Gaultier loved the drama and the romance of the movie, and he also loved the world it described — the mansions where the couturiers worked, the ateliers staffed by legions of stern seamstresses, the precision and the detail of the work.
Another Roman house, in the '80s, was inspired by ateliers of Nordic painters in the capital in the 1800s.
"Pop stars have costumes made by ateliers at huge cost," Ms. Stern says, adding that her company's products would "let you make these electronic wearables at home for a fraction of that".
In 2002, he added an extra Chanel show to his schedule: a high-end ready-to-wear collection designed to profile the work of the Paris métiers d'art, the ateliers that create, by hand, the embroideries, beading, tulle flowers, hats, and shoes on which couture designers rely.
"In the past two years, we have launched two operations during which 50 stylists, 50 fashion houses and 50 ateliers were identified by the intelligence and judicial authorities and some arrests have been made and some [Instagram and Facebook] accounts have been closed down," he said, according to the state-run Irna news agency.
Here too, the source is to be sought in the illumination practiced by pictorial ateliers.
Traboules, well worth exploring, were built so silks could be carried between ateliers without being pelted by rain.
Most of the schools have their own art rooms, called ateliers, which are staffed by full-time art teachers, known as atelieristas.
As early photographers struggled to place their work in a traditional art historical context, these formal poses were adopted by several ateliers, in particular members of the London Brotherhood of the Linked Ring.
Next, stop by the ateliers of Stefanie Duckstein (Parkstrasse 7; 49-89-36-10-53-92; stefanie-duckstein.de), a quirky artist, and Beatrice Pedersen (Schwanthalerstrasse 131; 49-89-54-03-68-81; beatrice-pedersen.com), a Swedish-born ceramicist who makes ornate porcelain bowls by hand.
