Experience French luxury with Caudry and Calais lace

In the world of fashion, lingerie holds a special place. It dresses the intimate, reinforces self-confidence and embodies a certain idea of French luxury. Among the creators who are reinventing this exceptional craftsmanship, Élise Aucouturier stands out as a unique figure in French haute lingerie neither contemporary lingerie as we know it, nor traditional corsetry.

Élise Aucouturier instills in each of her creations a new way of wearing lingerie fluid, precious, and designed to blend into the wardrobe as a garment in its own right. In 2001, she founded her eponymous brand of "wearable lingerie", an avant-garde and delicate line, exclusively Ultra French from exceptional laces.

From 2003 and for more than twenty years, her creations have been distributed at Le Bon Marché in Paris which hails the brand as a "lingerie essential" — as well as in prestigious boutiques internationally such as Isetan in Japan, Neiman Marcus in the United States, and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong. After a four-year break between 2020 and 2024, the brand returns for the 2025/2026 season, more determined than ever to redefine the idea of French lingerie worn as a true garment.

The heritage of a century of French craftsmanship and luxury

A true child of French fashion, Élise Aucouturier perpetuates the tradition of haute lingerie by working exclusively with Calais-Caudry lace. Since the 19th century, these two cities in northern France have produced the world's most refined laces a subtle blend of finesse, strength, and designs of rare complexity.

From these immense Leavers looms, weighing more than fifteen tons, are born meters of lace of incomparable elegance that Élise reinterprets through a graphic and modern sensuality, at the border between luxury lingerie and contemporary couture.

The art of lace: goldsmith precision

The machine accomplishes only part of the work. Weaving requires extreme mastery in preparation and finishing to obtain patterns as varied as they are delicate, reminiscent of the handmade laces of yesteryear. From structured geometries to romantic florals, these metal giants function like instruments in a symphony of intertwined threads.

Under the watchful eye of seasoned artisans, the looms vibrate, rustle and sing, bringing to life the finest and most fluid lace possible. Together, human hands and mechanics create true masterpieces  Alençon, Chantilly, Cluny, Valenciennes, or Guipure laces intertwine in a subtle dance.

A poetic architecture of femininity

Élise Aucouturier transforms these exceptional materials into a language of forms — an architecture of curves, textures, and light. Some lines are geometric, others organic, but all serve one vision: that of a feminine couture silhouette.

Each piece combines French mastery of "soft lingerie" with the precision of haute couture, uniting fragility and structure in absolute harmony.

Sustainable luxury

Against the current of ephemeral fashion, Élise Aucouturier is part of a responsible approach to slow fashion. Each creation is designed to last, crafted in small series or made-to-order in French workshops, using the finest laces and impeccable finishes.

Her minimalist and modern collection revisits the great icons of wearable lingerie: lace camisoles, light nightgowns, triangle bralettes, high-waisted panties, couture bodysuits, short lace dresses, or silk undergarments. A philosophy that gives luxury back its true definition: rarity, beauty, and heritage.

Wearing an Élise Aucouturier creation means owning a piece of heritage — a bridge between collectible lingerie and couture garment, between the intimate and the visible. It celebrates the perfect alliance between French craftsmanship, sensuality, and timeless elegance.