The Opéra and Lyon lace

A bag made of DOGNIN Lyon lace. Mounted on a single piece of transparent netting, the lace lays out its design over the entire surface of the body of the bag, and reveals a diaphanous beauty when light passes through the bag.

The netting is both rigid and flexible, and it gives the lace a density comparable to that of leather.

DOGNIN Lyon lace differs from Calais lace by the large size of its designs. It was developed in Lyon by Camille Dognin during the Second French Empire, based on a patent granted to Auguste Isaac. It combines industry and textile crafts: on a Jacquard tulle woven on a mechanical loom, the outlines of the patterns were embroidered over it by hand. Then a mechanical embroidering pencil was invented: the Michalet machine.

Lyon lace benefitted from the design and pattern drawing skills developed by the Lyon silk makers over the previous centuries. We currently no longer make Lyon lace, and the laces used for the OPERA are therefore pieces that are rare and precious, both for the quality of their designs and for the rarity of the lace.

It is possible to order a bag made using one of these pieces of lace.

• All of the edges are coated with leather to protect the lace on the outside

• The netting is very strong and resistant: it protects the lace from all of the objects in the bag

• Inside: a removable fabric bag closed by a velvet cord. It can be attached to the bottom by press studs

OPR2: Width 26 cm – Height 34 cm – Depth 7 cm