FabSugar UK

Carven Opens A Boutique in Paris

Jamie Roy — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:22:51 BST

I've been a fan of Carven ever since I discovered it last year and FabSugarUK got to speak with designer Guillaume Henry who seems so passionate about clothes. The French brand offers tonnes of beautiful body-con dresses and skirts that we've seen on celebrities like Leighton Meester, Demi Moore, Gwyneth Paltrow and Emma Watson. Finally, in its fourth season Guillaume has opened his very first women’s store at 36 Rue Saint Sulpice in Paris. Guillaume told WWD,

"I stumbled across this boutique by chance and thought, this is perfectly situated in the heart of Saint Germain and opposite the Saint Sulpice church. This is not a luxury store, but we wanted to maintain the roots of the couture house that are in the details of the clothes. The store is a place to come for a rendezvous, like going to a cafe."

Eric Chevallier, the man behind Colette's merchandising designed the Carven 800 square foot outpost. It has two floors that contain three fitting rooms and decor including wood, tiles and black and white fabrics. The atmosphere is chic, yet hip, just like the label. I'm really excited to have another store to check out in Saint Germain. When I hit that hood, I always go straight to Diptyque (how I love my candles) with of course a post-shopping fuel stop at Cafe de Flore. Do you like Carven clothing?

On Our Radar: Carven to Open First Boutique

Laura Street — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:06:01 GMT

Carven has quickly become one of my favourite labels and it looks set to stay that way judging from the Autumn '11 collection. The French brand has just revealed the details of it's first boutique which is due to open next week. It will be located at 36 rue Saint Sulpice in the historical Saint Germain des Prés district.

The new boutique has been described as "intimate and sophisticated, like an elegant apartment, and is as welcoming and familiar as one of those meeting places which are such a Parisian specialty." It opens on Monday 28th March. You can shop some gorgeous Carven pieces below.

Five Fab Looks from Carven, Autumn 2011

Laura Street — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 14:00:43 GMT

Guillaume Henry is really making a name for himself at Carven, and this season he proved their success by hosting his first catwalk show as part of Paris Fashion Week. The collection was typical of the label as it was very young with fun elements and cut out detail. This season, Henry introduced a touch of tartan along with embellished shoulders and fur adorned arms. I have selected five of my favourite looks, and you can watch the whole show here. Let me know what you think!
Photographs by Frédéric P. Méry

Carven Fall 2011 Runway Paris Fashion Week

FabTV — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 12:34:33 GMT

For Fall 2011, Carven designer Guillaume Henry turned out signature Parisian chic looks with a touch of intrigue in the form of red tartan, fur-sleeved coats, and a surprising Victorian neck ruff. To see all the covetable ensembles, watch our full runway coverage now, and if you missed our one-on-one interview with the designer, click here to check it out.

Carven Takes to the Catwalk?

POPSUGAR Fashion UK — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 12:00:12 GMT

It's been an amazing year for Guillaume Henry. Since I met him back in April, he has been busy making this revived French brand a global sensation. His designs have been worn by Kim Kardashian, Alexa Chung, Emma Watson and many more. Now, news is breaking that the label looks set to step things up for 2011 with the opening of a stand alone boutique and a possible catwalk show.

When I spoke to Guillaume earlier this year, he seemed reluctant to take Carven to the catwalk. "I think we’re more in to intimate shows. I like to think of it as a cinematic experience with the music. The girls, who presented the last collection, were not professional models. They’re so pretty, but they don’t have to act too much like models."

A boutique is set to open in 2011 at 36 rue St. Sulpice in St-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, which could possibly coincide with couture week. It's definitely an exciting time for both Carven and Guillaume!

Guillaume Henry Picks his Carven Must Haves

POPSUGAR Fashion UK — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 16:01:11 BST

Whilst international fashion weeks are making us look to next season, there is still plenty of time to work on your Autumn/Winter wardrobe. Over the past month, I have been asking the experts about their favourite new season pieces. Today, I caught up with Carven designer Guillaume Henry as he talks us through his favourite Autumn looks. Click through to find out more.

Look Book Love: Carven, Autumn '10

POPSUGAR Fashion UK — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:00:53 BST

Carven is one of the hottest new labels right now. It made waves with it's revival for Spring 2010 and now the second collection is starting to arrive in stores. It is produced under the careful creative guidance of young designer Guillaume Henry who I caught up with earlier this year. He explained his Autumn inspiration, "It was inspired by the work of Claude Chabrol (a French film director) and films like Les biches. It’s not really about the story, but the image and it’s really kind of simple. The girls are always so chic and in particular one woman Stéphane Audram – she was so chic." You can shop Carven here, but before you do, take a peek inside the new season lookbook.

Absolutely Fabulous

POPSUGAR Fashion UK — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 10:00:09 BST

I interviewed Guillaume Henry about Carven and Kristen Stewart
Tie dye dresses are hot for Spring '10
Copy Doctor Who star Karen Gillan's style
What do you think of Chloe Sevigny's Proenza Schouler look?
Rosie Huntington Whiteley strips for Monsoon lingerie
Gwyneth Paltrow lands the cover of Vogue for May
Sneak preview of Winter Kate Autumn '10 by Nicole Richie
Cheryl Cole goes nautical for Spring
Take my Kristen Stewart birthday style quiz
Eva Herzigova designs for Etam

A Few Fab Words With Guillaume Henry, Part 2

POPSUGAR Fashion UK — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 12:00:53 BST

Here is the second part of my interview with Guillaume Henry of Carven. In the first part, French born Guillaume talked about getting involved with the brand and meeting his "fairy Godmother" Natalie Massenet. Now, we move on to his second line for the revived label and his thoughts on Kristen Stewart! The Carven collection is fun, young and has a big focus on being comfortable. The new season continues that vibe with jersey lined mini dresses that can be scrunched up and coats that can be worn as capes.

