Sourcing treasures all over France for you!
Handmade treasures made using noble materials and ancient techniques, I travel all over France to offer you a very special selection of the best of antique French antique trims, lace, passementerie, jacquard ribbons, millinery embellishments and French brocante.
It all started over a decade ago when my husbands grandmother gifted me with a box of 1800s ribbon samples, small morsels of silk embellished with real gold and silver thread, their beauty changed the path of her life indefinitely. My family are from the celebrated silk family, Faure of Saint Etienne and many of the silks I offer are antique salesmans samples and were made over the last 150 years in my familys silk factory in St. Etienne. These ribbons were woven on a 100+ year old jacquard metiers and are the very finest quality, jacquard ribbon made for haute couture clients. It was with this glorious invitation that I delved into the world of antique French textiles, a sublime rabbit hole of silk, ribbons, handmade lace, old mercerie notions, handwoven linen and hemp, and the Provençal patterned piqué quilts in vibrant indigo and garance.
Every weekend I set out with the rising sun in search of treasure at the French brocante, and I have learned to choose items whose poetry is revealed through meticulous mends and darns; pressed into the crumbling glaze of Provençal ceramics; well-thumbed heavy handmade papers decorated with swirling ink script; imperfect naive embroidery stitches and lived-in oil paintings. Antiquing in Provence is really the most unique opportunity to explore history and handmade with all your senses.
Today, I source very special antique and vintage textiles and trims for many design houses such as Isabel Marant, Alexander McQueen, Zimmerman, Dries Van Noten, and Love Shack Fancy as well as collaborating with major film and tv costume departments such as Game of Thrones, Outlander and Penny Dreadful.
PICKING:
I relish the challenge of picking for International clients and am often called upon to source antique wallpapers, 18th & 19th century ephemera, and vintage art.
I can pick for big stores or individuals who want a piece of France back home. You can send me a pinterest board of your interests, a price point and I will pick for you.
Shippers: I have a roster of shipping contacts to suit everything from a suitcase to a container. If you want more info just drop me a line for a quote or more information.
FIRST DIBS SALE:
Once a month, I host a ‘First Dibs Atelier Sale’ exclusively for her mailing list on Instagram @the_bouquiniste, giving my followers the opportunity to snap treasures up before they are added to my online boutique on Etsy and here.
BANKING Purchases:
To bank purchases, email me at ruthribeaucourt@gmail.com with ‘HOLD PURCHASE‘ as the subject.
When you are ready for your items, just email and we will prepare them for shipment.I offer the option of holding (banking) purchases for up to 6 weeks.
SHIPPING:
With the global COVID19 crisis there are potentially longer shipping delays than usual so please bear with me.
As always, I will provide you with a shipping tracking number so we can both keep an eye and stay on top of the delivery.
Items deeper than 3cm (once wrapped and packaged) automatically must ship by parcel post. Anything slimmer will be shipped as a registered letter.
I can combine banked items and refund any cost overage via Paypal.
If you are looking for something special don't hesitate to drop me a line and I can go treasure hunting for you!