Paris fashion tours by fashion expert Leah Van Loon
Meet your Paris fashion tour guide
Hi! I’m Leah Van Loon and I’ve been fascinated by Paris since my first visit in 2008. I established Fashion Experience Tours in 2015 to offer a fashion and craftsmanship perspective to my clients and friends who often asked what I would do with a week in Paris. My tours are a platform for learning, always different and featuring new opportunities to showcase Parisian artisans, designers, specialty fashion exhibitions, and historical archives. I am passionate about the creation process and the incredible artistry behind what you see in a fashion museum or on the runway. I aim to share this insider knowledge with you.
I’m especially interested in the inner workings of the rarified world of haute couture (high dressmaking) and the remarkable craftsmanship of these local artisans and creatives. Major luxury and haute couture fashion houses like Dior, Valentino, Chanel, Hermès, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton and more rely on the special skills and creativity these independent artisans offer. Other metiers, like architecture, interior design, fine art and French culture, offer inspiration to fashion designers while also being influenced by the fashion world. Craftsmanship remains the underlying thread that connects the various activities I provide with each travel experience.
The best part of travelling with a group is having more opportunities to privatize experiences. Haute couture ateliers (like everything else in Paris) can be pretty compact, so by keeping numbers low, I can offer more artisan experiences to my guests. I use my insider knowledge of the fashion industry to bring you private tours and unique visits exclusive to my groups. I am excited to welcome you on an extraordinary week showcasing French culture, sightseeing, artisan workshops, world-class museums, and a wonderful group of like-minded people.
Let’s go to Paris!
I am a semi-retired fashion and commercial stylist with over 25 years experience in fashion, advertising, film and television. My writing and styling work have been published in magazines internationally and I appear regularly on radio and television. I am currently a contributor to Elle magazine, writing about Parisian ateliers, and I appear regularly as a fashion expert on CBC radio in Canada. I also provide styling and consultation services to brands, production companies, and my personal shopping clients in my home of Calgary and Paris.
FAQs
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The hotel provides either double or twin beds (where available) so no one is sharing a bed unless they have agreed to (couples etc). Travel is always better with friends so we suggest you try to find a travel buddy who also loves fashion and Paris.
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In order to keep costs down flights are not included with this tour which gives guests the flexibility to use points to travel or extend their trip (which I highly recommend!). I am happy to help where I can or will connect you with a travel advisor if preferred.
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Paris is a beautiful walking city with a wonderful Metro system and we will take full advantage of it. We can hit that 10000 step mark on some days! More importantly there are many stairs in the metro and we are standing during our museum tours. if you need accommodations please email us and we’ll do our best but it is an active walking tour at it’s heart.
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The experience is only open to adults aged 18+. However, I can help you plan a trip for your family with kid-friendly opportunities and great self-guided opportunities for you as well when I am not in Paris.
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You can arrive anytime before or on the first day of the tour and I am happy to assist with adding days to your hotel stay. I have private guided tours, shopping experiences or just great advice on what to do when you are not with the group. If you are arriving in Paris the first day of the tour, you should plan to arrive at the hotel by 3 pm in order to get checked in before the evening activities begin.
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Evry stop on the tour has gone through risk assessment to ensure your safety. Despite Paris being one of the safest places to visit we send out extra safety information to all our clients before the tour starts for that extra piece of mind.
Covid is surging worldwide and FXT is a Covid-careful tour. All group tour guests receive a respirator style mask which they are encouraged, but not required to wear (unless symptomatic) and then, only when with the group. FXT also requires medical insurance for all group tour participants. Don't hesitate to ask for more details!
Testimonials
“What I liked about the tour:
-a perfect balance between organized activities and free time.
-a wonderful variety of things planned. Even though they were ‘fashion oriented’ (which i liked), they were multifaceted enough to have wide appeal.
-the tour you organized was far from the typical fare one might find out there. Way more interesting.
-activities weren’t just galleries and museums. Really enjoyed the, private club, flea market and picnic.
-your general knowledge of not only the history of the area but local culture and customs.
-your taking care of venue tickets, subway passes at the start, but allowing us to do it ourselves also.
-cost of tour was well worth the experience provided.
What I didn’t like about the tour:
-nothing!
I will continue to sing your praises to any of my contacts who may be looking for recommendations for a Paris trip. ”
“Leah had a well planned itinerary for each day and while it was like herding cats with us (taking photos and stopping to gaze into the shops windows) she kept us on time for appointments and tours. She took us thru hidden streets and passages, museums and exhibitions and we were treated to private appointments with fashion and design studios not accessible to the public.
Thru Leah’s expertise and careful planning we all saw Paris in a new light and had many exciting new experiences and memories to take home with us.
I have no reservations whatsoever in recommending Leah. If you are looking for a great new travel experience, her Fashion and Design tours will not disappoint you or your friends. All you have to do is book your spot, bring comfortable walking shoes and be
prepared to enjoy!
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“Leah is a true professional and puts the needs of her clients first. She understood my needs immediately and organized the most relevant and insightful tour in Paris. Her knowledge of and relationships in fashion and haute couture run deep. A hard worker, she worked on my custom itinerary for weeks and managed to surprise me in the most spectacular way.”
“I have never put anything on as high of a pedestal in my life as I have Paris. This trip exceeded all of my expectations. As someone who really appreciates fashion, being able to see the city from the perspective of someone who also feels the same way was the most ideal way for me to see Paris for the first time. The days were filled with lots of sight-seeing, fabric and notion shopping, markets, museum exhibitions, and private tours of some well-known ateliers. The itinerary was never too strict that if we needed more time somewhere that it wasn’t possible. And we needed it! The fabric and notion shops were like nothing I had experienced before, and I found some priceless items that I can’t wait to use. It’s really a city like no other and I am so happy that I chose to do this tour. ”
“What makes FXT different is the unique contacts Leah sourced. Meeting the artisans and touring inside their ateliers would only be possible with her contacts. Other tours put people on busses and rush them around missing all the nuances and the fun of the side streets, markets, museums, and restaurants. Leah is able to share the real Paris. The hotel was amazing and also in a real Paris Neighbourhood. I highly recommend the FXT tour to anyone. It truly was an extraordinary once in a lifetime experience. Merci Beaucoup Leah!”
“Leah Van Loon’s Paris tour was informative, valuable, insightful, and engaging. We visited historical sites, museums, gardens, popular shopping areas and markets, small local workshops and craftsman. Leah’s connections in the industry provided us with special access to locations. She was very knowledgeable with facts and information regarding people or places vital to each stop and always had a fantastic French cafe to recommend near by! ”
“Leah generously shared her expertise and contacts to provide a variety of experiences for our students. From “behind the scenes” museum tours, to meeting designers and artisans in their creative environments, our students were exposed to fashion insider experiences, they otherwise would not have been able to have. I highly recommend Leah as a very knowledgeable and engaging tour guide!”