HAVE SHIRT, WILL TRAVEL: Alexandra Senes is not lacking in inspiration for her travel-themed brand, Kilomètre Paris. The editor-turned-designer has expanded her offering of vintage men’s shirts embellished with embroidery channeling travel destinations, t0 50 locales from 20 since it launched just three seasons ago.
But finding sufficient stock of “liquettes” — the 19th-century shirts from the South of France she uses to make them — is proving more of a challenge as demand grows, said Senes at the opening of a pop-up space at L’Eclaireur’s Rue Boissy d’Anglas store Thursday evening.
“I need to find disused stock, it’s quite challenging — let me know if you have any leads,” said Senes, who found the original item that inspired the brand’s creation at a flea market.
As such, she is diversifying to new categories. Cushions, scarves and bags are already part of the mix.
For fall, Senes is adding a range based on traditional French blue workwear, or “bleu de travail,” that will launch in September. “I found an old stock of it,” she explained.
Kilomètre Paris’ shirts are embroidered by hand, some taking as long as six weeks to adorn, and each is accompanied by a “passport” describing the destination by which it was inspired. Prices range from around 500 euros for a basic shirt to 2,750 euros for one-off vintage pieces.
Kilomètre Paris is stocked in around 30 doors worldwide, including Le Bon Marché, The Webster and Barneys New York. The pop-up at L’Eclaireur, whose Sévigné store also references the line, runs until July 15.