What’s Hot This Summer for Couture Season

Paris is hopping with new boutiques, restaurants and exhibitions. Here’s a curation of those for this couture season.

Where to Shop

Rubirosa’s, the latest project by Paris-based jewelry designer Lauren Rubinski, isn’t about gold and gemstones. Her ancestor Ludovic Élazar Rubinski was a French merchant specialized in cotton and cashmere, who supplied the poplin used for ecclesiastic shirts in the Vatican. These inspired the upscale range of smart pajamas, crisp shirts and buttery moccasins that she is now offering in a slip of a boutique appointed like a curio cabinet.

Online diamond retailer 77 Diamonds is opening its latest by-appointment showroom on Place Vendôme so that jewelry lovers can stop by to create bespoke diamond-set baubles. It’s a major stepping stone as the 20-year-old company headquartered in London gears up to expand across Europe and the Middle East.

It’s not just the doors of its first formal flagship that French heritage leather goods brand Létrange is opening on Place Vendôme. Chairman Sébastien Létrange, the seventh generation of the founding family, has decided to follow up its retail apartment adventure with another offbeat idea: opening fine vintages drawn from the family wine cellar. And of course, the range of striking bags inspired by his adventurous and enterprising ancestors are given pride of place in this 1,650-square-foot ground-floor space.

Ghanaian American designer Kwame Adusei has opened his second standalone store in the Marais, following his flagship in Beverly Hills. Known for his modern take on African design cues, Adusei creates sharp yet generous cuts in cropped blazers, moto jackets and trousers, and is already a celebrity favorite worn by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Kylie Jenner and Ciara. Adusei is committed to sustainability, using deadstock materials and producing in his own 15-person workshop in Los Angeles, with much of the collection made-to-order, thus avoiding overproduction. The Paris store reflects Adusei’s ethos: the 820-square-foot space is filled with antiques he sourced from the Saint-Ouen flea market and sits above an atelier for tailoring and customization, and promotes his slow-fashion principles.

Barcelona-based jewelry brand MAM has opened its first standalone store outside of Spain with an immersive, art-infused space centered around an installation called “The Sanctuary of Gaia.” MAM’s sustainable, sculptural and genderless designs are meant to be wearable art and are laid out exhibit-style in the space that encourages a sensory experience. Earthy, undulating earrings and bracelets range from 150 euros to 550 euros, while intricate headpieces hit the top range at 2,500 euros. All of MAM’s works are handcrafted at their ateliers in Barcelona. The brand, founded in 2014 by Jordi Enrique Albert and Anthya Tirado, is on the cusp of global expansion with their next outpost slated to open in Mexico City this fall.

French footwear brand Jacques Solovière has opened its second boutique in Paris. A minimalist space housed behind a classic Haussmannian façade, the boutique features light and natural materials, with matte textures and custom-designed modern furniture, such as half-moon seating and an out-of-this world light installation, creating a calm, soothing cocoon. The brand, started in 2014 by Alexia Aubert, specializes in refined, Italian-made footwear like loafers, slippers and derbies on display in the 800-square-foot space. The brand’s signature Edouard Lug returns in two new shades: Odissea Navy and Crema Grained. Store visits are available by appointment only. — Lily Templeton and Rhonda Richford

Rubirosa’s, 7 Rue de Grenelle, 75007

77 Diamonds, 10 Place Vendôme, 75001

Létrange, 4 Rue de la Paix, 75001

Kwame Adusei, 15 Rue du Vertbois, 75003

MAM, 30 Rue de Sévigné, 75004

Jacques Solovière, 3 Rue Molière, 75001

Where to Eat

Already in high demand, Le Grand Café is the Grand Palais’ 320-seat brasserie tucked on the stone terrasse in a 6,000-square-foot space that was once home to the institution’s archive, on the Champs-Elysées side. Under the 8-meter ceiling, interior architect Joseph Dirand used warm tones nodding to the building’s original features and flooring — where velvet banquettes define alcove-like tables. Monumental, aged mirrors reflect the Petit Palais, so no one misses out even seated away from the windows. The menu offers a chiseled take on French brasserie food. A must-try is the Comté-and-truffles soufflé, but you won’t be disappointed by turbot quenelles, salmon and sorrel or arch-classic peppercorn beef fillet. Don’t forget the Colin Field-signed cocktails at the bar — and the live jazz band at 8 p.m. every evening. 

Neo-bistro Kimono is a nod to the Japanese community that turned Paris’ Montparnasse area into its home in the 1920s. The star here is the Futosoba, a house creation that is the love child between thick-cut udon and the fragrant buckwheat soba. The restaurant had a traditional Japanese mill specially made to craft its own flour and uses a specialized machine replicating traditional kneading methods to prepare its noodles fresh and ready to be served hot, cold or as a salad.

