(PARIS) Among the columns of the historic galerie Montpensier in the Palais Royal is one man who will never proclaim the death of haute couture: Didier Ludot. After spending 35 years amassing and selling haute couture pieces from the early 1920s to the present day, Ludot has become a godfather of sorts to the entire couture industry. In 2009, he took a young Guillaume Henry in hand, opening a temporary boutique where couture pieces from the ateliers of the Madame Carven were exhibited along side Henry’s present day collection for the house. In 2006, another relatively young unknown designer was given his debut to the doyens of the French fashion scene: Zac Posen. “We mixed pieces from Zac with dresses from Madame Grès and dresses from Saint Laurent. It’s very amusing to do so many events here, and that really made him known in France,” said Ludot during a quick Q&A with The Daily before the arrival of his next couture-hungry client. What does fashion mean for you?
To have fun.
And luxury?
The word has become a bit tarnished at the moment, because we call lots of things luxury, that in fact aren’t For me, luxury is sensuality, to put on a piece of clothing when the inside is as beautiful as the outside. When you put your hands inside an Hermès bag from the 1960s, and find that it is completely lined in lambskin. Then there’s a special noise when we close it, or when we place it down.
Do you ever alter the pieces you sell?
All my pieces are real haute couture, so we can’t really make many changes. One can always transform a model. If a woman bought a Chanel suit from the 1960s, from the time of Mademoiselle Chanel, and wanted to make it a mini-skirt, I would refuse to do it. They can always buy it and do what they want with it after, but I would find that a sacrilege and blasphemous. It’s actually quite difficult, as one has to find the right kind of clothes made for the same body type as the client.
Who are your favorite designers in the past and at the moment?
I don’t really have a favorite designer, I love them all. However, there are designers who are very well known and do horrible things—we can all make mistakes in life! Dior, Balenciaga, Balmain and Jacques Fath do really beautiful things. I really judge by the garment and not by the designer.
What do you think of the new generation of designers coming out of New York?
I really love Rodarte. I find them really strong and very couture.
Do you have any plans to open a boutique outside of Paris?
No, no. I prefer to stay in the Palais Royal. The people who want these pieces know where to find me. I did open once at Saks in New York , but it was very complicated, as my really good New York clients were not very happy that I was so accessible to everyone. And they prefer when I’m in the boutique myself, offering them advice.
You work a lot with museums…
Yes, and with couture houses who want to buy back their older pieces, because now all the houses want to establish their archives, which is good for the identity of their brand. And then I also work with collectors. It’s very important for a piece of clothing to be worn.
What are you working on in 2011?
I did quite a lot of things this year, the retrospective for The Little Black Dress exhibition and also to celebrate the tenth anniversary for my boutique dedicated to the little black dress, so for the moment, I have projects, but nothing is yet decided. I’m also thinking about doing a book—maybe retracing my tastes, why I chose to work in fashion, and why… well as you can see, I’m the only boutique in the world that sells this level of haute couture. It’s true that I have a lot of luck to live in Europe, and in Paris especially.
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