There is something about Paris. You land, you wander and then you leave, feeling that much more chic, as if through osmosis. Fashion week this year was no exception. Having quietly murmured “c'est magnifique!” to ourselves until out of breath, we spent a few more days visiting favorite designers, markets, and taking in all things fresh and French.

IN OUR POCKET: A travel map of Paris, English-French dictionary, euros, a notebook with addresses

LISTENING TO: Francoise Hardy “Comment te Dire Adieu”

NEXT STOP: MADEMOISELLE SLASSI, 175 Avenue Jean Jaurès
A recent find for us, Mlle. Slassi has become our go-to for edgy yet elegant hats in vibrant colors.

CLUB SAUMON: At La Belle Ferronniere

IN THE AIR: Brigitte “Monsieur je t'aime”

FIRST STOP: DELPHINE MANIVET, 93, rue du faubourg St Honoré
Her dresses hooked us, their beauty both simple and brave. And then we began learning more about Delphine Manivet, her creative process, and the close partnerships she’s formed with centuries-old lace and embroidery makers. That did it; we were in love.

The quality and history of a fabric is central to Delphine’s design perspective, as is keeping art forms which have played such an important role in French heritage alive. Delphine believes that beauty is simplicity. Her ideal dress is one that appears simple from afar, but rich in details up close. For these details she turns to Jean-Philippe Méry, whose family has been hand-weaving silk thread for generations and is one of the largest names in lace. The lace produced in the family’s Caudry facilities is unique in that its production process has remained non-automated since the company’s beginnings. Every stitch and knot is still overseen by a human eye and is finished by hand.

Likewise for the delicate embroideries and Edelweiss guipure she prefers, she turns to Villers d’Outréaux, whose mills use ancestral embroidery patterns as inspiration for the designs they bring to market today. Each of the patterns in this vast, cherished library is rendered the old fashioned way, by rubbing pumice stone over the punches onto tissue paper.

Delphine explains that her admiration for these graceful fabrics stems from a time when they marked the milestones in a person’s life, such as a wedding, baptism, or graduation. We love that idea that these elements in her dresses are deeply symbolic and chosen with great care. In fact, they’re anything but trim.

Read our interview with Delphine »

 

PICNIC ON THE SEINE: Crusty bread, butter (wrapped in parchment paper), radishes, salt, Camembert, white grapes, a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau, paper plates and cups, a knife, corkscrew

MORNING PICK-ME-UP: Café au lait and a pastry from Ladurée

FIRST STOP: CLIGNANCOURT, Av. de la Porte de Clignancourt, 18e
Collector of knickknacks, notions, new and vintage fashions: gather your comfiest shoes, your roomiest shopping bag, and be prepared to rise early.

LAST STOP: Charles de Gaulle

CAN’T GET OUT OF OUR HEAD: Carla Bruni ”Quelqu'un m'a dit”

Photography courtesy of Elizabeth Messina, Cecile Burban & Thomas Vollaire.