I asked Guillaume about this aspect of his work and the way he likes to play with size and dimension. He explained, "I love the idea of sprinkling a bit of magic on it. It’s not just a coat, it’s a coat that can tell a story. I like mixing things up a bit, sexy but structured."

To find out what else he had to say, just

Do you have style icons or a muse? I’d say Charlotte Rampling or Charlotte Gainsbourg. She doesn’t know how chic she is! She doesn’t pretend to be fashion, she is fashion. I also love Chloe Sevigny and of the new generation I love Kristen Stewart! I love her on the red carpet with a minidress and Converse. I’d love to dress her in a bustier dress with Converse. She doesn’t pretend to be something else, she’s just cool. I haven’t seen one movie with her, but just pictures of her – she’s so cool! She can wear haute couture, but on her, it won’t look too prepared.

What was the inspiration behind your Autumn/Winter '10 collection? It’s a French wardrobe. It would be the perfect wardrobe for a bourgeoisie in Paris. It was inspired by the work of Claude Chabrol (a French film director) and films like Les biches. It’s not really about the story, but the image and it’s really kind of simple. The girls are always so chic and in particular one woman Stéphane Audram – she was so chic. In those days, they wouldn’t wait for a designer to tell them what to wear, so they were so chic and choosing their own stuff. I would love to dress girls for a movie. I like anybody to be the heroine of their own life.

You did a presentation in Paris for Autumn '10. Would you like to do a catwalk show? Not a proper catwalk, because I think we’re more in to intimate shows. I like to think of it as a cinematic experience with the music. The girls, who presented the last collection, were not professional models. They’re so pretty, but they don’t have to act too much like models. I like the idea of those girls chatting together. You know because most models are 19, so I don’t want them to act like a proper woman. Some of them had chewing gum in their mouth! They were models from a really tiny agency, so they were not too prepared.

You also used a relatively unknown photographer to shoot your campaign, are you interested in upcoming talent?
I prefer to get a photographer that really understands what we say. It’s not that difficult to ask a really famous photographer or a really famous model, but that’s not the point. We want to be really clear in our message and the photographer we asked, it was almost his first campaign for womenswear.

View 4 Photos ›

Images courtesy of Net-a-Porter

Introducing Guillaume Henry for Carven

POPSUGAR Fashion UK — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 09:00:43 BST

Last week, I was lucky enough to be invited by Natalie Massenet of Net-a-Porter fame to a dinner with Guillaume Henry. The young French designer is working on the revival of Carven and has just created his second collection for the brand for Autumn/Winter 2010. We dined at Blakes hotel in Kensington whilst Guillaume charmed some of the biggest names in fashion media with his passion for womenswear and gorgeous accent!

When I first met him at the dinner, he confessed to being a bit nervous and overwhelmed by the event, but he soon settled in and made a great deal of effort with everybody at the dinner. This included Dolly Jones from Vogue, Paula Reed from Grazia, Jo Elvin from Glamour and Tala Samman from My Fash Diary.

The next day, I caught up with Guillaume again as he talked me through both collections. The Spring line (which is available now) is surprisingly affordable with cute dresses, shorts and cropped cardigans. He loves to play with dimension, which is evident in both collections. To hear from the fashion industry's hottest new name, just

How did you become involved with Carven? I worked at Givenchy and at Paule Ka. When they started the casting to get a creative director (for Carven) they’d been told about me, so they contacted me. They asked me a question – what’s Carven for you? And I said, "Dress, dress, dress and no more haute couture", and that’s exactly what they expected. So it was a kind of being in the right place at the right time and with the right people!
Which designers have influenced you? I have to say I have always admired Prada because she is really clever and she has such a personality. American fashion has influenced me, like Claire McCardell, she was a designer in the ‘50s and ‘60s. I love the clothes she was doing because they’re so chic, so simple and sporty at the same time.
Who is the Carven customer? A girl who would wake up, take care of the children, go to work and party during the evening. It’s my next door neighbour, it can be you, it can be the girl next door and from any ages! I like that. We’re selling the collection at Bon Marche in Paris and we’ve got customers from 17 to 70! And she can wear the same dress. But look quite different. That’s what I love – you create your own story.
Can you tell me about when you met Natalie Massenet and how she has helped you? Net-a-Porter was something I knew of, of course, it’s so famous and she came to the studio and I wasn’t expecting her to buy the clothes. I was just thinking she’s professional and she’s checking what is new. And for me, that was already enormous to see her in the showroom! I heard that she might come, at first she came and then she came back to buy! And then I was thinking she would buy a few things to try, because can you imagine how risky it was even for her because it was our first production. She picked a lot of things, and she bought a lot! It was amazing. She is like a fairy godmother. I respect her so much.

Stay tuned for the second part of my interview where he discusses style icons and the Autumn collection.

Images courtesy of Net-a-Porter