Calais Lace Museum – Cite Internationale de la Dentelle et de la Mode!

On a recent work trip I travelled from Dover – Dunkirk, and then we drove along the French coastline to Calais. We had some time to spare in Calais and met a member of the Calais Tourist board, who took us on a visit around the Calais Lace Museum. Prior to this I had no idea about Calais Lace, how famous it is, or that 78% of the worlds lace comes from here.

The museum showcases the history of Calais lace, how it is made including five working looms for demonstration. You can see the process from design to completion throughout the museum, as well as all of the tools used, the history of lace heritage, designs, and creations. Designers such as Valentino, Jean Paul Gaultier and Calvin Klein use the lace in their fashion, and it was Calais lace used for Kate Middleton and Amal Clooneys wedding dresses.

For a quick visit, on a day the museum was closed to the public I actually really enjoyed it, especially haute coutour  exhibitions on display