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Take a seat at a white-clothed table in Loulou Paris and one of the first things you're greeted by is Jean-Charles de Castelbajac's illustrations, printed everywhere from the menu to the sugar pots. It's an early indicator that you're seated in a highly-curated restaurant that's as focused on design as it is on flavors.
"All the Loulou homes have been designed with the help of craftsmen, architects, and artists," Loulou's artistic director Claire Malafosse tells me via email, its other locations including a spot on the side of a ski slope in Val d'Isère and a beach-side restaurant in Ramatuelle.
And in each of those restaurants, de Castelbajac's signature playful sensibilities can be found. Nicknamed “King of the Unconventional,” the Moroccan-born, French designer co-founded Iceberg in the 70s and further built his reputation through his eponymous brand. He's known for incorporating pop culture and fashion in a way that's since become commonplace, as well as famously turning fuzzy teddy bears into clothes that Drake and Madonna have worn.
"My brother, had known Jean-Charles de Castelbajac's designs for over twenty years," says Claire, her brother being Gilles Malafosse, the President of the Loulou group and a restauranteur with a history of creating exclusive eateries in Paris. "After seeing his angels on the walls of Paris, he thought he could create a logo for Loulou."
That logo is a face that incorporates Loulou's name and changes its appearance for each of the restaurant's four locations — featured heavily in our capsule collection with the restaurant.
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But de Castelbajac, who's recently had two collaborations with Palace, is just one of the big names that are behind Loulou Paris. Step inside the restaurant, and you're faced by its grand interiors designed by Joseph Dirand.
The French Architect, who has just been named in Architectural Digest's AD100 list for 2023, has re-imagined the historic space to look like an art collector's personal dining room complete with Eero Saarinen Tulip chairs and lighting by Philippe Anthonoiz.
This only further elevates its location in the 19th-century Marsan Wing of the Louvre Palace, described by Claire as "one of Paris's most beautiful architectural heritage sites... with the most charming garden in Paris."
With views of the Eiffel Tower, the restaurant's terrace spills out from Le Musée des Arts Décoratifs onto pristinely-kept gardens with relaxed seating and leafy decorations.
Combining design heavyweights with an unmatchable location and executive chef Benoit Dargère's menu (which Claire describes as "sunny, family-style, and generous cuisine") has made Loulou Paris a popular restaurant, and you'll never find it more packed than during fashion week.
As with all good eateries, the fashion industry has quickly adopted Loulou Paris as one of its premiere locations for post-show aperitifs and exclusive dinners hosted by the likes of Burberry and Valentino.
This shouldn't come as much of a surprise though, considering that Loulou's links with the fashion industry go from enlisting designers Messrs Alexis Mabille and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac all the way down to its name — taken from one of Yves Saint Laurent's collaborators and close friends: Loulou de la Falaise.
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According to the restaurant, it aims to embody the "audacity" of the free-spirited designer and socialite known for wearing excessive amounts of clanking jewelry and having a hatred for anything that's not colorful.
And if you're wondering how the food in a restaurant inspired by Yves Saint Laurent's muse tastes, here's a word of advice on what to order from Claire: "Our signature dishes at Loulou include vitello tonnato, raw purple artichokes, aubergine alla parmigiana, linguine Mancini with Sicilian pistachio pesto, truffle pizza, and not forgetting the red fruit Pavlova."
