Julie de Libran’s couture business is all about the personal touch. Since launching her brand in 2019, she’s hosted customer appointments at her apartment in Paris, as well as personal presentations in locations including London, New York City and Malibu.
This Paris Couture Week, she once again opened up her Left Bank home, where her spring designs were displayed on dressmaker’s busts in the living room. De Libran works in a sustainable way, producing highly limited quantities of each style and using deadstock fabrics whenever possible. It stands to reason that the clothes themselves are designed to be worn again and again.
“My biggest challenge every day is to create garments that become timeless,” she said. And what could be more enduring than a little black dress?
Her collection included several variations on this wardrobe classic: a short cape dress hand embroidered with silver sequins and ostrich feathers; a double-face cashmere coat dress with ostrich feather cuffs and gold buttons made by jeweler Goossens, and a marinière with a jeweled chain closure. “It’s my version of a hoodie,” she said with a smile.
There was plenty of sparkle, too, in the shape of short and long dresses made from vintage lamé fabrics; a black double-breasted evening coat covered in 3D sequins, and tunics made of super-sheer distressed chiffon with faded sequin embroidery. The designer noted that the chances of running into someone wearing the same outfit were slim.
“I love the idea that there’s just not a population of these dresses everywhere else,” said de Libran, who recently opened her first store in Paris, where some of the designs are made in a little workshop downstairs. Buying local never looked so chic.
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