portrait – Since the creation of her brand in 2019, María de la Orden, daughter-in-law of billionaire Martin Bouygues, has been dressing the entire Spanish high society. Meeting the news socialist which everyone is talking about.
The meeting takes place at the luxury hotel “JK Place Paris”, a short distance from the National Assembly. This is where Maria de la Orden, dressed for the occasion in a two-tone turtleneck and long velvet coat, presents her capsule collection for an evening with Italian jewelry brand Krimrose. Immediately we see him as Jackie Kennedy. Maybe the restrained smile, the mastery of movements, the impeccable education… Or the style of clothes? Maria de la Orden, 29, is one of the new high society girls everyone is talking about. Born in Madrid, in the sunshine of the Spanish capital, he developed his sense of detail and love of color. He doesn’t talk much about his parents. When we met them in Paris, she told us that they don’t come from a fashion background but, like her, “like dressing up.”
When he arrived in Paris at the age of 17 to study law at the Sorbonne on the advice of his parents, he also launched his own fashion brand, Mau Loa. His mother deals with logistics and production, and his father with the legal aspect and image of the Madrid brand. Maria de la Orden was destined to become a lawyer, a jurist. However, the young woman is heading towards ready-to-wear. “I worked at Who’s Next (a trade show for fashion professionals, editor’s note) for two and a half years. The position was great, the company always left me a small stand for my brand, which I ran as a hobby.”
An influential friendship network
He gets his network from his influential friends. Maria de la Orden is close to Madrilenian Ines de Comminge, a descendant of an old French noble family from Saint-Bertrand-de-Cominge and married to François de Chastel (founder of Chatelles, a Parisian brand of women’s slippers, editor’s note). On her Instagram page, Ines shares a routine that seems timeless: a walk in the countryside in northwestern Spain, lunch in seaside Brittany with Maria de la Orden, a fashion shoot at an ice cream gallery in Versailles. Ines de Comminges is close to the Belgian Princess Maria Annunciata of Liechtenstein and Maharaja Padmanab Singh. A prestigious network that also includes Edward Bouygues, the son of billionaire businessman Martin Bouygues, whom Maria de la Orden will marry in 2022 and become the father of her first child, Cosima, born in January.
Among Maria’s group of friends we also find Blanca Miró from Barcelona, who has 666,000 followers on Instagram and a famous Fashion Week influencer. With her, in 2018 she will launch La Veste, a luxury and visual ready-to-wear label; the pieces celebrate the vintage spirit characterized by retro patterns, blouses with striking collars and unique cuts. “We wanted to do a project together. At first we only focused on jackets because we love them. We wanted things that were a little vintage, colorful. Today La Veste is doing very well, everyone can comment on the clothes. You can wear them in a dressier and more natural way. With Blanka we have a lot of different styles, we found it important that everyone can wear the pieces in different ways depending on their style.” With La Veste, Maria manages to hit the French target.
It’s a family trip to Peru that changes everything. Fascinated by colors and fabrics, she returned to Madrid and launched her own brand (this time under the same name) in 2019 with another friend, Laura de La Reveliere, a fashion entrepreneur and ex-marketing employee at Caudalie (Mother de Laura also founded it). BazarChic, an e-commerce company bought by Galeries Lafayette in 2016. Editor’s note) The tag is launching on lockdown, a period that highlights small businesses with strong visual potential on Instagram and boosts word of mouth more than ever. The duo took the opportunity to connect with the stylists of Spanish high society women; works authenticated and accepted by Princess Alexandra of Hanover or Queen Letizia of Spain. The collections focus on preppy inspirations mixed with Hispanic codes. Understand, a wardrobe dressed to the nines where colors, shapes and patterns are expertly mixed. The brand is a hit. it fascinates both young girls and their mothers.
Image culture
When asked about her appearance, Maria de la Orden is adamant that she does not like to leave the house without being fully dressed. Even on Sundays, when he goes for a walk, he keeps this sketch, which he shares with his 223,000 followers on Instagram, a social network that no longer does. Understand that on a Breton beach, Maria de la Ordenne steps out in a puff-sleeve blouse, embroidered vest, belted coffee pants, leather sandals, and hair covered in a headdress. When she’s not opting for a striped ensemble, a boater and gold ballet flats in Delhi, India. Not forgetting about the accessories. each of her clothes is accessorized with large jewels, slightly vintage and always gold. The young mother admits that she cannot leave the house “without a small accessory that makes a big difference”. “I have always loved hats. Everything related to the head, headbands, bows.” It’s enough to encourage her to launch her own accessories brand, which she calls Maison Ola.
Obviously, fashion is at the forefront of your wedding day. On May 21, 2022, the designer married Edward Buygus. The event takes place in Bordeaux, where the Bouyger family owns the Château Montrose wine estate. The Spanish press covered the event like England would cover a royal wedding. Former Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin with his wife participates in the religious ceremony. We also meet Géraldine Guyot, founder of the Destree brand and wife of Alexandre Arnaud (son of billionaire Bernard Arnault, editor’s note). The engaged couple make a sensational entrance in a red BMW Isetta, typical of the 1950s, to say “I do” properly, Maria wears a white organza dress with long sleeves and a collar. Perkins: Without a pointed waist, a handkerchief-style collar at the bust and a white cap with a net veil; creation signed by Dutch designer Jan Taminiu (favorite designer of the current Queen of the Netherlands, Maxima Zoregieta, Duchess of Huescar). and the aristocrat María del Pilar González de Gregorio y Alvarez de Toledo).
Maria de la Orden has made this unique style evolve over time and through her encounters. While the hat has always been his favorite accessory, he wore a more basic silhouette at the very beginning of his Mau Loa brand. At that time, Maria’s hair was often down, there were fewer patterns in her wardrobe, fewer raised collars. Maria de la Orden opted for a chic look, but more importantly a fashion that oscillates between Hispanic inspiration and French elegance. Today, her style is inseparable from her evolution in high society. Her apartment in Neuilly-sur-Seine is also in character: colorful, lively, made up of velvet sofas and patterned walls.
From generation to generation
A sensitivity to “beauty” that he passes on to his daughter Cosima. Like his mother, the child wears tartan, velvet Mary Janes, Claudine collars. “In Spain, there is a culture of dressing our children as babies, like long lace skirts. We really care about children’s clothing. There are still many vintage and artisan boutiques in this country…” She proves this attachment in 2022 by signing with Monoprix for a fashion and lifestyle capsule entirely dedicated to children. Since then, collaborations have been part of his DNA. He says it with a smile. it allows him to “do things we don’t normally do.” In 2022, the department store Le Bon Marché in Paris offers a capsule between La Veste and Maria from Orden Studio. It has also partnered with Monoprix, an Italian-made eyewear brand LGR, and more recently, jewelry brand Krimrose.
After all, Maria de la Orden would like to dress Kate Middleton. She once sent her designs to the Princess of Wales’ stylist, but to no avail. However, he does not lose hope. The Spaniard enjoys the “meeting” aspect of collaboration, which allows her to fuse her ideas with other creative personalities. “I admire a lot of people, but it’s true that I look more at the past than the present,” he explains. Most of the energy that allows him to sign many projects comes from his “nostalgic” temperament. His repertoire is filled with music from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. On the film side, she likes the vintage aesthetic of period films, which allows her to draw inspiration for her clothes. His icons. No wonder Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy.
Source: Le Figaro
