French Connection
Toting around a bag dripping with logos and heavy hardware is so Paris Hilton circa 2005. In the post-luxury-boom era, the coolest satchels on the shelves are the ones boasting sumptuous details and flawless construction—not interlocking letters.
Which makes the pristinely crafted bags from Perrin Paris 1893, a 116-year-old family-owned leather goods house, particularly tantalizing right now.
The French label—helmed by L.A. residents Michel Perrin, a transplanted Parisian, and his wife, Sally Perrin, a Seattle-bred former model and actress—specializes in the kind of quietly luxurious accessories that transcend trends.
But don’t mistake “quiet” for “boring.” The house’ signature Ball bag, rendered in crossing strips of leather (or exotic skins), is a minor architectural feat that’s designed to turn heads. And the Spider glove, a punk rock-meets-Victorian hand adornment based on negative space, may be the chicest accessory to debut this season (Drew Barrymore’s been rocking one lately).
The sexy-cool Spider Glove, which Sally Perrin pairs, "with a great black dress to lend a little edge."
Killer looks aside, Perrin Paris accessories have always been difficult to track down. Since launching its finished goods division in 2004, the brand—which spent decades operating solely as a tannery after a long tradition of crafting gloves—has only been stocked in around 20 boutiques in the U.S.
But that changes this week, when the French label debuts its first-ever store on Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills, a sleek, modernist boutique that’s “very 1940s Parisian, where women would go buy their gloves,” said Sally, the company’s artistic director, during an interview at the couple’s modern, streamlined manse in Beverly Hills. “It’s something that L.A. hasn’t quite seen yet. The inspiration being Jean-Michel Frank [an iconic French interior designer who championed neutrals.]”
The store, which is slated to open in the next few days (the exact day depends on city permits) is a study in neutrals, namely cream and white, employing a host of sexy textiles, including leather wall panels, suede drawer linings, a wall of cascading fabric and a travertine floor.
A Giacometti-style sculpture depicting hands (a nod to the house’s glove heritage) will figure prominently, as will an angular, oversized Murano glass chandelier.
It’s a fitting atmosphere for the accessories, which adhere to Sally’s one-and-only design ethos: “Keep it simple and chic both day and night.”
For fall, there are gorgeous chocolate suede-and-wood frame bags, a full range of Ball bags in black, gold and other neutrals, roomy clutches and a genius personal affects organizer that looks like a large, zipped wallet—dubbed the Martha, after family friend Martha Stewart, who asked Michel on a flight to Maine to make something that could hold her many cell phones and valuables.