Sophie Fontanel at Galeries Lafayette: The Fashion Comeback We Dreamed Of, from September 5 to October 16, 2025
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As Paris regains its rhythm, Sophie Fontanel transforms the Galeries Lafayette into a theater of fashion. Between desire and lightness, the journalist engages in a dialogue between iconic pieces and singular finds, for a return that is both poetic, cheeky, and terribly Parisian. We love it all!
Fashion According to Sophie: A Matter of Skin, Memory, and Freedom
Sophie Fontanel is not just any fashionista. She narrates fashion as one would write a novel, with humor, tenderness, and that freedom that disarms dogmas. A journalist with a rich background, from Cosmopolitan to Elle and then L’Obs, she has established a writing style where irony caresses poetry. We adore her Instagram account, which is sensitive, poetic, and funny, where she shares her impulses in both fashion and simpler daily life, far from the glitter, close to the heart.
Her vision of fashion is sensual: the heir to an Armenian lace-making grandmother and a dressmaker mother, she speaks of textiles as if they were an intimate heritage. For her, clothing is not about trends but about characters. A coat becomes a travel companion, a bag a confidant, a dress a silent declaration. She loves to remind us that:
“A piece of clothing can save a day, change a mood, open up a horizon.”
It is this sensitive philosophy that the Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann entrusted her with to orchestrate the fashion return of 2025.
Objects of Desire: A Couture and Joyful Return
Until October 16, Sophie Fontanel reveals her “objects of desire.” Not pieces to impress, but garments chosen for their narrative power, capable of awakening an emotion or memory. The rust-colored coat by Dries Van Noten has the allure of an autumn stroll under a still-warm sky; the plaid trench coat by AMI PARIS breathes cheeky Parisian chic; the fir green leather jacket by Loewe is a portable forest; and the Falabella bag by Stella McCartney shines like a joyous provocation.
Fontanel flips the perspective: fashion is not an injunction but a game. She invites us to rediscover the joy of childhood fittings, when a mirror became a stage and every garment, a theater costume.
“Fashion is not a straitjacket; it’s a playground,” she proclaims like a mantra.
Levi’s, Ferragamo & Others: The Dream Casting
This return at the Galeries resembles an eclectic casting. You can find timeless stars like Levi’s®, with its eternal 501® and reimagined jackets, alongside more confidential spirits whispering the future.
- Róhe, an Amsterdam label, brings its precise tailoring, both poetic and rigorous.
- FRAME, hailing from Los Angeles, distills a Californian chic, between luminous denim and fluid cashmere.
- Ferragamo dedicates belt bags to choreographer Pina Bausch, like choreographic accessories.
- Sessùn imagines a coat soft as an autumn caress.
- Maje showcases a leather jacket that snaps like a movie line.
- Zomer and its architectural lines charm minimalists, while Guest in Residence, a unisex cashmere label, plays with enveloping softness.
- Even beauty has its place, with Cosmetics 27, organic skincare that reminds us that skin also deserves its couture.
Each brand here becomes a chapter, each piece a secondary character that enriches Sophie Fontanel’s narrative.
The Department Store Transformed into a Living Stage
The Galeries Lafayette are no longer just a shopping destination but a vibrant backdrop. The windows resemble visual poems, and the racks turn into initiatory stops. The journey designed by Fontanel oscillates between seriousness and whimsy, like a guided stroll by a brilliant friend who whispers: “try, have fun, dare.”
This staging does not just showcase clothing: it tells a story of desire, freedom, and metamorphosis. And to extend this excitement, the festival Échelle Humaine (from September 19 to 21 at Lafayette Anticipations) adds a choreographic and performative touch. Here, fashion flirts with dance, art, and the pulse of the city.
Sophie Fontanel at the Galleries, The Manual
Everything unfolds in the heart of the legendary Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann, the cathedral of Parisian style. The journey imagined by Sophie Fontanel primarily unfolds on the 2nd and 3rd floors, inviting the public to meander, explore, get lost, and ultimately find themselves in a garment.
- When: from September 5 to October 16, 2025
- Hours: Monday to Saturday from 10 AM to 8 PM, Sunday from 11 AM to 8 PM
- Access: free, no reservation required
The best part about this fashion return? Nothing is imposed. Everyone can pick and choose, create their own style, and invent their own narrative. Sophie Fontanel offers a framework but leaves the story open.
It means: create your own style!
