Dreams exist to come true. Part I
How I completed an haute couture embroidery course at L’Ecole Lesage.
Part I Preparation
Hi fashion enthusiasts,
It has been a while since I published anything, but my visit to a famous Ecole Lesage deserved a dedicated article. When I was planning my trip to Paris, I found very little information online about the process. I hope that this post will be helpful to everyone interested in going.
If you would like to skip prep information and get straight to the embroidery course, skip to Part II.
Let’s start with a backstory. While I was studying at a fashion school, I was fascinated by Haute Couture. In my early student years, I saw myself as a costume and evening wear designer. This category is labor-intensive, to say the least. When I started designing, I decided to focus on cocktail ready-to-wear clothing. I always felt that handmaking techniques would elevate the garment. I wanted to learn the technique and found out about Ecole Lesage, the school of a well-known Lesage House. It produces embroidery work for haute couture lines for CHANEL, Dior, Saint Laurent, Schiaparelli, and more.
As a struggling student, I could not afford to go to Paris and spend time learning embroidery. I looked for ways to learn it myself by watching the videos. Coincidentally, one of the new professors at my college posted an ad about a tambour beading class, which sparked my interest. She attended the University of Kentucky and learned the technique from Bob Haven. Bob Haven is a professor of Costume Technology and a master embroiderer here in the US. I signed up for the class and learned some basic stitches, however, I felt that I needed more.
Fast forward to 2023, I decided to go to Paris and finally take the course at Ecole Lesage. I started preparation 4 months in advance. I contacted the school to find out the details. You can schedule a call or send an email, they are very responsive.
Courses
There are many different courses to choose from, they are divided by levels: initiation, advanced, or specialization. The initiation courses take 6-30 hours, advanced 30-48 hours, and specialization ones take 150-300 hours for haute couture and upholstery courses. It is always recommended to start with the initiation course to train hand, then move to more advanced levels. There are two 3-hour sessions every day, in the morning and afternoon. Taking 1 session per day is better because the student is expected to practice at home and complete assignments. I saw some students take 2 different courses on the same day, I guess it depends on your experience and speed. It is possible to take classes every day, but for high-level courses, they recommend doing 2 per week. My 12-hour Lunéville embroidery initiation course took me 4 days to complete.
French
When I was choosing a course, there was an option to specify English or French, so I chose English. I speak conversational French, which I found useful for my classes. The teachers have different levels of English, but overall enough to communicate and understand the technique. Overall in Paris, people speak very good English.
Schedule
The school is flexible in terms of a starting day, you can choose to begin midweek and continue after the weekend or start on Monday. There are no set terms days, and the students from different levels work in the same class. As generally in France, school is closed in August. I also visited right before haute couture fashion week, but it didn’t affect my course of study.
Stay
I debated whether to choose a hotel or Airbnb. I wanted an authentic experience but ultimately chose a hotel for convenience. Location was another challenge as I hadn’t been to Paris in many years, and was not familiar with the neighborhoods. When I asked the advisor at the school, they recommended staying within central Paris and not by the school. I chose the 10th arrondissement due to it being the central area between Le19M and the main attractions. It took me 20 min by bus to get to the school and about 10 min to get to Louvre. Later I found out that it was a “hip” area due to all restaurants, coffee shops, and vintage boutiques. Strategically it was also a perfect location to travel from Charles de Gaulle Airport and to Orly, as the RER B train stops at Gare du Nord
Transportation
I heard a lot of horror stories about Paris' safety and transportation. To my surprise, the metro system was very efficient and convenient to use. I live in New York, so the experience for other people may be different. I was using the metro and buses daily and didn’t feel the need for a taxi or Uber. I explored Paris after my classes.
Here is everything you need to know if you are planning to take a course or visit Paris, continue reading Part II to learn more about the embroidery initiation course.
Uliana