Les Journées Particulières

The Givenchy Atelier (Fall/Winter 2011 Couture)

Dior Avenue Montaigne Headquarters

One of the most delightful aspects of this blog is that it affords me the opportunity to share my love of craftsmanship, connoisseurship and style with such lovely readers. I have tremendous admiration for the artisans, whose vision and talents are the backbone of the storied fashion ateliers I love. It goes unmentioned that tailors, embroiderers, and pattern makers often spend their entire careers at one house. Last weekend LVMH lifted the curtain on more than 25 of its facilities throughout Europe for the inaugural edition of its Les Journées Particulières initiative. Les Journées Particulières focused on fashion, perfumes, cosmetics  wines and spirits.

The initiative provided visitors with a variety of experiences that highlighted each brand's expertise and allowed artisans to demonstrate their skills. The Louis Vuitton ateliers in Asnières, Palazzo Fendi, Givenchy's haute couture salon and the Salon de Prestige (where Christian Dior use to present his collections) at Dior's Avenue Montaigne headquarters were a few of the sites visitors were able to tour. These facilities are usually closed to the public. One of my biggest frustrations with fashion is that few understand how labor intensive it is to produce luxury goods. LVMH is attempting to engage the public. It's nice to see such a rarefied world unveiled. 

Dior Avenue Montaigne Headquarters

Dior Avenue Montaigne Headquarters

Tailors at work at Dior

At the Givenchy atelier, artisans walked visitors through the process of pattern making, embroidery, drapery and lace application. The embroiderers at Dior spoke to heavily embroidered dresses taking 250-300 hours to complete. I'll never forget when I heard Prabal Guring speak about how his experience at Bill Blass was invaluable because of the access he had to pattern makers and artisans. An independent designer simply doesn't have these sorts of resources. I'm looking forward to the expansion of LVMH's initiative. I hope that other luxury groups consider doing something similar.

PS- The tuxedo just turned 150! How could I not include a picture. 

*** All images courtesy of Les Journées Particulières***

Twirl

My Personal Photo

My Personal Photo

My Personal Photo

My Personal Photo

Peter Soronen lace blouse, Azzedine Alaïa wrap skirt, Manolo Blahnik  pumps.

There are few designers that make you want to twirl. Azzedine Alaïa is one of them. It's undeniable that  Alaïa is one of the greatest couturiers today. The other day my friends and I came to the conclusion that his technical, draping and cutting skills are up there with the likes of Christian Dior. If you could have one designer design all your clothing (or at the very least your shoes), you would want it to be Alaïa. The silhouettes are always gorgeous.

Undeniably, Alaïa excels with the construction of his signature knit dresses. In my opinion there isn't a designer out there who works with knits in such a way. Some of his knit dresses barely resemble knits. I'm always awestruck by the way Alaïa  garments truly make women look beautiful. His clothing always strikes the right note- sensual and oftentimes clingy, but never vulgar. There is a misconception that Alaïa's garments are unforgiving. Truthfully, Alaïa's garments magically flatter all body types. This is the mark of a designer who loves women and making them look and feel even more beautiful than they already are.

Alaïa doesn't strive to fit into the corporate structure that fashion thrives on. Barneys was the first New York department store to stock the full line and Bergdorfs and Saks only started stocking select pieces a few years ago. It's no coincidence that Alaïa's boutique is located in a different area from the other names in international fashion. This is a designer who until yesterday had not presented a collection at a fashion show in years. Alaïa prefers to work at his own pace. There is an integrity to the way  he approaches his business. It's hard to define luxury today, but this sort of craftsmanship and attention to detail are determining factors to me.  

An entire Paris trip should not be spent shopping (there is so much to do and see), but a trip to the Alaïa boutique is essential. On my last trip to Paris I picked up a few pieces including this skirt. Alaïa's boutique, stock shop, design studio and atelier are all housed in close proximity to each other. Naturally, upon descending from a taxi (accidentally leaving the door ajar), I sprinted ahead of the gentleman who wasn't exactly sure which building I rushed into. Oh the excitement!

The skirt has one inside clasp, wraps around the waist and buckles at the back. I have yet to successfully wrap this skirt as precisely as the lovely sales assistant, but I still love it. There's a lightness that adds just the right amount of whimsy. Any motion or little breeze sets the skirt aflutter. This skirt is a great little edition to my wardrobe that is extremely versatile, but feels special.

PS- As old fashioned as I am, the blog finally has a Twitter! Cheers.