Metiers d’Art Ateliers LESAGE & LEMARIÉ

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[R]ecently I had the greatest pleasure of photographing one of the most beautiful, rare, masterpieces made by man- haute couture fashion. I knew it would be special, and it was, but in person it was breathtaking so much more than my preconceived notions had allowed my imagination to believe.

Now here we are in Paris and Chanel has invited me on a tour of where couture begins at their ateliers Lesage & Lemarié in Pantin, a suburb of Paris. These two famed workshops have been recused by Chanel to preserve their specialized  embroidery, feather, millinery, flower & couture skills.  From floor to ceiling archived boxes starting in the 1800s of pattern samples for precious embroidery for houses like Chanel, Valentino, and Dior, it goes without saying they are the best in the world. Thumbing through the archives I felt the free inhibitions of the designers, the almost child-like magic in design possibility as seen through color, texture, and pattern. This is not about what is popular for the masses, it is about an idea, it is about art, emotion, beauty and technical skill.

In a moment of humor, they had me try my hand at making a simple embroidery flower which then gave me an even greater appreciation for the skills and volume these artists work at. We looked through the archive of Chanel camellias, and then visited the room where every single flower is created by hand where at least 16 petals and one hour of work goes into creating one. Here  at Lemarié they hand make all the CHANEL camellias, around 40,000 a year.

I was so moved by the attention to detail and just shear human energy put into one single piece making the value greater than anything created any other way. I see now why couture is so special which is far beyond material quality, but artisan skill and above all… time.

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  • Hannah Josephine

    I am so jealous! I bet this was an amazing experience. It’s always so cool to me to see how things are really done.

    http://www.jjfaust.com

  • Mary

    Thanks so much for sharing an aspect of the Chanel couture process. I just absolutely loved this post!

  • Love how you got to get in on the action of making something (did they let you keep what you made?), and as always love your photos!

  • It is a huge dream of mine to witness the process of creating a haute-couture piece. What an incredible experience! Love this post and I have just fallen in love with your blog, I could spend hours going through each of your posts! x

    http://faialofa.blogspot.com

  • It’s really beautiful to see that artisans like this still exists. Thanks for sharing!

  • Frida

    Work there would be my ideal job…

  • Patricia Moed

    Wonderful post! Thanks for the insider glimpse into Chanel!

  • Bobbi Brown

    Arefeh Mansouri is an Award Winning American Fashion & Costume Designer.

    Arefeh Mansouri’s career began in Montreal, Canada at the age of 23. Born November 1980 in Tehran, Iran she immigrated to Canada at 16 years of age. During her early years, Arefeh displayed great interest and aptitude in Painting as well as math and science. She started her undergraduate education with a major in Biology with the intent to pursue a career in Medicine. Already an accomplished painter, she soon realized where her true passions lie. This led her to a career in Fashion and Costume Design. She began her studies of Fashion at Montreal’s LaSalle College. Subsequently, she launched a women’s sportswear line until she was offered a position in Milan, Italy as head designer for an Italian clothing Firm.

    http://www.arefeh.com/

  • Bobbi Brown
  • Breathtaking!

  • What a rare honor you received to go behind the scenes of Chanel’s atelier. Thank you for sharing your experience.