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A workshop for haute couture

Couturiers turn to craftspeople for specialized skills
  • We see the step-by-step production of hand-made flowers 
He dyes leaves and petals himself, using formulas that his great-grandfather left.

 

•The workshop director takes us through the process step by step.

 

 

There are at least 250 cards per color.

 

Despite the almost infinite variety of nuances the cards permit, the result depends on drying time and so on weather. Our host is almost alone to possess the experience to obtain the exact hue the couturier requires.

 

That is one reason why this craft cannot be outsourced. 

 

 

     • He cuts out leaves and petals with irreplaceable 18th-century tools. 

 

 
Every now and then our host finds an extra in a flea market...

 

• This is a workplace, through which we glimpse the expertise that luxury demands

 

 
A place for atmosphere and expertise (as opposed to glamor)

 

The workshop is an 18th-century building near the Opéra, where haute couture began. We enter a courtyard, climb worn stairs and discover a place unchanged since the 1880's,

 

 

 

Our host's great-great grandfather acquired it then.

• For purchases, we rummage through drawers

 

 

One can order flowers as gifts just as couturiers do, but few people know that the possibility exists.

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The director completes the blossom with leaves and a pin. Prices are modest, because these flowers are extras, made to guarantee orders in case of damage.  Since the flowers are are made on order to be integrated into haute couture gowns, one can purchase single examples at the workshop only.

 

 
  • How visits take place, and their cost

 

• For 1-5 participants, our guide is Catherine Aubin. Because she know the flower workshop well, she can walk in and explain the different stages of production. For the hat workshop, we may may  peep in...  These proposals are part of a wider progtram, and there is no extra cost for them.

 

• For larger groups, the director himself gives a step-by-step demonstration. This opportunity can take place only two or three times a year, for groups whose profile merits the request. The fee depens on the context – please ask us.

 

• For dues, please CLICK.

    •  Nearby 

     

    Since the workshop is in the heart of the Right Bank, this visit can connect with such suggestions as: 

    Opéra,  Shopping that only Paris can offer, Couture in an unexpected neighborhood,  Silks of kings... 

     

    And of course, Walking into history – & neighborhoods, whose tours concern the central part of the city.

     

     

     

    Credits: craftsman at work and straw hats/ Claude Abron; all other photos / Sarah White Wilson

     

     

    Unexpected Paris guided tours