Maria Luisa is closing down her store at 7 rue Rouget de l’Isle at the corner of rue du Mont Thabor close to the Tuileries gardens in Paris.
Maria Luisa is to Paris’ fashion what Patricia Field is to Sex and the City, the fashion brain. I remember her first store on rue Cambon in 1988. Fashion was still an exclusive business. Her selection was always innovative, trendy, desirable. She was one of the first to introduce the Belgian crowd, Martin Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester, to Parisians, and later Alexander McQueen. In 1998, she opened her first shoe store with its exclusive choice of Manolo Blahniks. That was a real treat! Then she opened the men store 38 rue du Mont Thabor , followed by an accessory boutique next door. 7 rue Rouget de l’Isle, the womenswear store showcasing all the designers, shoes and accessories was her last home. She will keep the men’s store at 38 rue du Mont Thabor.
For all those who, like me, have enjoyed regular trips at Maria Luisa Poumaillou’s boutique for constant updates on international fashion, this is the end of an era. Maria Luisa had her way ( probably still has) to judge you from head to toe at a glance. Were you worthy of a piece of advice ? If you were, she would come up with a new – mostly black- perfect outfit for you.If you were on her listing, you could attend the best sales in town!
Mind you! The lady is not retiring, far from it. As fashion director at Le Printemps, she opened a Maria Luisa corner on the 2nd floor of the Parisian department store.
She will also sell on line at thecorner.com where she will create an e-boutique starting in the Fall. Not to mention her own label distributed in 30 stores.
Ce n’est qu’un Au revoir!
Pascale Richard 