Earthquake at the foot of the Sacré-Coeur. Kitchen aprons have replaced the dream wedding dresses on the mannequins in the window of the “On Earth and in Heaven” workshop boutique. Zélia, the creative fairy who, until the arrival of the Covid, transformed women into princesses for the happiest day of their life, now dresses Parisians "as peasants", according to the expression of this Picardy woman, originally from Amiens (Sum) like Michou, his late friend and neighbor. A way of speaking because now, waiters of Parisian cafes and brasseries (La Mascotte aux Abbesses), renowned pastry chefs (Gilles Marchal), starred (Philippe Etchebest or the ex-chef of the Elysée Guillaume Gomez) and even wine merchants also wear their “haute couture” and colorful aprons.
Zélia demonstrates in her Montmartre boutique that an apron can be a sexy fashion accessory. Christine HENRY
"Without this activity, I would have already gone out of business, I have no cash, the sale of these aprons allowed me to pay my fixed costs and keep my house afloat", says Zelia, installed for thirty years in Montmartre, at 47 ter rue d'Orsel (18th century), a stone's throw from the Théâtre de l'Atelier.
It has been a year since the designer has sold wedding dresses or stage attire and her order book is desperately empty for 2021. “Faced with the uncertainties associated with the health crisis, many couples have made the choice to postpone their wedding in 2022, explains the one who found the parade: handmade kitchen aprons, sold under the Zézette by Montmartre brand and which go like hot cakes, even in these difficult times for the trade.
For both women and men
That those who see sexism everywhere go get dressed: "This apron is not intended only for women and is not associated with household chores, it is worn like a garment", insists the designer trying, under the curious gaze. passers-by, his many models in front of the large standing mirror in his baroque boutique. Created from fabrics bought at the nearby Saint-Pierre market or from its suppliers, Zézette's aprons are real fashion accessories that enhance women but also men, not to mention children.
The woman who wants to be sexy at a dinner with friends will choose the short, edged with a lace frill.
The man who receives in his chalet in the mountains will set his sights on a print based on cable cars.
For the holidays by a swimming pool, the mother of the family will put in the suitcase the terry cloth apron dress that allows you to dry off while preparing the children's snack.
The "classics" will prefer the very chic toile de Jouy apron.
The wine lover will wear a linen apron with printed bottles to gain the admiration of his buddies.
Lovers, for their part, will melt for nicely matched aprons, just to stay in unison even behind the stove.
This will require spending a hundred euros.
Zézette, ambassador of French know-how
The new empress of the high-end apron declines this accessory according to the desires, the seasons and her inspiration drawn from folklore, history or geography, and the rural world that she particularly likes.
"My aprons express French know-how", insists the designer, who selects the beautiful materials and takes care of the finishes.
Savvy foreign tourists are not mistaken, who can order their aprons in the morning and pick them up in the evening.
Zélia offers its customers the opportunity to make the apron of their dreams during the day, matching their interior.
Christine HENRY
“When I started in this niche, nobody believed in the luxury apron. Today, I sell hundreds of them, ”smiles this autodidact who has been handling the needle since the age of 12. "I had caused a sensation when I arrived at Michou's one evening with a sequined apron slit in front for her birthday dinner with Belmondo and Delon", laughs the one who created stage outfits for the dancer Marie- Claude Pietragalla and produced all the costumes for the film “Un monde sans pitié” by Eric Rochant (released in 1989), with Hippolyte Girardot. On May 1, 2019, the seamstress who is not afraid of anything and has a sense of staging had paid for the luxury of arriving at the Elysee Palace with a green apron adorned with a lily of the valley and in heels needles.
Zézette aprons are on sale, from 100 euros, in a pretty surprise cone at the Montmartre boutique and on the
zezettebymontmartre.com
site
and, soon at the Paris tourist office, 29, rue de Rivoli (IVe )
