On a January day, just as the Christmas markets were winding down, I finally arrived in Calais. This time, I came by car, with a stop along the way at a village boulangerie for a galette des rois (king cake).
French lace may be synonymous with Calais-Caudry. Let’s go a step deeper. Traditionally, Calais focuses on lingerie and corsetry lace, while Caudry’s expertise centers on lace for fashion, ready-to-wear and haute couture.
As I learned while visiting these towns, those lines are blurring. Now, to stay competitive, including against cheaper options from overseas, these factories need to stay relevant and keep a finger on the pulse of ever-changing market demands.
According to the French lace federation, Calais counted more than 500 mills, 3,000 Leavers looms in motion and 40,000 workers at the height of lace production, around 1905, in the Belle Époque. Today, about half a dozen lace makers remain in the city. France holds 80% of the world’s Leavers looms — every one of them in Calais or Caudry. Only lace made on those looms, by the region’s affiliated lace makers, may carry the Dentelle de Calais-Caudry label.
The Cité de la Dentelle et de la Mode (City of Lace and Fashion) is housed in a restored 19th-century lace mill, the Boulart factory. It was one of the last “collective” lace factories, where several lace makers worked under one roof.
Side by side, the same design changed with every fiber.
The exhibition was expansive, and the museum has done a wonderful job of mixing the old with the new, from the building itself to the demonstrations and gallery space.
Here, I saw the Leavers loom in action once again. The second time was just as special: the sounds, the expertise it takes to operate such a powerful machine.
The exhibition followed the history of lace in chronological order, from handmade to the machines smuggled from England, to embroidery and so much more. It brought all I had learned so far into one clear story. I even left with an embroidery kit from the museum shop.
The museum’s display of natural fibers stayed with me. Each raw fiber was on view: linen, cotton, wool and silk. Each had then been made into handmade bobbin lace, all in the same design. Side by side, the same design changed with every fiber. It emphasized to me how much the choice of material shapes the finished piece.
In hindsight, that canceled train was meant to be. This time, I could truly experience the town, walking its streets, having lunch at its restaurants and spending ample time at the museum. Again, it forced the New Yorker in me to slow down and to savor the moment.
— Aimée