Bourrienne Paris X x Charles de Vilmorin: A Meeting of Heritage and Couture

Bourrienne Paris X and Charles de Vilmorin unveil their first joint collection: an obvious encounter between heritage and contemporary creation, between the rigor of the white shirt and the freedom of haute couture.

On one side, Bourrienne Paris X: Parisian savoir-faire inherited from the Directory era, with a focus on cut, material, and detail.
On the other, Charles de Vilmorin: instinctive, free, and expressive couture.

Where the two worlds converge is in their shared attention to the essential: the quality of a fabric, the precision of a line, the accuracy of a gesture.

A heritage rooted in history

It all began at the Hôtel de Bourrienne, rue d'Hauteville. At the end of the 18th century, Fortunée Hamelin hosted the most coveted salons of the era. An emblematic figure of the Directory, she embodied a generation of women who redefined the codes of elegance after the Revolution.

Silhouettes became lighter, constraints disappeared, and attire became freer. It is said that Fortunée Hamelin shocked all of Paris by strolling along the Champs-Élysées wearing a transparent shirt dress. The shirt, until then concealed, established itself as a central piece of the female wardrobe.

It is this spirit of freedom and modernity that Bourrienne Paris X keeps alive, season after season.

An obvious collaboration

The encounter with Charles de Vilmorin naturally fits into this continuity. The Directory was not a staid era, but a time of audacity, celebration, and reinvention.

His couture today extends that energy: spontaneous, expressive, free from constraints.

This collaboration gives birth to four ready-to-wear pieces, accompanied by three haute couture pieces developed alongside the collection.

Each model bears the name of a Merveilleuse—Joséphine, Thérésa, Juliette, Fortunée—echoing these women who made clothing a space for expression and emancipation.

Four pieces, four figures of the Directory

The JOSÉPHINE dress

The centerpiece of the collection, the Joséphine dress is inspired by Joséphine de Beauharnais, who made simplicity her signature.

Joséphine de Beauharnais introduced a new style, one of restraint and lightness. Far from the finery of the Ancien Régime, she favored more fluid, almost instinctive lines that redefined the female silhouette.

The JOSÉPHINE dress echoes this: a gentle yet assertive presence.

The high collar, defined shoulders, and puffed sleeves structure the silhouette. The bodice, crafted with precise cutouts, tightens with a system of crossed ties—a contemporary interpretation of the corset, free from any rigidity.

The full, gathered skirt accompanies movement with a plunging line from front to back.

The THÉRÉSA plastron

Thérésa Tallien embodies the audacity of the Directory. A free, provocative figure, she made clothing a field of expression, not hesitating to challenge conventions to impose a new idea of grace.

THÉRÉSA extends this spirit: a piece conceived as a gesture, between affirmation and sensuality, where the body is revealed as much as it is structured.

The JULIETTE shirt

Juliette Récamier represents a more subdued elegance. Her style, refined, almost restrained, became a benchmark—a way of existing without ever demanding attention.

JULIETTE follows this lineage: an open, interpretive piece that allows for movement and appropriation.

The FORTUNÉE shirt

Fortunée Hamelin, muse of the Directory and the House of Bourrienne Paris X, embodies an assumed, almost insolent freedom. She made appearance an art, clothing a language, and detail a signature.

FORTUNÉE recaptures this momentum: an expressive silhouette, where volume becomes a statement.

A collective creation

This collection is the fruit of a dialogue between several perspectives.

Charles de Vilmorin oversees the artistic direction and infuses his touch.
Cécile Faucheur ensures consistency through the choice of materials, cut, and finishes.
Nikita Vlassenko brings styling and energy to the project.
Carine Beigbeder structures its development and supports its launch.

Together, they give birth to a capsule where past and present converse with precision.

A vision of clothing

More than a collection, Bourrienne Paris X x Charles de Vilmorin offers a vision: that of clothing conceived as a space of freedom.

Between historical heritage and contemporary writing, the shirt regains its full power—both a structural piece and a field of expression.