Textile Tours of Paris

Art and Fashion: Statement Pieces was such a grand experience, I visited this spectacular exhibition several times over the summer, the extravagant fashions standing quietly in the splendour of the Louvre. The thoughtful, discreet visual connections between the architecture, furnishings and decorative art displays enticed you to spend longer, to return and see motifs, patterns, colours and textures repeating across mannequins and museum. A pleasing visual rhythm that enhanced my appreciation of both objects of beauty; the exquisitely crafted fashions and the monumental Louvre.

Comment BEAUTY and I’ll send you a link to enjoy more beautiful photos on Telling Tales, the rather sporadic Textile Tours of Paris blog. À très bientôt, Rebecca

When I was studying Haute couture embroidery at École Lesage I would visit the Dolce & Gabbana boutique on the legendary Rue St Honoré. The kind sales assistants came to know me, not as a client, but as a very enthusiastic student - they would indulge my passion for artisanal craft on quiet days, disappear into the store room and return with the most embellished and embroidered garments in their collections. The magnificent creations seemed magical, with an extra sprinkling of fairy dust because I knew exactly how challenging it was to add sparkling sequins in a river and how long it took to add tiny seed pearls in the vermicelli technique! I couldn’t contain my excitement in the luxury boutique and I felt the exact same joy waiting in line for the Du Cœur à la Main: Dolce&Gabbana exhibition at the Grand Palais.

The exhibition was absolutely breath-taking! It felt like wandering through the imagination, inspiration and ingenuity of two passionate visionaries, an indulgent glimpse into their world of beauty. Once again, I was incredulous about the craft and time represented in each garment and accessory, from inspiration to final conception, how many hands had participated in the creation of the pieces. Yes they were beautiful, but the exhibition was a joyful celebration of creativity and savoir-faire. My favourite part? Wandering through the studio bien sûr! I couldn’t recommend it more highly and thankfully, the exhibition is travelling around the world.

Comment BEAUTY and I’ll send you a link to enjoy more beautiful photos on Telling Tales, the rather sporadic Textile Tours of Paris blog. À très bientôt, Rebecca

This was an unexpected and very immersive exhibition visit! I made a trip to Versailles to do some research and my lovely friend Corinne Thépault, a cultural curator at the palace and an expert in Fashion and Dress History, happened to be free for a few hours. Corinne very kindly accompanied me through the temporary exhibition on a private tour of Le Grand Dauphin: Fils de Roi, Père de Roi, et Jamais Roi (The Grand Dauphin: Son of a King, Father of a King, and Never a King).
The Château de Versailles presented this wonderful exhibition dedicated to a figure who is too often left in the shadows of the Sun King: the Grand Dauphin, Louis de France, the eldest son of Louis XIV. There were nearly 250 remarkable works drawn from French and international collections, and the exhibition revealed the life of a prince I had never heard of, central to Bourbon dynastic hopes, yet never destined to reign. I was lost in the Louis’s and Corinne patiently explained the Bourbon dynasty family-tree several times during our visit. The Grand Dauphin never ascended the throne, but his upbringing, royal residences, and devotion to the arts offered a compelling portrait of a destiny imagined but sadly, never realised.⁠
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Comment BEAUTY and I’ll send you a link to enjoy more beautiful photos on Telling Tales, the rather sporadic Textile Tours of Paris blog. À très bientôt, Rebecca

New Dates Added for April, May & June! 
Woven through the fabric of Paris is a rich heritage of luxury textiles just waiting to be discovered… The celebrated merceries of Paris, brimming with the highest quality French ribbons, yarns, threads, beads, sequins, gems and buttons. A paradise for any textile enthusiast, these boutiques are a joy to visit with shelves, drawers, jars, and display cases overflowing with sumptuous, colourful and glistening treasures.
The Textile Tour has been the highlight of many a trip to Paris! Rebecca loves introducing this gorgeous world of colour, texture and heritage to fellow textile enthusiasts and sharing lots of fascinating stories along the way!
The enthralling history of haberdasheries and milliners, feather-workers and embroiderers, royal customers and the working class women who made their exquisite gowns. Rebecca will guide you through the bustling streets of Le Sentier, a neighbourhood steeped in history and tradition as the centre of luxury textiles and fashion in France since the 18th century. Along the way we will be greeted with warm welcomes from friendly staff who serve their discerning customers with a savoir-faire passed down through generations. And for a taste of true Parisienne life, the tour takes us along Rue Montorgeuil, a charming cobbled street lined with cafés, restaurants, florists, bakeries, patisseries, cheesemongers, fishmongers, butchers and cobblers. A great spot for lunch!
Like all the best textile adventures, spaces are limited to small groups of 8 to 10 people. To book your Textile Tour simply comment TEXTILE below and I'll send you a link in your DMs. À très bientôt, Rebecca

