Victoire Boyer Chammard is Vestiaire Collective’s Expertise Ambassador & Partnerships Manager. We talk vintage treasure hunts, ideal investment pieces and that one item she’ll never forget.
...are almost always vintage. I live in hope of finding a vintage box-leather Hermès Kelly! Then there’s a Saint Laurent blouse, a Noé Louis Vuitton bag, Chanel jewellery from the Victoire de Castellane era... it’s a long list. I get a real adrenaline rush when I find a rare piece I’ve been waiting for. I recently bought a vintage Chanel bag with a pom-pom from the 1980s – on Vestiaire, of course.
I managed vintage, haute couture and contemporary fashion auctions, so temptation was everywhere. My first investment piece was a black Saint Laurent 1970s dress. It was so representative of the House – simple but feminine. Some investments are forever. Just a few days after our son was born my husband gave me an engraved Cartier trinity ring - three interlinked rings representing the three of us. I’ll always have it.
…authenticating a 1970s Saint Laurent Rive Gauche dress, then discovering it was being sold by a former model of Monsieur Saint Laurent himself. Every item tells a story, but as authenticators, its our job to make sure that story is true. In 2017, we started the Vestiaire Academy to train authenticators and hone their skills – and we now have more than 80 experts around the world!
...is built around quality and the classics. As Coco Chanel said, “Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance”. I tend to go for timeless styles over eccentricity and I gravitate towards brands with a strong history and savoir faire. With timeless pieces aging is never an issue. At the moment my wishlist is full of bags by Céline and Gucci, and I’m searching for a turquoise Pomelleto Nudo ring for the summer!