A new exhibition in Paris celebrates Snoopy’s style ahead of his 75th birthday

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LONDON (AP) — A new exhibition in Paris celebrates the history of fashion — as worn by Snoopy and the Peanuts gang.

“Snoopy In Style,” which opens Saturday, pays tribute to Charles M. Schulz and his beloved creations by looking at the evolution of the characters’ outfits and their context in — and influence on — popular culture ahead of the 75th anniversary of the “Peanuts” comic strip on Oct. 2.

The first time Schulz drew Charlie Brown, he didn’t have his iconic zig-zag shirt. Peppermint Patty’s stance on what to wear to school pre-dates a legal change for girls’ uniform. And Snoopy has been dressed by some of the world’s 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.

“We 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. “We also have 18 sets of dolls that include Lacoste, and also Valentino by Alessandro Michele.”

Schulz’s widow Jeannie Schulz, who is the founder of The Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, said the cartoonist “understood that comic strip characters had to have a style.”

“He realized after a while that you need to know immediately who the character is and what that character represents. So that’s 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.

“In the United States, we know them from these classic specials: ‘Charlie Brown Christmas’ is something that most Americans really embrace Peanuts for. But here in Europe, it’s most often known as a fashion brand,” she said.

Vintage fashion inspired by Snoopy and friends is also on display, from the likes of Marc Jacobs and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac –- 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 “King Snoopy” 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 “how much is just because that dog is very cute and very lovable and very sweet … (and) how much also the comic strip represents humanity.”

“The characters in the comic strip, even Snoopy, worry about whether people like him,” she said. “Charlie Brown doesn’t know who likes him and how he fits in the world.”

The free exhibition runs March 22 through April 5 at Hôtel du Grand Veneur in the Marais district of Paris.

___ Associated Press journalist Deborah Gouffran contributed to this report.