January is one of my favourite months of the year. Stormy, dark and cold, there is time to winter, hibernate and eventually, renew. In that cosy space we consider new possibilities and contemplate our intentions for the year ahead. New Beginnings was the first theme on our Tender Whispers from the Heart journey of creativity, inspiration and solace. We gathered together, connected from all over the world through the magic of Zoom, to explore some recommended readings, perfect to peruse and percolate in the winter months. I love anthologies and collections, they introduce us to new works we may not have ever considered or explored, we can easily fall in love with a new inspiration or simply turn the page if our interest isn’t piqued! Cambridge Imprint is pure indulgence, Sura and I are always happy to encourage our students on a beautiful, covetous journey of screen-printed notebooks & journals. It was a pleasure to share my textile art, I've been inspired by poetry and prose throughout my life; A Response to The Shadow Doll, A Response to Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven, A Response to A Ghost in the Throat, Remembrance and Sleeping in the Forest. More to come on this gentle journey. À bientôt, Rebecca 🎀

Recommended Readings

-The Textile reader edited by Jessica Hemmings@blommsburypublishing

-Broderies by Audrey Demarre 

-100 Poems to Break your Heart edited by Edward Hirsch

-Gorgeous notebooks to document your journeys 

All Art by Rebecca Devaney .devaney

-A Response to the Shadow Doll by Eavan Boland

-A Response to Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven by WB Yeats

-A Response to a Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa

-The Subversive Stitch exhibition 

-Remembrance 

-A Response to Sleeping in the Forest by Mary Oliver

Tender Whispers from the Heart closes for subscriptions today - Sunday 28th of December. Limited spaces are available to join me on this creative journey in 2026, simply comment TENDER below.

À très bientôt, Rebecca 🎀

There’s a healing that happens when we read, write and embroider. In the quiet moments of embroidering poetry and prose, we listen to whispers from the tender, hidden parts of our hearts and we connect with ourselves. Words, meanings and memories become stitched into our souls and we understand their significance, why they resonate with us, why they have stayed with us for days, years and decades.

Tender Whispers from the Heart is a collaboration between Rebecca Devaney and Sura Qadiri, Assistant Professor of French and Francophone literature at St Catharine’s College, University of Cambridge. In this online embroidery course, we will be sharing our love of poetry and prose, embroidery, textiles, art, community, connection and bien sûr, France. Be still my beating heart!

On this creative journey you will learn:
-How to embroider text confidently with a range of stitches and techniques using silk threads and vintage French linens
-Develop a meaningful, reflective embroidery practice inspired by beauty, poetry, & storytelling
-Create a growing body of stitched work that captures feeling, memory, and intention
-Build creative confidence through gentle guidance and monthly creative prompts
-Connect with a supportive community of like-minded makers
-Research historical and contemporary textile artists to develop a richly inspired embroidery practice and develop your own, personal creative voice

What’s included in Tender Whispers:
-10 Monthly live Zoom sessions
-10 embroidery tutorials
-A dedicated student website with a treasure trove of downloadable resources
-Early bird access to Tender Whispers sale of vintage French linens and silk thread collections

Suitable for beginners and experienced stitchers alike. All are welcome!

Tender Whispers from the Heart is open for subscriptions until the 28th of December. Limited spaces are available to join me on this creative journey in 2026, simply comment TENDER below.

À très bientôt, Rebecca 🎀

Discover the hidden history of Parisian textiles and fashion, and step into a world rarely seen. Meet the forgotten women behind the exquisite needlework—a powerful and highly skilled workforce of seamstresses, milliners, embroiderers, lace-makers, feather-workers, flower-makers, and fan-makers whose hands shaped Parisian style. Explore the vibrant ecosystem of artisans woven through the boulevards of Paris: the makers of beads, sequins, and rhinestones, and the craftspeople who manufactured the essential tools of the trade—scissors, needles, pins, and threads.

Journey beyond Paris to the cloth merchants, silk-weavers, ribbon makers, and printed cotton manufacturers who supplied the luxurious textiles for the Haute Couture fashion ateliers. Discover where fashionable Parisians ordered their decadent gowns, wigs, hats, fans, and gloves. Along the way, meet the legendary fashion merchants, midinettes, and designers who dressed a discerning clientele and established Paris as the capital of fashion and the birthplace of Haute Couture. A fascinating cast of characters, revealed through story, scholarship, intriguing detail and beautiful illustrations

Textile Tales from Paris offers a year of education and enchantment, and I would love you to join me on this Parisian adventure. Enrolment closes on 18 January, and classes begin on 25 January.