Air France is landing a new edition of its pop-up restaurant on the rooftop of Galeries Lafayette Haussmann for the summer months. Dubbed “Le Restaurant,” the spot will offer an experience centered around the airline’s business class service, with dishes signed by triple Michelin-starred chef Régis Marcon, who drew inspiration from nature and particularly that of the central-southern region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes he hails from. And don’t miss the desserts by Nina Métayer, the first woman to be named World’s Best pastry chef in 2023.

It’s a bit of schlep to get to Thaddeus Ropac’s outpost in Pantin, a northeast suburb of Paris. But now, in addition to sprawling blue-chip art displays in a vast former foundry, an excellent caprese salad also awaits, or a plate of San Daniele. Last month, the Austrian art dealer christened Café Bleu, which can host more than 40 lunch guests on its colorful wicker chairs and comfy brown banquettes. It was realized by Pierre Pelegry, artistic director of Maxim’s and founder of Ligne Blanche, which produces porcelain tableware, scented candles and table linens in collaboration with the foundations of Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and others.

The art-bedecked Limoges porcelain gives a sense of place to Café Bleu, especially since Ligne Blanche also works with living artists including Georg Baselitz, whose massive paintings of himself and his wife Elke are on display in Pantin until July 26.

The café is set in a separate, cottage-like building and it feels a bit like an escape with its rustic colors, tile floors and cozy atmosphere. “The idea is to do simple food with the best ingredients,” said Pelegry, who has kept Maxim’s roaring for nearly 30 years.

For now, all lunch dishes are cold, but well-priced and tasty, like the sliced salmon and avocado salad for 16 euros. The eatery is also open for breakfast and afternoon tea. — L.T.  and Miles Socha

Le Grand Café, 1 Place Clémenceau, 75008
Tel.: +33 1 85 09 40 50

Kimono, 66 Rue du Cherche-Midi, 75006
Tel.: +33 1 42 22 32 15

Air France, On the terrasse of Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann, through Aug. 20
40 Boulevard Haussmann, 75009
Reservation through the Air France site

Café Bleu, 69 Avenue du Général Leclerc, 93500
Tel.: +33 1 55 89 01 13

Where to Drink

If you had to sum up the American dream of Paris in one address, it would no doubt look like La Renommée. Behind the facade of a former 19th-century grocer, the first address of U.S.-based restaurateur Brendan Sodikoff, of Hogsalt fame, is a cozy bolt hole with art sourced in the city’s flea markets, plush leather banquettes and an enviable menu of French classics with an international twist. Don’t miss the expansive cocktail menu, or the bar downstairs. — L.T.

La Renommée, 95 Rue Saint-Honoré, 75001
Tel.: +33 1 40 39 93 70

Where to Stay

Villa Junot, the first Parisian project of French private-home rental venture Iconic House, is about marrying the charm of a private residence with upscale services befitting a five-star property. Inside this meticulously restored 1920s town house in Montmartre with sweeping views of the Parisian skyline from its rooftop are five en-suite bedrooms, a cathedral-style lounge, a dedicated children’s room, a professional kitchen and a wellness area with a gym, sauna and indoor pool. Design details throughout the property are inspired by the building’s first owner, French operetta writer and composer André Mauprey. Services include a private chef and dedicated concierge, ready to cater to residents’ tastes and desires.

Is it a five-star hotel? Is it offices? Is it a sports club? Is it an art space?  La Fondation is all of the above — and then some. Imagined as a 100,000-square-foot hub in a striking Brutalist building set between Parc Monceau and the Batignolles, it offers 58 keys, including three suites; two restaurants and a rooftop under the direction of executive chef Thomas Rossi, previously at the helm of Mimosa; a sports facility that comes with the latest machines, a climbing wall, a 25-meter pool, a sauna and a hammam, and a spa using French brands Typology and Ho Karan, which specialize in organic de-stressing skin care treatments. — L.T.

Villa Junot by Iconic House, 18 bis Avenue Junot, 75018
Reservations: booking.iconic.house

La Fondation, 40 Rue Legendre, 75017
Tel.: +33 1 78 77 70 00

Where Art Meets Clothes

It was only a matter of time before Jordan Roth, a Broadway producer turned rabid fashion fan, would also turn his hand to design. That moment came shortly after the New Yorker began preparing for “Radical Acts of Unrelenting Beauty,” a performance piece premiering on July 10 at the Louvre during Paris Couture Week.

“It became clear that the clothes and the performance were so inextricably linked — were actually the same — that I have designed the clothes as part of creating the piece,” he told WWD in an emailed interview squeezed between rehearsals in New York.

Roth is the main star, along with six dancers moving to a score by Thomas Roussel, adding up to a spectacle that “sits at the nexus of theater, fashion and art.”

