A Touch of Fetish: Our New Paris Photo Shoot

In 1936, in the red-light district of Paris’ bohemian Pigalle neighbourhood, a new kind of nightclub opened its doors; created by Monique “Moune” Carton, Le Fetiche was Europe’s first openly cabaret and dance club for women. Later renamed to Chez Moune, today it’s open to anyone and is the place to go for both wild, unbridled evenings and more intimate affairs alike.

And it’s this iconic slice of Parisian nightlife – both its extensive history, and the undeniably erotically-charged atmosphere within its doors – that has inspired the latest Divaurae photo shoot.

Naturally, we travelled to Paris for this shoot, where we’d arranged to meet with a leading fetish photographer and our two stunning European models for the day. It just so happened that the date we’d planned for was also the opening day of the Olympics, and the city was buzzing. You could feel the energy in the air.

With closures everywhere we turned, we very nearly couldn’t get everyone together on time! But thankfully, we did all make it and once we’d closed the doors on the heaving streets outside, we took all of that excitement and adrenaline and channelled it into our own private and, dare I say, far more thrilling project. 

In my case, I’d brought three looks. The Adrienne gold silk bikini gave a nod to Chez Moune’s alluring gold-detailed exterior (which still includes the original signage!). The Lorena collection brought to mind the club’s longstanding history, with its retro-inspired silhouettes and its vaguely menswear-inspired sheer shirt dress, an homage to the nightclub’s original patrons who would often arrive dressed in suits in a time when that could still be considered scandalous.

And finally, an all-new addition to the Noire collection in a combination of black silk and sheer black lace, to capture the tantalizingly seductive mood that the place evokes. Also based on retro silhouettes, I styled it with stockings, wide detachable garter clips wrapped in scrunched silk, and a puffed silk mini skirt custom-made for the occasion.

Want to add a taste of Parisian eroticism and luxury to your own lingerie drawer? You can click here to shop the first two looks now, and the new Noire arrivals as soon as they are available. Or get in touch to discuss a bespoke creation if you’d like yours to be made to measure. And I would love to hear your thoughts on this new Divaurae editorial, and my new lingerie designs of course, over on Instagram!