Paris, France — It was one of those ultimate touches of luxury, the cummerbund, perhaps one of the least understood as well. The broad waist sash to sashay about in was and is usually worn with double-breasted tail coats, as an elegant way to cover the waist. For black tie, formal or the most formal of all the white tie event, the cummerbund was once de rigueur and is a staple in many a James Bond movie. And back in the 1960s, Ken of Barbie and Ken had one (in burgundy) in the Ken tuxedo outfit pack.

They are difficult to come by these days but thanks to the elegant Parisian house of Cinabre, the cummerbund is back. It took the house some two years to elaborate the accessory explains the house’s founder Alexandre Chapellier, and each detail was carefully studied. The accessory, the ultimate finishing touch for a tuxedo, necessitated wide, very expandable elastics for maximum comfort and nice looking mat black clasps. Black satin, the same used in the house’s bow ties, was the fabric of choice for the cummerbunds. The satin used by Cinabre is made on a 19th century loom which operates very slowly so as to preserve the quality of the fiber. The label (inside and totally invisible during your soiree or gala event) is in Cinabre’s signature red silk twill.

The cummerbund belt is entirely made by hand by one of the last great master tailors of Paris inside his studio hidden in a flower-filled courtyard. The three pleats of the belt are directed upwards because back in the 1930s, they were used to slip bills or casino chips into. Cinabre has had two pockets sewn and hidden into the lining of the cummerbund to make things a little more secure.

The house drew inspiration from the photo albums of Alexandre Chapellier’s family, with many of the elegant pictures emanating from the 1930s and the 1950s but, too, from the 1970s in which we see his grandfather in perfect white tie. Cinabre was founded back in 2011 by Alexander Chapellier who is of both French and Swedish origin. The house specializes in luxury accessories and has a boutique in Paris and its own workshops in the Loir and Cher region of central France. The house supplies the French president Emmanuel Macron with his ties.
©The Gourmet Gazette
http://www.cinabre-paris.com/en/
20 rue d’Hauteville
75010 Paris, France
+33 (0) 1 48 24 72 28