PARIS, May 8, 2003/ FW/ --- Just in time for summer travel, two exhibitions aimed at Fashionista are opening on opposite sides of Europe. In Paris, the Musée Galliera is paying homage to Marlena Dietrich from June 14 to October 12 with an exhibit retracing the star's attire, both in films and in real life. More than 250 pieces of clothing and accessories will be put on display including works by famous Hollywood costume designers, as well as couture signed by Dior, Shiaparelli and Chanel.

Born Maria Dietrich in 1901, the blond sex symbol known for her androgynous style, began as a singer during the decadent 1920s in Berlin. With the rise of the Nazi party, she immigrated to the US and collaborated with Josef von Sternberg to make numerous films. During World War II, she remained an outspoken critic of Hitler, and her work with the USO was a major morale boost for Allied troops. She often rode with Patton during the military campaigns of France and Germany in 1944.

During the last years of her life, she became a recluse, living an isolated existence in her Paris apartment, where she died in 1992.

Meanwhile in Berlin, an exhibition dedicated to Giorgio Armani, opens May 8 and runs through July 13 at the glistening steel and glass Neue Nationalgalerie, designed by Mies van der Rohe. The collection of 500 of the famed Italian designer's creations has already been shown in the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Bilbao Museum in Spain.

In addition to designing clothing, Armani has long been interested in architectural space and furnishings, a passion that links him with Hedi Slimane of Dior Homme. At a pre-opening gala in Berlin on Wednesday, Armani told the Associated Press "architectural lines that are fundamentally discreet highlight the clothing."