Fête Impériale Paris

Through her first collection, the designer gives us a vision of a liberated and assumed femininity. Laura is fascinated by the rebellious, provocative and refined spirit of the Grandes Horizontales, muses by day and courtesans at night-time fêtes.

From the Second Empire to the Belle Epoque, these “Lionesses” became the new queens of Paris epitomising the excesses of the period. They came from the working class but did not recoil when faced with the unbridled quest for power, wealth and domination. Laura sees them as the first “it-girl”. She admires and respects all those women who contributed to freedom of expression including Liane de Pougy, the indomitable androgynous courtesan of the nineteenth century, Madonna who arrived in New York with $35 in her pocket in 1978, and Grace Jones, radiant muse of Jean-Paul Goude.

The wildest fêtes were held during the reign of Napoleon III. Fête Impériale enjoys acting as a bridge between the great Napoleonic balls of the Second Empire and the wild Parisian parties of the 80s at the Palace or Bains Douches. The designer has a special affection for these important meeting places of artists and intellectuals. Already in the nineteenth century Bains Douches was attracting many opinion leaders and a homosexual movement in which Marcel Proust was involved.

Toile de Jouy print shirts can be worn open over a T-shirt, or closed with denim shorts. The pieces are multifunctional and suited to today’s liberated and discerning independent woman. The collections are the product of meticulous attention to detail, high-quality materials and impeccable craftsmanship. These androgynous garments reflect the audacity of Liane de Pougy who introduced sexual ambiguity by wearing pearls with a man’s suit. Laura revisits the iconic Toile de Jouy print, giving a subtle nod to the common sapphic practices of the period.