FASHION & DESIGN STORE, BAR & RESTAURANT: L'Eclaireur

Video: Interview with Armand Hadida, creator and owner of l'Eclaireur in the bar of the newest L'Eclaireur at 8-10 rue Boissy d’Anglas, 75008 Paris.

What: Opening of the 5th L'Eclaireur multibrand store in Paris. The same address launches its first Bar-Restaurant.

Why it is so HolyChic: This is a place where I definitely didn't feel that hollow, lifeless energy I feel in most upscale fashion and design stores. Places, books, art, people (and above all people from the fashion business) who take themself too seriously and see fashion as a religion, bore me silly.  Here, you will never be bored (if you don't forget to take your black Amex card, of course).

This 5th Parisian L'Eclaireur is not only a multi-label luxury store but also a vast bar and restaurant which makes its immediate neighbor, the prestigious Buddha Bar look like an outdated, provincial dive in comparison.

This is sort of Fornasetti’s (1913-1988) temple, wisely conceived to let Fornasetti's playful and witty designed objects and drawings  come to life.

The retro touch is terribly modern, the lighting is refined and carefully elaborated, every detail telling a different story – and yet whole space is consistent and has a timeless air.

If you buy an object here, you feel as though you've bought a piece of immortality.

No wonder that New York Magazine claims: "Colette gets all the hype, but L’Eclaireur owners Martine and Armand Hadida have been bringing new names into Paris’s fashion universe for 25 years, and their five boutiques are still the cutting edge."


Surface: 600 m2 (5 rooms)

Opening date: January, 2007.

What they sell: Sharp couturiers, casual ultra chic womenswear and menswear, everything from dresses and shoes to accessories... from Dries van Noten, Oscar de la Renta, Versace, Thomas Wylde, Anne Valérie Hash, Dior Homme, Biba, Gustavo Lins.

L'Eclaireur has exclusives on women’s lines like Basso & Brooke, Guaglianone, Ken Scott, Haute by Vincenzo de Cotiis, Gianni Barbato shoes and Sissi Rossi bags.

Upstairs, the men’s area has Marni, Haute, Dior Homme, and Bruno Bordese.

Black pearls by Robert Wan, golden and silver jewelry by Ugo Cacciatori and Rosa Maria. And of course Fornasetti homeware and furniture.

Interior Design: With the help of Piero Fornassetti's son, Barnaba Fornassetti, Martine and Armand Hadida have created this bar-restaurant inspired by the famous Dulciora pastry shop in Milan (designed by Piero Fornasetti in the 50s). Fornasetti's firm created the exclussive decoration of the bar-restaurant space. Pay attention on the drawings in the restaurant, you'll be surprised.

Clientele: Black titanium card holders, fashion addicts of all ages, dressy casual urbanites, cashed up dandies and tourists, Crillon and Bouddha Bar regular customers.

Ambiance: "Fly me to the moon atmosphere in the Rome of the 24th century",  tongue-in-cheek to deadly serious minimalism and fashion fetishism, retro-chic, lofty, timeless, Italian, sharp-chic, snazzy, inventive, witty, surprising, amusing, with a touch of mild retro porn. Good that playfulness and humor are not interpreted here in a childish, infantile manner as in others Parisian hype stores.

Service: Impeccable. Top professionalism and a great hospitality from Marie (the PR) and the owner, Mr. Hadida.

Interior: Sophisticated, amusing, vast, high ceilings, breathtaking, warm colors, Fornasetti is all around. Enticing shopping spree or even better - having a glass of red wine and dining with someone who is terribly willing to fly you to the moon after the digestif.

Upside:  Lively, playful, humorous and opened spirit of Martine and Armand Hadida keeps l'Eclaireur now, 27 years after, more than ever on the top of the ultra-tough Parisian fashion playground. Maybe it's also because they're always on the hunt for personalities rather than simple fashion trends.

Downside: The problem is that I didn't find anything here which was not breathtaking. I'm simply thrilled. Go over there and see why.

Tags: Sharp and chic, urban, retro, Italian style, hip, boutique, arty, store, womenswear, homeware, shop, Fornasetti.

Category: Surface

L'Eclaireur - womenswear/mensweare, homeweare, furniture, bar, restaurant
Address: 8-10 rue Boissy d’Anglas, 75008 Paris
Metro: Concorde
Telephone: +33 1 53 43 09 99
Bar & Restaurant Opening Hours: 11 am - 7 am on Monday
11 am - 2 pm from Tuesday to Saturday
Email: bar@leclaireur.com



by Vesna Gerintes

September 2007

HolyChic - Paris Urban Guru

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