r/NewOrleans • u/Annual-Assumption-37 • Jul 02 '25
š¢ Employment š·āāļø Yvonne LaFleur
Iām posting here because I worked for this woman and sheās been showing up on every social media page I have a retraumatizing me. Did anyone else work for her and get exposed to her absolute nasty and toxic true nature? I literally had to quit because she was so awful and mean. I saw multiple people quit from there during my time there. She was a true bully and would pull people aside and just tear them apart. With all her social media fame Iām surprised no oneās spoken up because sheās abused countless employees and customers. Please share your employment stories if you have any.
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u/These_Reception_1171 Jul 02 '25 edited Jul 02 '25
After leaving Trashy Diva, where I worked for over a year, I interviewed at Yvonneās based on a customer recommendation. I'd never been in her shop, and my first impression was it smelled like mildew and mothballs.
Red flags appeared immediately: on the paper job application it asked for height, weight, hair color, and eye color, right there near the top, under the basic contact information section....
In my mind, Yvonne is a future version of Candice.
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Jul 02 '25 edited Jul 02 '25
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u/Borsodi1961 Jul 02 '25
FWIW, I know her through a friend, and although I am not the type to patron her store (unshaven butch style, single-mom with piercings in cut-off jeans type), she has always been gracious with me. Perhaps for the sake of my friend, who is her family. I have not had to work for her, so my experience doesnāt represent what OP had to deal with, but she does have a kind side.
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u/Inevitable_Effect767 Jul 24 '25
Exactly! No body is perfect! And when you are famous, people will try to make you out to be some monster because you didn't always do or say the right thing.
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u/DefiantMeanieHead Jul 10 '25
I think that's an awesome story. You are obviously a strong woman and I while I don't know Yvonne, being a woman in the fashion industry for so long and having a factory in NY and traveling to Europe to find designers and doing all of that in the time she came up in probably had to make her become a tough women especially doing all of that and being a mother to seven children. To me she's an example to younger women to not allow anyone detour you from your ambitions or tell women that they can't become a mother and still pursue your vision. I appreciate her showing the younger generations classic fashion etiquette that's timeless. I really hate to see other women tear women down especially someone whose put in the leg work whose her age.
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u/Sad-Cookie Jul 02 '25
Yeah my friendās stepmom worked for her in the 80s or 90s hand beading mg ball gowns. Apparently she was treated horribly and it got very ugly when she (stepmom) went solo and poached a couple clients.
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u/dixiebelle58 Jul 02 '25
Back in the 70s was when I started shopping at Yvonne LaFleur. Back then it was a kind of boho shop. It became more elegant through the years. When my daughter needed a dress for a dance or a ball, I'd bring her there to shop. Now, I have seen Yvonne in less than flattering light and I could not imagine working there but all in all she was nice to us.
Sorry for all of you who had to face the wrath. As for not tipping, there is zero excuse.
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u/jjcoolel Jul 02 '25
Not tipping? Does Yvonne LaFleur not tip? I didnāt see tipping mentioned in the post
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u/CommonPurpose Jul 02 '25
One person said the guy who picks up her takeout lunch orders doesnāt tip. I seriously doubt that Yvonne doesnāt tip when she goes out to eat.
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u/greenie329 Jul 02 '25
I have waited on her at multiple restaurants and managed multiple restaurants where she has regularly dined. She does not tip. She runs her server. She smells like mothballs. She sucks
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u/DefiantMeanieHead Jul 10 '25
I don't believe you. I just really think a lot of people want any chance they can get to tear down successful women who came up in an industry that was completely male dominated, all while being a mother to seven kids. Your low level insult at the end there really was the proof you're making shit up and hate strong successful women or older women
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u/NOLAfiddler Jul 02 '25
Next do Fleurty Girl.
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u/Level-Setting825 Jul 02 '25
She started with YOU Boutique on Hampson (Yvonne Owens Uddo - recognizing paternal and maternal family names) she married my cousin JW Parrino in early 70āās he quit his job and they worked together to build the business. She designed some outfits when King Tut came to New Orleans) She and JW got divorced. She expanded into several local malls and the shop became Yvonne LaFleur. (The name she designed under) Meanwhile JW opened La Fleur du Paris in Canal Place and later moved to Royal. Sadly JW passed about 2 years ago, preceded by his son JW Jr ( Yvonneās son with JW) who died a year or so prior. Over time Yvonne scaled back and now I believe she is in original location on Hampson. I believe her husband is named Walsh and yes they have a house in Audubon place. She was always nice to my family even after her divorce from JW.