À très bientôt, Rebecca

Oh la la - Textile Tales from Paris is back! An enchanting series of beautifully illustrated online talks that unravel the fascinating story of how luxury textiles and fashion became woven into the fabric of Paris.

Step into a world of Kings and Queens, Emperors and Empresses, Fashion and Finance Ministers, Pandora Dolls and Midinettes—an intriguing cast of characters brought to life and dazzling in their extravagant finery, bien sûr. Travel through time from ancient Chinese dynasties and the Roman Empire to Medieval markets and the golden glory of Versailles; from the cobbled streets of Montmartre to the intoxicating extravagance of Belle Époque Paris. Follow French fashion—and its famously uncomfortable underwear—from the flirtatious Rococo to the fire of the French Revolution, from the birth of Haute Couture to the wild folly of the Roaring Twenties, and the timeless elegance of Christian Dior’s revolutionary New Look of the 1950s.

Along the way, we’ll meet master artisans; couturièrs, milliners, lace-makers, embroiderers, flower-makers, feather-workers, fan-makers, spinsters, silk weavers, fabric printers and royal painters. We’ll glimpse inside their ateliers to reveal the secrets of these magnificent crafts: the tools, techniques, embellishments, and shimmering wonders that bring Parisian dreams to life.  Forgotten by history, their extraordinary savoir-faire has continued through the centuries and ensures that Paris remains the capital of luxury textiles and fashion today.

Comment TALES below and I'll send you a link to enrol today! À très bientôt, Rebecca

Images
1.Cinq Heures Chez Paquin, Henri Gervex, 1906
2. Portrait of Madame de Pompadour, François Boucher, 1756
3. After the Ball, Conrad Kiesel, date unknown
4. Nouveau Plan de Paris Monumental, L. Guilmin, 1890
5. Marie Anyounette à la Rose, Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, 1783

Fashion Miniatures in Paris is a retreat filled with enchantment, creativity and couture. The dates will be announced and applications will open in my Newsletter this Sunday 💌

Comment NEWSLETTER and I’ll send the link to sign up directly to your DMs.

Follow in the footsteps of Paris’ celebrated couturiers as you craft an exquisite, historically accurate, fashion miniature while exploring museums, archives, and ateliers with renowned experts, discovering the timeless savoir-faire, heritage, and elegance that have defined haute couture fashion for centuries.
Each day has been lovingly curated to weave together the art of making, the history of fashion, the savoir-faire of textiles, and the cultural magic of Paris. Mornings unfold in the inspiring atelier of La Couture Brigade, where you’ll enjoy the expert guidance of Jane Taylor-Bouvard in crafting your own fashion miniature—learning the techniques and traditions that have defined Parisian elegance for generations. Afternoons invite you into the city’s beating heart of style, as April Calahan and Rebecca Devaney lead you through hidden ateliers, storied archives, and world-renowned museums. Along the way, you’ll uncover the materials, the makers, and the visionary designers who have shaped Paris’s enduring love affair with fashion and made it the glittering capital of haute couture for centuries.

Fashion Miniatures in Paris will be a retreat like no other! If you'd like to find out more, I'll send you all the details this Sunday. Simply comment NEWSLETTER below and sign-up on the Textile Tours of Paris website. À très bientôt, Rebecca 🎀

Empress Josephine is a French printed cotton from the 1930s, it’s almost one hundred years old! The pleasing pattern evokes the neoclassical style from the previous century when the statuesque Empire line silhouette came into fashion, it reminds me of Elizabeth Bennet in Pride Prejudice and the lovely printed cotton dresses she and her sisters would wear in the BBC period drama (be still my beating heart Mr Darcy!).
I was delighted when I unfolded the small length of fabric in the flea market, the design is just so lovely and inspiration for embroidered embellishment was instant! The delicate lines would look gorgeous in apricot fly stitch, the periwinkle honeycomb in straight stitch, creating a rich, textured background. The garlands of blossoms and buds in coral daisy stitch and French knots, the roses, tulips and dahlias in apricot and coral long & short stitch, the foliage in deep moss and fern greens, the ribbon in periwinkle blue, creating rhythm and accentuating the colours in the background. Magnifique!  We absolutely loved creating this colour way, the nostalgic browns, greens, apricots, coral, and periwinkle blue are so pleasantly calming. With almost 200 years of French textile history, this printed cotton is a beautiful and rare find and unsurprisingly, there’s only one Empress Josephine embroidery kit left in the Vintage Floral Fancies Summer Sale!