I made another welcome discovery during my short family visit in Paris. A small shop, off the beaten track in the aptly named rue des Dames, proudly displays the credentials of its owner: "Meilleur ouvrier de France". That title is no mean achievement and inspires respect! The prestigious award goes to craftsmen who have achieved a "masterpiece" in the full sense of the word. Spending years perfecting their crafts, the "Meilleurs ouvriers de France" show technical ability as well as artistic flair in a master piece that will encapsulate their art and skills.
Only in her mid-thirties, Louise Feuillere, who started working in the field in 1992, is a recent recipient of the award (2007) which recognised her exceptional use of colours, lace and esthetics. She trained with a "corsetiere" in her sixties, who continues to share with her a lifetime of expertise and has helped her perfect her craft. I must confess that I am a complete sucker for skilled craftspeople. I am in awe of the patience, application and dedication required to fully master a craft. Such excellence, combined with lingerie, one of the most intimate and delicate of crafts was bound to appeal to me.
The old-fashioned shop-window and bossy sign specifying that callers would only be seen by appointment, intrigued me. Reading through Ms Feuillere biography, I learned that her first client was an 82 year old woman who wanted to have "a flat tummy" and look good for a man who had finally mustered up the courage to declare his love.
Talking with her on the phone, it soon became clear that Louise Feuillere takes a philosophical approach to her craft. Her technical mastery is only a small part of what she does: "work and reflection" allow her to enter into a relationship with her clients and answer their needs and desires.
Those needs are varied and often require her to address pain. Pain as the result of a mastectomy and the need to create an "amazon's bra". Pain suffered by women whose skin is hypersensitive and find commercially available lingerie unbearable. Pain caused to violated bodies that need succour from beauty. Whilst some clients only want a technical solution to a specific problem or an usual shape not found in shops, she finds the need for beauty is greatest in women who want to address ugliness or even horror in their lives. She sums up her approach as : "To love and to give, to receive, to make". In that context, her unusual list of inspirations makes sense: her mother, Hildegard von Bingen and ... the Virgin Mary, that she sees as mystical and spiritual creators. Bringing mysticism into lingerie places Louise Feuillere's creations to a very different level!
Louise Feuillere's clientele is aged between 30 and 90 years old. The made-to-measure process requires around 4 fittings. At the first appointment, she works with the client to determine her needs and desires, advising on suitable materials and shapes and provides a cost estimate. The resulting lingerie will be built according to the "corsetiere" techniques, finished to perfection and incorporating all the tricks of the trade such as tiny pleats that can be released to allow for slight variations in body shape. The following sessions will ensure a perfect fit and the bra, bathing suit or underslip will be delivered 3 weeks later.
She would not be pushed to give prices due to wild variations reflecting the materials used and the time spent... but made it clear that they belong to the couture world. When I threw numbers at her, from €500 to €3000, she confirmed that €3000 was way off. The idea of perfectly fitting underwear or bathing suits makes me dream - I hope not to have to wait until I'm 82! Her ready to wear line ranges from €180 to €350 - a more affordable way to start.
Louise Feuillere sees clients from Tuesday to Friday for the made-to-measure business and her shop is opened on Saturdays for her ready-to-wear line. She also teaches a course and seems to derive great pleasure in communicating her love for lingerie to creative women.
To learn more:
http://www.louisefeuillere.com/
Pictures from Louise Feuillere's website published with her agreement.
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