The future of the little shopfront that catered to Melbourne’s well to do women for more than 80 years is uncertain but the business it housed, Le Louvre, is looking forward to a fashionable and successful future. Ironically, just as a wave of international power labels have set up shop at the top end, or so-called Paris end, of Collins St in Melbourne, the home grown house of designer style and status has moved to South Yarra. Georgina Weir, the owner of Le Louvre and daughter of the s
store’s celebrated founder, Lillian Wightman, sold the three storey 1855 building at the corner of Exhibition and Collins Sts to Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) last year.
Weir and Wightman had spurned many offers for the property, which sat somewhat incongruously in the foreground of Nauru House, but recognised that QIC’s plans for a 42 storey office tower would destroy the ambience of the shopfront even if it was retained.
Weir herself planned to build a multi-storey apartment on the corner in 2003, but abandoned the project because of objections and National Trust opposition.
Le Louvre’s Collins St store with its polished copper façade is listed by the National Trust as a building of state importance, one of the key buildings that turned public attention to the significance of Melbourne’s built heritage and which underpinned the Paris end descriptor top end of Collins St.
The Trust is seeking major design concessions from QIC on any redevelopment around the Le Louvre building and retention of a substantial part of the store, not simply a “token façade”.
While the building dates back to 1855, it was originally a townhouse, becoming a fashion salon in 1922 when Wightman started her business. It was altered in 1927.
Wightman built an exclusive clientele, developing an insatiable appetite for European designer fashions and dressing women for major Melbourne society events and Melbourne Cup carnivals.
Wightman, who died in 1993, boasted Vivien Leigh, Dame Nellie Melba, Meryl Streep and Dame Edna Everage among her celebrated clients who were seated on couches and had clothes brought out to them.
Weir had toyed with moving Le Louvre to South Yarra for a number of years, and the relocation became a viable option when she found a three level building in Daly St that dates back to the 1920’s and once had the Tramways as a tenant.
She believes she has found another signature location with the first fashion boutique to open in Daly St, an area which is transforming.
“Le Louvre was the first fashion boutique to open on Collins St in the 1930s. And so, history repeats and we believe we have found a new location that will become become as iconic a location as the original Collins St store,” said Weir.
Le Louvre launched at its new location in late January 2010, introducing for the first time its extensive range of European fashion within an open boutique area where no appointment is necessary.
The level one Le Louvre Boutique is overseen by head buyer, Amelia Coote.
Weir presides over the Le Louvre Salon on level two where the store’s tradition of highly personalised customer service is retained for private clients.
The Le Louvre Salon also offers bridal and evening wear collections.
Both the Le Louvre Boutique and Le Louvre Salon offer customers an inhouse alterations service where each garment is perfectly crafted to fit its wearer by a team of seamstresses located on level three.
With the opening of the new store, Le Louvre has added new designers, Balmain, RM Roland Mouret, Celine, Acne jeans, Moncler, Giles Deacon jewellery, Thomas Wylde, Elie Saab and Christopher Kane T-shirts.
Le Louvre is the only store in Australia to offer the exclusive Philippe Starck capsule cashmere collection for Ballantyne.
Other labels in the current winter collection include Lanvin, Yves Saint Laurent, Marchesa, Ann Demeuleneester, Rick Owens, Tom Binns and Stephen Jones Millinery.
The refined elegance and Parisian styling that characterised the original Le Louvre has been translated in the contemporary new store design with gilded mirrors, marble topped bureaux and lavish animal pelts, juxtaposed against raw industrial brickwork and joined by an interior scheme featuring metallic silver, pink and white.
The famous Le Louvre logo created by artist Louis Kahan in the 1950s and showcased on the Collins St façade in gilded script has been reinterpreted on the exterior of the new store in hot pink neon.
In keeping with owner Georgina Weir’s patronage of emerging artists, the Le Louvre logo also appears in the store’s interior in graffiti form, created by commercial graffiti artist Daniel Wenn.
The ocelot staircase, a memorable feature of Le Louvre Collins St, becomes a floating mirrored staircase resplendent with silver glitter treads in the new South Yarra store. An art deco lucite chandelier cascades above.
Other features of the store include a banquette of metallic pressed crocodile skin with griffin’s feet in the level two salon, a ceiling mural created by Aboriginal artist Sally Gabori and clothing stands created by Malmsbury blacksmith Andy Dannatt which were modeled on art deco stands from the original store.
Weir says the new Le Louvre store represents a very personal vision.
“The store retains the essence of tradition, style, glamour and personalised service that our customers expect from Le Louvre, overlaid with the option for a modern retail experience which will appeal to younger customers.
“We have taken as much pleasure from selecting the furnishings and artworks as we have buying the Winter 2010 collection. The new Le Louvre will out-style and out-smart the best fashion concept stores in the world.”