“It uses the language of music, movement, projections, connection and the ritual of dressing to explore the dynamics of identity, beauty and its capacity for self-expression and transformation, all through the fundamental elements of fashion — fabric and emotion,” he said.

The three back-to-back performances coincide with, and reference, a fashion exhibition running at the museum through July 21 titled “Louvre Couture: Art and Fashion — Statement Pieces.”

“The threshold between the exhibition and the performance is the magnificent red Dior haute couture piece by John Galliano that is exhibited in the Napoleon Apartments overlooking the Cour Marley, where the performance will be,” Roth explained. “It is the looking glass through which I and the audience dive into the dream we’ll explore together. You’ll see what I mean.”

The performances are free and open to the public via registration. Roth calls it nothing less than “an invitation to consider the possibility that we are the art, that we are the canvas of ourselves.” — M.S.

“Radical Acts of Unrelenting Beauty,” July 21 between 7 and 9:30 p.m.
Louvre, 99 Rue de Rivoli, 75001
No reservations

Where to Take in Art

Charles Frederick Worth, who is credited with founding haute couture, is the subject of a retrospective at the Petit Palais museum, the first major retrospective of the English designer in France. It features more than 400 works, including 80 pieces of clothing.

Paul Poiret‘s fashions, which famously freed women from the corset and took many cues from Eastern cultures, have inspired many designers, including Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano and Dries Van Noten. Looks by such creators figure in “Fashion Is a Feast,” the exhibit dedicated to Poiret, at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs.

There’s an exhibition featuring Rick Owens’ oeuvre at the Palais Galliera, which exudes many moods, including from couture-like dresses and capes in soaring felt niches to a life-like statue of the designer urinating into a metal trough.

The show at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris brings together more than 110 works, including paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures and ceramics, which reflect Henri Matisse’s view of his daughter Marguerite Duthuit-Matisse.

The Musée Maillol has culled more than 350 photographs by Robert Doisneau, marking the first exhibit of his works in Paris for many years. These include iconic images alongside lesser-known ones.

Ramdane Touhami and Émile Shahidi have just opened The Radical Media Archive, a gallery they describe as a foundation for the preservation of alternative press, graphic publications, revolutionary art and utopian design. Its first exhibition, called “Words Sounds Colors & Shapes,” presents a smidgen of the archive. — Jennifer Weil and M.S.

“Worth: Inventing Haute Couture,” until Sept. 7
Petit Palais, 2 Avenue Winston Churchill, 75008

“Fashion Is a Feast,” until Jan. 11, 2026
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, 107 Rue de Rivoli, 75001

“Rick Owens, Temple of Love,” until Jan. 4, 2026
Palais Galliera, 10 Avenue Pierre 1^er de Serbie, 75116

“Matisse and Marguerite,” until Aug. 24
Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, 11 Avenue du Président Wilson, 75116

“Robert Doisneau: Instants Donnés,” until Oct. 12
Musée Maillol, 61 Rue de Grenelle, 75007

“Words Sounds Colors & Shapes,” until Dec. 31
Radical Media Archive, 1 Rue Eugène Spuller, 75003

Where K-beauty Is Rising

The K-beauty wave keeps rising in Paris, with the recent opening of Moida K-Beauty on the Right Bank. There, shelves are stocked with products from the likes of Tirtir, Biodance, Medicube, Nature Republic, Beauty of Joseon and CosRX.

Meanwhile, the BHV department store’s “Korean Wave” pop-up has as part of its selection beauty from South Korea. Agaskin pulled together eight brands, including Torriden, Axis-y, Urang, Dear and Klairs. Nüd Korean House of Beauty offers treatments for the face and body. And the Mi-rê brand, linking French and Korean savoir-faire, is also offered here. — J.W.

Moida K-Beauty, 17 Rue de Pont Neuf, 75001

“Korean Wave,” until July 13 at the BHV, 52 Rue de Rivoli, 75004

Where to Sweat

For the Reformer Pilates devotees out there, Kore is the spot to know. One of its two locations is on Rue Réaumur, a stone’s throw away from the Opéra area. With a 12-place studio and a separate space for private coaching, its focus is 50-minute high-intensity, low-impact workout sessions — nearly sweat-free but highly effective — targeting the upper body and abs on a specially developed machine.

Pressed for time? With Spark Club, a first-of-its-kind concept in Paris of fitness done in an infrared chamber, you won’t have any more excuses. This spot is all about getting your blood pumping in little more than 15 minutes doing yoga, Pilates, cycling or on an indoor rower. Group sessions are limited to three people. — L.T.

Kore, 103 Rue Réaumur, 75002
Reservations: kore-studio.com

Spark Club, 8 Rue Bellini, 75116
Tel.: +33 1 59 13 35 10