The film opens on the silhouette of a man hurrying along the corridors of a couture atelier. We quickly grasp that he’s someone important, because of how the seamstresses watch him as he hastens by.
Antoine Arnault apologizes for the disturbance with a gesture of the hand, and as unobtrusively as he can, he sidles up to one of them.
Antoine Arnault:
“Hello Béatrice, I wanted to ask you…”
He moves closer to Béatrice and whispers his request in her ear. We can’t hear what he says, and neither can the other seamstresses who are trying to discreetly listen in.
Béatrice answers out loud:
“Yes of course, Monsieur, the herringbone stitch is very simple, I’ll show you.”
Antoine Arnault is sitting next to Béatrice, a thimble on his middle finger and a piece of white fabric in his hands.
Béatrice explains how it’s done:
“You bring the thread back towards you, through the top, then the bottom, then back out.”
Three very irregular crosses in red thread have been embroidered onto the white fabric.
Antoine Arnault turns to look at Béatrice. Despite her kindly attitude, she seems a little doubtful.
Béatrice:
“Well, it’s a start…”
Antoine Arnault keeps practicing, starting again, over and over. He shows her each successive attempt, always with the same result. Until at last, he shows her his latest efforts.
Béatrice:
“Well, there you go, that’s perfect.”
A close-up shot shows a needle being stuck through paper. You hear the sound the red thread makes as it’s pulled through the paper.
We see Antoine Arnault busily working at his desk. He looks very concentrated.
In close-up, a pair of scissors cuts a red thread.
The corners of his mouth turn up in a little smile: the stitching is finished.
Panning out to a wide shot, we discover the purpose of his apprenticeship.
On his desk stands a paper calendar, open on the month of October.
Antoine Arnault has sewn three magnificent herringbone stitches on it, on the dates of October 14, 15 and 16, 2022.
A final frame appears with Les Journées Particulières logo, along with the invitation:
Come and visit our Houses on October 14, 15 and 16, 2022
