Maybe you’re dressing for some rich friend’s cousin’s extravagant costume party in a chateau in Provence. Maybe your house is its own cabinet of curiosities and you need that perfect vintage doodad to hang on the empty wall above your fireplace. Or maybe you just want something you can artfully pose with in front of the mirror while wearing that fancy outfit you’ve only ever worn for yourself.
Whatever the reason, sometimes a girl (or guy) just needs a fan. And there’s nowhere chicer to buy one than Maison Duvelleroy, the last maker of custom hand fans in Paris. The shop opened in 1827, and has been going for almost 200 years. It was the personal supplier of hand fans for Queen Victoria, and also hand-crafted the fans given to the Spouses of Statesmen for their official visits in France. And one of its original patrons allegedly used the shop’s wares to bring fans (long out of style by the early 19th century) back into fashion in one single, fabulous night.
If you’re interested in buying one for yourself, the fans run about 45€ on the lower end, while the pricier couture fans can run as high as 12000€. But even if you can’t afford to splurge that much, the gorgeous original designs and historic reproductions are definitely worth a look.
