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As much as I love shopping online, nothing quite beats going to a proper boutique, where the shopping is as much about the experience as it is about leaving with some new goodies. They’re often the ones taking risks on young designers, creating an atmosphere no department store can recreate, and make shopping an intimate and luxurious experience for the customers again. So many of these boutiques are the unsung heroes of the fashion industry, so I’ve decided to shed a spotlight on some of my favourite ones on this blog.
First up is L’Éclaireur in Paris – which I got to discover on my trip with Farfetch, who they’re partnered with. L’Éclaireur – which literally translated means the enlightener – is actually a group of 6 beautiful designer boutiques all over Paris. The one I visited was L’Eclaireur Sévigné in the heart of Le Marais, opened in 2009. The incredible interior of the boutique (cardboard panels and built in tv screens, sprayed with car paint), was designed by Belgian artist Arne Quinze, who also designed the central wooden installation.
Once you can drag yourself away from admiring the incredible interior and the 147 animated tv screens, there’s an awful lot to discover in the boutique: from the moveable walls which pop open to reveal extra rails to the sheer quality of the clothes and accessories in every nook and crook of the shop, wandering through L’Éclaireur is a real adventure. This particular shop has only womenswear, and really caters to the high end client – with tons of Givenchy, Balenciaga, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries van Noten, Haider Ackermann and much, much more, as well as a few younger and lesser known designers (sadly I can’t think of one right now.).
At the front of the shop is a little, almost independent boutique offering slightly more accessible pieces, like sunglasses, jewellery, handbags and scarves – whereas the main shop is mostly just to admire for someone with my budget, the little shop offers the kind of things I’ll usually end up buying – perfect combo!
If you’re in the neighbourhood, L’Eclaireur is definitely not to be missed. I can’t speak for the other 5 boutiques, but I can only imagine they’re just as amazing. And if you’re not headed towards Paris anytime soon, don’t forget you can shop the boutique from anywhere on Farfetch.
L’Eclaireur Sévigné
40 rue de Sévigné
Paris 03
Open Mon -Sat, from 11am – 7pm
You’ll find lots more pictures of the shop on the Alex Loves Facebook page!
A few snaps from the little shop at the front:
How typical, you wait forever for a good fashion exhibition to come along, and then two open at the same time. A week after the Christian Louboutin retrospective opened its doors at the Design Museum, Hermès is celebrating its 175th anniversary and its special relationship with London with a new exhibition called “Leather Forever” at the Royal Academy of Arts.
Exploring the brand’s love for leather, the exhibition takes you through the making of the iconic bags (with 2 people actually working on a bag live – sadly you do not get to take the bag with you at the end. I tried.), a tour through the history of Hermès, a look at its iconic bags (more Birkins and Kelly’s you’ll ever see in one place), its equestrian heritage, a room with some fantastic unique commissions (my favourite room by far! I want the winged saddle!), and much much more.
To celebrate the exhibition, Hermès has also created 4 unique handbags representing England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, which will go up for an online auction at Christies starting 14th of May and ending 31st of May, with all proceeds going to the Royal Academy of Arts.
It’s an absolute must-see for fans of the brand, as it’s a great way to discover the brand’s incredible 175 year history. On top of that, it’s absolutely free! But hurry, the exhibition ends May 27th!
Hermès Leather Forever
Royal Academy of Arts
6 Burlington Gardens
May 8-27, Open Monday to Sunday 10am-6pm (10pm on Fridays)
You can find more pictures of the exhibition on the Alex Loves Facebook Page (and maybe “Like” me while you’re at it? Merci!)
For the toddler who has everything...?
The unique bags up for auction at Christies
2012 is a big year for Christian Louboutin: he’s celebrating 20 years in business and to celebrate this momentous occasion, a retrospective of his work (read: lots and lots of SHOES) was opened at the Design Museum in London last week. I was lucky enough to attend the opening and the press conference with Mr. Louboutin, who turned up fashionably late, as he was still putting the finishing touches on the exhibition.
During the press conference, we got a real insight into the man behind the global brand. He was charming, funny, down-to-earth and not at all what I expected. He spoke of his childhood, surrounded by lots of women, and his love for cabaret, which is how he started designing his now iconic shoes. When asked why women loved his shoes so much, he told us about his respect and fascination for women, and how he understood what women want (in a shoe, that is). “I have yet to meet a girl who wants shorter legs” – possibly my favourite quote from the press conference!
He arranged the exhibition in different sections, so that visitors would get an insight into how a shoe is created, a look into his atelier, some of his famous designs, a section on his “fetish” shoes and even a hologram show in which one of his shoes transforms into a dazzling Dita Von Teese. In short, lots and lots and lots of beautiful shoes and a true hommage to Christian Louboutin’s work. I don’t want to give too much away, because the exhibition is definitely worth a visit, but below are some snaps to give you an idea…
Christian Louboutin at the Design Museum
28 Shad Thames
London SE1 2YD
01 May – 09 July
For more images of the exhibition, make sure you check out the Alex Loves Facebook Page
