Paris Fashion Capital

This guided tour takes you through the history of fashion on a pleasant walk through the heart of Paris, starting near Place Vendôme and ending at the celebrated department store La Samaritaine. For centuries, Paris has held a central role in the history of world fashion: more than just clothing, Parisian fashion has always been a language for expressing power, taste and identity.

As early as the 17th century, under the reign of Louis XIV, France grasped the importance of appearance as a political and cultural tool. The court of Versailles became a model for all of Europe, consecrating Paris as the capital of elegance. In the 18th century, fashion left the royal palaces thanks to the growth of craftsmanship and the first fashion magazines: the marchandes de mode and milliners played a fundamental role in spreading trends and consolidating the bond between Paris and refinement.

The true turning point came in the 19th century with Charles Frederick Worth, considered the father of haute couture: in Paris, a new way of creating fashion was born — no longer the client choosing the style, but the designer presenting their own collections. In the early 20th century, Coco Chanel revolutionised women's wardrobes, making them freer and more functional, while Paul Poiret and Elsa Schiaparelli transformed fashion into a genuine creative laboratory.

After the Second World War, Paris reclaimed its splendour with Christian Dior's celebrated "New Look", which in 1947 redefined femininity with elegant, structured silhouettes. Today Paris is the heart of Fashion Week and home to some of the world's greatest luxury houses: balancing tradition and innovation, the city continues to prove that fashion is not merely ephemeral, but an integral part of its history, its culture and its identity.