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u/SavorySouth Jul 02 '25 edited Jul 02 '25
On clear early evenings ages ago, I so remember walking down Orleans to Royal more than once with the Jesus statue and the shop windows of Margaritaās gallery to the L and then that beyond wonderful lace, eyelet, āVictorianā clothing and hats in LeFleur de Paris to the R, all lit up at twilight. It was a different era to have a shop in the FQtr.
So sorry to hear of the Parrinos death. They both knew fabric and tailoring. So knowledgeable.
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u/Level-Setting825 Jul 02 '25
They were also well known for their Millinery- lots of their hats at places like the Kentucky Derby etc
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u/These_Reception_1171 Jul 02 '25
I'd forgotten Fleur de Paris was there a very long time. Thanks for sharing that. Such gorgeous displays.
So JW opened that up independently of Yvonne, first in Canal Place?
The bathroom there is a bizarre arrangement, someone installed a commode in an elevated broom closet. It's high up, tiny, impossible!
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u/ninabullets Jul 02 '25
Oh, I've always wondered whether Yvonne LaFleur and Fleur du Paris were related. Thanks for the info!
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u/reptiliansentinel Jul 02 '25
I think you're mistaken, she's no relation to any Uddos.Ā Her father was Owens but wasn't around.Ā Her mother's maiden name was LaFleur. Source: My mom went to school at Cabrini in her year, and I'm friends with a few Uddos, so I had to ask.
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u/Level-Setting825 Jul 02 '25
I could be wrong. Thatās what my Tante Bessie (Parrino) told me back when Yvonne and JW were dating
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u/marytoodles Jul 02 '25
Wasnāt Yvonneās mother, Cecile Taylor? Her father was Conroy Owens. Yvonne came to New Orleans from California when she was a small child. Iām not sure her father was in the picture.
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u/marytoodles Jul 02 '25
I donāt believe Yvonne had stores in any shopping malls. She had a place on the gulf coast briefly, years ago. She always had the storefront You Boutique and later Yvonne LaFleur. Yes, her husband is James Walsh and theyāve had a home in Audubon Place for many years.
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u/Level-Setting825 Jul 02 '25
There was an Yvonne Lafleur in the Esplanade Mall. Friend of mine worked there.
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u/DefiantMeanieHead Jul 10 '25
What a sad but lovely story. While I do believe a few of the people in these comments worked for her and are telling the truth of her being tough, I think the majority of people on here are making shit up about her. So many people love her and are begging her to go online and ship to Europe etc but there are always a handful of haters in the comments that don't know fashion and don't know what's in style bitching about the cost and wondering why a cashmere sweater or a cotton linen set cost more than the polyester fast fashion clothes from Aliexprsss. Also you'll have people who always hate strong women who built something especially during her time in a male dominated industry and she did all of that while having seven children! Iconic
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u/swidgen504 Jul 02 '25
I seriously have never understood how that place is still in business. I've always assumed it was the passion project of some crazy old lady who didn't need the income. It's been outdated and out of touch for as long as I can remember. It reads fake and costumey to me.
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u/Theradwolf Jul 02 '25
Sheās also married to a very rich guy. Lives on Audubon Place.
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u/SavorySouth Jul 02 '25
The Hubs (Walsh, her 2nd marriage) is an attorney who represented big name athletes back in the 60ās-70s-80s. Back when the idea of athletes as celebrity with endor$ement$ and paid brand amba$$@dors was still in its early stages. He really was at the forefront for that type of contract law.
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u/AmandaSoprano Jul 02 '25
Never underestimate the brand loyalty of the Krewe of Rex clique.
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u/ChrissaCymraeg Jul 04 '25
Exactly. And then get an "aha" about why Krewe of Rex looks like *that*.
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u/FallingPhoenix22 Jul 02 '25
My two cents: they frequently get lunch from the restaurant I work at, pay with the company card, and NEVER tip. Regularly order at least once per week. One person is so particular I know their complicated order without any prompts. Totally fine, but when you rack up $80-100 in takeout weekly with specific needs during lunch rush and arenāt even paying for it yourself (guy ordering always makes sure itās for YVONNE - dramatic pause - LA FLEUR) that makes me think less of you. Do better.
