Hidden in the labyrinth alleys of Paris’ oldest flea-market, charming boutiques are filled with vintage fashions, lace, linen, passementerie, golden threads and gossamer lingerie. The marché-aux-puces has captivated Parisiennes for over a century and it’s thanks to the nocturnal exploits of the mischievous moon fishermen, pêcheurs de lune. 

The term Midinette first appeared during the Belle Époque era and it referred to the young women who worked in the luxury fashion houses of Paris. The Midinettes were mostly from Montmartre and Belleville, the working class areas of Paris and they began their training at 12 or 13 years of age.

The magnificent world of paruriers, the craftspeople who specialise in creating haute couture accessories including delicate silk flowers and the fanciest of feathers.

In 1852, Aristide and Marguerite Boucicaut began to transform a small shop on the corner of Rue de Sèvres and Rue de Bac into what became known as Le Bon Marché. Designed by Gustav Eiffel, it became a landmark and destination in Belle Époque Paris.

La Vie Parisienne was a popular weekly magazine considered risqué and scandalous at the turn of the twentieth century, not least for it’s gorgeous illustrations of modern women in Paris who read in stockings, watered their plants in designer outfits and spent their evening at fabulous soirées.

La Droguerie actually means colour merchant in French! To understand this strange linguistic false friend we try our best to follow a thread that winds it’s way through time, continents, etymology and the forever tricky terrain of French grammar.

Visiting La Droguerie can be akin to dining at a lavish visual feast that delights with each new course. The walls are hung with rainbow skeins of yarn in French linen, Merino, Alpaca, Bamboo, Silk, Mohair and Angora. The shelves are stocked with kilner jars of fabric flowers, feathers, beads and sequins.

A new hat shop called Ultramod opened on Rue de Choiseul in 1832. This area was the centre for hat shops and milliners supplies in 19th century Paris. Fashionable Parisiennes knew the importance of a good hat, it wasn’t an afterthought, it was the crowning glory of their ensemble.

The fascinating story of how a French woman was promoted from working as a fashion merchant in Paris to being the Minister of Fashion for Queen Marie Antoinette at Versailles. Rose Bertin became even more famous as her coveted dress designs travelled across Europe on tiny Pandora dolls.

Observing a Haute Couture garment up close in a museum or gallery is likely to take your breath away. They appear as if from a fairytale, made by fairy-godmothers and worn by illustrious princesses and queens. Sequins, beads, ribbons and lace…

The fascinating story of the origins of Haute Couture embroidery techniques, beginning with a curious Empress in an ancient Chinese dynasty, travelling across the Silk Trade Routes and eventually reaching the famed Marquis de Pompadour at the Royal Court in Versailles.

If Paris is the centre of fashion where exactly is the birthplace of Haute Couture? The intriguing history of luxury fashion is revealed through the geography of the winding streets and wide boulevards of Paris.