Lace … it evokes Northern France, Victorian blouses, Kate Middleton’s wedding dress … and of course : lingerie.

In the same way, mentioning lingerie immediately evokes : lace.

Chantal Thomas 2   Chantal Thomas 1

Photo credits: Chantal Thomass

Thus, we’re no longer surprised when Sophie Hallette, who honored the great Chantal Thomass in the company’s last inspiration book, accompanies the world’s most beautiful actresses … and has been doing so for decades ! From corsets that cinched elegant waists in another era to contemporary stretch laces that guarantee refinement, comfort and movement, the industry has had a phenomenal evolution over the centuries and participated in many avant-garde periods.

This creativity, far from being exhausted, is proved each year at the International Lingerie Salon. The 2016 session will take place January 23 to 25 at Paris’ Porte de Versailles*.

sarrieri-aw15-05

Photo credits: I.D. Sarrieri AW15 Collection

And current trends ? Leavers lace wins hands down! This artistic craftsmanship that Sophie Hallette embellishes throughout the year is cited by two top brands. At Erès, the Pagode Christmas collection presents itself as a Couture line that mixes  “silk satin with Leavers lace covered by geometric, chic scales for a belle de jour mood in retro colors”. Another extraordinary French brand, Millesia, opens their Sérénade catalogue by evoking a “gust of novelties with a Leavers lace that incarnates the sensuality of the new permanent collection”.

Other frontiers … and a similar (but more emphasized !) homage from the British label Agent Proocateur. This super-creative, sexy, sophisticated, slightly provocative brand (as its name says !) recounts, on its site, the history of Sophie Hallette, a company founded by Eugène Hallette in 1887, and goes on to vaunt the company’s skills today. The text is laced with compliments such as “You don’t get much better provenance than that” or, even more surprising, their “Hallette’s law of sexuality”. This states that feminine curves multiplied by a Sophie Hallette lace silhouette release a strength equal to the force of gravity that attracts members of the opposite sex…

Hmm … Eugène Hallette may not have anticipated the thousand and one lives of his Leavers looms from this point of view…!

* www.lingerie-swimwear-paris.com

 Photo credits: Eres – Christmas Pagode collection Winter 2016