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"Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity," at the Art Institute of Chicago through late September, pairs top Impressionist paintings with fashion from the same era.

(Art Institute of Chicago)

This is what travel has become with two teenage daughters:

“What do you want to do in _____ (insert city)?”

The inevitable answer: “Go shopping.”

And so it went as I planned our family’s trip to Chicago last month.

But I wasn’t letting my kids loose on Michigan Avenue until they experienced some of the city’s fine cultural attractions.

We both got what we wanted at the Art Institute of Chicago, where "Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity," pairs fine art and high fashion into one terrific exhibit.

The exhibit – which broke attendance records last year at the Musee D’Orsay in Paris – is the perfect excuse for a late summer escape to Chicago.

The museum recently announced a one-week extension of the exhibit, to Sunday, Sept. 29.

More than 75 major paintings by top Impressionists – Manet, Monet, Renoir and Degas - are displayed side by side with the couture that inspired them, from elaborate ball gowns to simple day dresses to modest (and sometimes painful) undergarments.

Think we’re fashion-obsessed now? Take a trip back to late 19th century Paris, then the world’s undisputed style capital, and you’ll discover that elaborate staging for fashion’s sake is nothing new.

You’ll see:

* Claude Monet’s 1866 painting of his wife, “Camille,” in a rich green and black striped dress – alongside a similar English promenade dress from the same era.

* Albert Bartholome’s “In the Conservatory” (1881), with the exact white and purple dress his wife used to pose for the work.

* Edouard Manet's "La Parisienne" - a full-length portrait of French model Ellen Andree in a stunning black and blue gown – paired with a similarly elaborate, high-necked fashion statement.

Albert Bartholome's "In the Conservatory," on loan from the Musee d'Orsay, Paris, is paired with the dress his wife wore in the portrait at the Chicago Art Institute's special exhibit linking art and fashion .

A critic from the Chicago Sun-Times called the exhibit “the biggest and most important Impressionist presentation to be on display [at the Art Institute] in nearly two decades.”

Organized by the Art Institute, the Musee d’Orsay and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the exhibit includes works on loan from around the world, some of which have never been displayed in the United States.

There is a strong showing from the Chicago collection, too, including Georges Seurat’s magnificent “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte,” featured in the exhibit’s final gallery alongside an interesting discussion of the bustle.

A small display devoted to corsets led to an interesting conversation on 19th century beauty, and how it’s not all that different from the 21st century version.

In all, there are 17 dresses – plus men’s suits, shoes, fans, hats, parasols and more, about 300 objects in all.

Summer dress worn by Madame Bartholome in the painting "In the Conservatory."

There is, of course, an academic component to the exhibit – the late 19th century saw the introduction of the department store, fashion magazines and ready-made clothing, all of which contributed to a more modern, contemporary ethos in Paris and beyond.

The painters of the day chronicled these changes on their canvas, portraying the evolving looks both outside and in, from the opera to the garden.

Most of the scholarly chatter, however, was ignored by my clan, more interested in ogling the elaborate outfits – and then comparing them to their painted versions.

The exhibit brought these works to life in a way that ordinary gallery space sometimes doesn’t, particularly for younger viewers.

Carpeting was added to make the galleries feel more like home. A plein air gallery included (fake) grass on the ground, with benches that gave it a park-like feel.

Educated and inspired, we hit the shops of Michigan Avenue later that day. And why not? Shopping and fashion had just been elevated to a true cultural experience.

Art Institute of Chicago

Where:

111 S. Michigan Ave., in downtown Chicago

Special exhibit: Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity runs through Sunday, Sept. 29

When:

10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, Thursdays until 8 p.m.

How much:

$23; $17, students and seniors; free, under 14

More information:

or 312-443-3600