One of the biggest downsides of living in Los Angeles is that socialising has to be intentional rather than incidental. Between the city’s sprawl and car culture, it can be hard to find community - a problem only compounded by the shrinking number of places people can hang out without reservations, memberships, or an eye-watering check at the end. That’s why, tucked away in Echo Park, the independent lingerie store Le Boudoir has quietly become one of L.A.’s most magnetic meeting points.
Founded in 2022 by Clémence Parienté Lorenzetti, Le Boudoir isn’t just somewhere women go to buy underwear. It’s where friends and neighborhood locals linger on the rug with their coffees, smoke outside like it’s a Paris street corner, flip through books, and stay far longer than planned.
In a city where “community” is often reduced to invite-only events, Le Boudoir offers something the internet can’t: an IRL experience that feels intimate, lived-in, and inclusive. That energy has quietly drawn a devoted following - from Addison Rae (who’s shopped, posted, and been papped with the store’s branded shopping bag) to Iris Law, Emma Chamberlain, Taylour Paige, and, most recently, Lorde. Stylists for Bella Hadid, Kylie Jenner, Charli xcx, SZA, and Lady Gaga regularly stop by for pulls, both from the store’s shoppable section and Lorenzetti’s personal vintage curation. Yet despite its growing list of famous fans, the space still feels resolutely low-key, like something you’re meant to discover rather than be sold.
Below, writer Isabelle Truman - both an L.A. and Le Boudoir local - speaks with Lorenzetti about creating a space people actually want to spend time in, the cult success of her panties, and why the coolest places in L.A. are often the ones that feel like home.
You moved to LA from France. How did opening Le Boudoir come about?
I moved to L.A. to finish my studies at UCLA, and initially wanted to write my PhD in poetry here. I was working at [the cult luxury art book publisher] TASCHEN, and was laid off during Covid, so my lawyer said I could either get married or open my own business. It seemed easier to open my own business than to date in L.A. [laughs], so that’s what I did.
The idea for the store came about because I hadn’t found anything like the lingerie stores I loved in Paris: places that carried locally made, female-owned, more conceptual pieces. I wanted a place where there was something for everyone - cotton panties, but also leather, but also crazy vintage pieces. And if you don’t want to try anything on and just want to look at books, have a coffee, or chat, that’s fine too. Since then, the story has remained the same, even as the curation of the store has evolved.
The store is designed in this really cool way, from the fitting rooms to the lounge area to the feminist literature. What inspired you here?
I was really lacking in community at the time and wanted a place that felt like I was receiving people in my living room. All the books I worked on when I was at TASCHEN, all the poetry books I worked on when I was doing my master's, all my little trinkets, like my ashtrays, the vintage frames, come from my personal collection. I literally furnished the store with pieces from my house. I created the lounge area this way so when you’re sitting waiting and someone’s in the fitting room, you can have a coffee or read a magazine and feel really comfortable, like you’re at home hanging out. My friends will come and have their lunch on the floor, and everyone hangs out. I figured if it was authentic, maybe people would like it.
Where did you source all the art and objects from?
A little bit of everywhere. A lot of the pictures in the frames are from shoots I’ve done. I’ve always loved collecting vintage erotica and books. I brought some over from Paris, and when I go home to source or see my family, I’ll bring more back. One of the paintings was done by a customer, who painted all of my trinkets in the store and then gifted it to me. I have a lot of people bring in zines or ceramics they want displayed, too, so the curation is evolving as I meet different women. It’s this living, breathing thing that evolves with me and the people I meet here.
Is there a moment or item in the shop that always gets a reaction?
Definitely the fitting room with the Queen of Hearts backdrop. It was initially a store prop from the collab I did with Jeffrey Campbell for Valentine’s Day the first year I opened. We kept it and put it in the fitting room and a male customer once told me it’s the most famous backdrop on [the dating app] Feeld. From the day I opened, literally every girl who came to the store would take a selfie in the fitting room, so I added extra bits, like the fluffy shoes and the card.
Everyone from Addison Rae to Emma Chamberlain and Taylour Paige have visited the store. Lorde was just in here last week. Why do you think it's become an It girl haven?
It’s a combination of different things. I’m a chatty person and I really interact with every single person who comes into the store, which helps to create a welcoming vibe. It’s honestly very un-French of me. I also think L.A. might be lacking curated concept stores that feel like a speakeasy, in that it might not be the fanciest bar, but it’s the one you feel the most comfortable in. Le Boudoir is very discreet and kind of like a hole in the wall in that way, and the curation is interesting.
What feels distinctly French about Le Boudoir, and what feels distinctly L.A.?
What feels distinctly L.A. is the crowd it brings, and how relaxed and laid back it feels. What feels French is the quality, curation, and service. I’ve tried everything on in the store, I know the exact fit, and I know how to size every customer, which is a very European approach. It feels like the best of both worlds. My friends smoking outside, too, makes it feel a bit like a bistro in France. It’s also nested in this very cool area of L.A. that feels European because you can walk. You’ll grab your coffee from Canyon, your groceries and flowers from Cookbook, then stop by the store for a chat and a shop.
How do you choose what brands to stock?
When I opened, apart from Fleur du Mal, I only stocked brands that weren’t carried anywhere else. Now, I like to get custom pieces just for the store, so I often speak with the brands I stock about what my customers would love and what fabrics they’d shop, and they’ll do customs. I’ll also get archive pieces from them. I try to curate a really one-off offering.
All the vintage pieces I sell in the store, I source when I travel. I don’t sell them as much now because I sold so many vintage pieces I really miss, but I use them for styling and let stylists borrow pieces. The last vintage piece I sold was actually a vintage Victoria’s Secret bra to Addison Rae.
What’s the vintage piece you miss the most?
The first one I ever sold: a vintage black velvet Dior robe with a lace trim that I found randomly in Paris on a girls’ trip. I put it in the store the day I opened, and within two days, a man came with his wife, and she fell in love with it. They didn’t buy it, but when they went to get a coffee next door, he snuck back and bought it for her as a Christmas present. It was so elegant. It could’ve been worn as a cocktail dress. It was so perfect.
You started making your own panties just over a year ago and you've already sold over 2,300 pairs. Why do you think they're so popular?
Because they literally fit everyone and they’re incredibly comfortable, which to me is very French. They’re good quality, a great fit, and affordable. It’s very low-maintenance sexy, in my opinion. When I was doing the samples, I asked all my best customers and all my friends to try them and give me feedback, then I adjusted the samples until literally everyone loved them. You can wear them high-waisted, low-waisted, however you want. With jeans. I only use cotton or silk and like the idea that they’re limited drops, too. I constantly have to work on something new and get bored of things fast, which makes the new fabrics and styles fun. I have girls who have honestly like 25 pairs and who specifically come in when they know new fabrics are arriving.
Has the success of the panties changed the way you think about Le Boudoir as a business?
Definitely. The panties are now carried in different stores, including in Tokyo, Texas, and the Hamptons, and I’m looking into scaling up the production as more retailers show interest. I’m going to Paris in January and taking the brand to the International Salon de Lingerie. There are hundreds of frilly panties’ brands, I think what sets it aside is the fit I worked so hard on and the limited drop, they're collectibles.
Do you want to expand beyond panties?
I did a super limited swim drop earlier this year in the exact same cut as the panties, and it was really popular, so I’m in the process of making more. I have other ideas in mind, but I want panties to be the main product, then work on other different items, like a little limited slip dress capsule available in the same fabric, for example, for which I’ve been sampling fits for over a year. I’d love to do more collabs with brands next year, too.
When you imagine Le Boudoir in five years, what does it look like?
