On a cold evening in March, a cement-floored warehouse in the gritty Paris suburb of Fontenay-sous-Bois played host to a different kind of couture fashion show. A third was dressed in a white silk strapless gown, gathered on the hip, that was embroidered with blue and pink posies. Unlike traditional couture, as presented on runways in Paris this week, these clothes weren’t sewn by seasoned artisans or made from precious new materials. The bronze jacket was fashioned from a secondhand pair of Etro men’s pants and embroidered with thin chains from a company that had gone bankrupt. The tangerine dress was made from neckties of decommissioned uniforms of the Aéroports de Paris.

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Persons: Bois Locations: Paris, Fontenay