If there is one place where
silk flowers are a luxury for our eyes, it is those from Maison Lemarié.
Founded in 1880 by Palmyre Coyotte, grandmother of Andre Lemarié. A workshop that reigned for decades for its spectacular work in both
feathers and silk flowers and other haute couture fabrics. For decades, its business line was aimed at wholesalers in the sector. It was not until 1946, with the incorporation of Andre, that the famous house took a turn towards haute couture, with high-quality fabrics that led fashion giants like Christian Dior, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Nina Ricci, and others to support this project.
Maison Lemarié has two trades: plume maker and florist. Today I am only going to focus on the florist, whose creations are pure works of art.
The florists of this house handcraft
fabric flowers using leather, tweed, and plastic, which are sewn or glued onto dresses and accessories.
The creation of each flower involves studying each fabric and starching it in the correct proportion. If the proportion were too stiff, it could break, and if it were too soft, it would not hold its shape.
The second step is cutting the petals, which is the only step performed by machinery. This workshop has more than 300 molds and more than 5000 tools.
The third step is shaping them with burins, which are metal tools heated to mold the fabric. There are punches, markers, curlers... Each is useful for the different shapes we can imagine.
My dream is to visit this house one day and get lost in every corner, looking for my favorite silk flower.
