wearing the more eccentric Parisian fashions while staying at villas in France, you may want to stop in at one of these museum exhibits that display the most superb examples of decadent clothes. From the finest fabrics to the most bizarre trends, these galleries encapsulate French culture through the lens of fashion and are an ideal way to spend an afternoon before taking a shopping trip of your own.

Louis Vuitton-Marc Jacobs Exhibit at Les Arts Decoratifs

The newest installation at Les Arts Decoratifs in Paris commemorates the works of two contrasting yet equally groundbreaking designers: Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton. The show displays both designers' obsession with impeccable and flawless fashion, their heavy influence over two separate eras and their ability to translate the farthest reaches of their imaginations into their designs. The works are compared and contrasted with displays of Vuitton's luggage accessories and Jacobs' trendy and forward-thinking apparel.

The exhibit's hallways are pulsing with techno music as visitors walk through the gallery space riddled with carefully strewn clothing articles, handbags and mannequins. Likened to a theater stage, the gallery is a dramatic interpretation of two of fashion's most iconic and repected designers.

Black and White contrasts at Cite de la Mode et du Design

Currently on view until October 7 at Cite de la Mode et du Design, the Comme des Garcon Spring 2012 collection is starkly white with a few black accents. Considered one of the most brilliant contemporary fashion designers, Rei Kawakubo, the mastermind of Comme des Garcon, is continually pushing the boundaries of couture with her dramatic and other-worldly pieces that are more sculptural than wearable. As a retrospective of life's journeys - birth, marriage, death and transcendence - the exhibit presents textiles in a metaphoric light. Lace represents life's fragility while leather hearkens to the darker side of the human condition.

In contrast to Kawakubo's white show, Cristobal Balenciaga's Collectionneur de Modes features 65 separate pieces dating back to the 17th century - all of which are black. As a chrononology of the master's genius, the exhibit also includes original sketches, hand-sewn embroideries and intricate jewelry.

Guests staying in luxury vacation rentals with an eye for high fashion can get inspired throughout museums and boutique stores in the City of Lights.