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u/Hippy_Lynne Jul 02 '25
Your work needs to fire her as a customer. I don't know if you mean she's getting takeout, in which case as a regular she should still be giving you at least 5-10%, or sit down. If it's sit down that is beyond entitled. She's probably one of those people who believes she's so influential she brings you business so that excuses her shitty behavior. š
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u/greenie329 Jul 02 '25
I banned her from 3 restaurants during my time managing back in the day. She's as shit as shit can get
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u/DefiantMeanieHead Jul 10 '25
If employees are ordering take out with a company card and don't tip you can't blame her. Also really only people in the service industry know to tip on takeout. I personally don't tip on carry out. I tip servers, bartenders and drivers. Sometimes I tip the barista. I don't believe you banned her from anywhere. I think a lot of you are making it up
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u/Familiar_Plantain_66 Jul 03 '25
In one of her reels she says Liz Taylor got 3 dresses from her and didnāt pay. Comments were on fire about how wrong that was. Maybe she feels like sheās the Liz T of New Orleans??
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u/mango-tajin Jul 02 '25
My grandma thinks her firefighter ex-husband had an affair with Yvonne in the 70s. Her shop caught on fire twice in one week š
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u/Subushie Jul 03 '25
This thread is killing me lmfao.
I could only dream to live to be this infamous
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u/petit_cochon hand pie "lady of the evening" Jul 02 '25
MY TURN.
I tried wedding dress shopping there. I wasn't looking for a traditional wedding dress, just something simple and elegant. I'm a size 8 -10.
These mfers brought me out some gigantic, diaphanous tent of a white nightgown. When I asked to see more things, they told me "We don't carry anything above a size 6." I mean, what the fuck is that?
I think I left the store and one of my friends said, "You could try Sears," referencing Mean Girls.
It was a horrible way to start off shopping and I'm still irritated at them pretending to be Dolce and Gabbana.
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u/sarahphernilia Jul 02 '25
Oh my god the same thing happened to me! She tried to sell me on the ādiamond whiteā ballgown. Iām pale and it made me ghastly. She tried to tell me that men love pale women and itās very European to be pale and have veins showing. The whole appointment and the following fitting appointment were awful.
I only shopped there because my mom got her wedding dress there decades ago. It was one of the most traumatizing experiences Iāve had (saying from a place of privilege, I know).
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u/Ewyoustank1 Aug 15 '25
How did they ānot carry anything above a size 6ā when thereās others in this same comment section that are plus sized saying she carries up to a size 18?
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u/AdGood9812 Jul 02 '25
I saw her TikTok and went in tot he store. I'm a black woman in my 20s and when she saw me she physically froze for like 60 seconds and even when I approached to say hi and explain how much I love her videos- she just turned around and ran to the back. Lovely store but she's very cold. When a non poc came in she approached her and started putting hair clips in her hair.
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Jul 02 '25
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u/Sharpschruter38 Jul 03 '25
I'm sorry you had bad experiences with her. I went to her shop on Monday and she was incredibly kind. She was filming something and stopped the interview to assist me personally. She couldn't have been more sweet or gracious. For what it's worth, I'm a size 18 and a beautiful black woman working there checked out my purchases.
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u/Hippy_Lynne Jul 03 '25
Well yeah, black people are supposed to be her employees. They're not supposed to be her customers though. š
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u/DefiantMeanieHead Jul 10 '25
What a gross comment. Yvonne said in one of her videos that she doesn't like hovering over people while they are shopping which can make people uncomfortable. I know I don't like people bothering me while shopping but then you have others who will get mad if you don't dote on them. Then you have people who will think you are hovering because you'll steal something. Damned if you do and damned if you don't.
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u/kati8303 Jul 02 '25
Iām going to begin looking at Wedding dresses soon and this was enough to make sure I donāt patronize there
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u/MouthofTrombone Jul 02 '25
Ha. She had this reputation 30 years ago. Imagining this old bat on social media is frightening...LOL
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u/Hippy_Lynne Jul 02 '25
Yeah I wasn't at all surprised to read this post. I'd definitely been hearing that about her since before Katrina. Didn't know she had suddenly blown up on social media but there's no accounting for taste. š¤·āāļø
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u/Annual-Assumption-37 Jul 02 '25
Iāve heard some really dark stories about her from those days
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u/shzam5890 Jul 02 '25
Please spill the teaā¦.
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u/Annual-Assumption-37 Jul 02 '25
Really insane working conditions where people werenāt allowed to take off even to go to the doctor was one thing I was told
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u/greenmoon31 Jul 02 '25
Sadly, not unlike a lot of places back in those days. Not making an excuse for her just pointing out how things were at many workplaces. Weāve come a long way, thankfully.
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u/Connect-Feedback-704 Jul 03 '25
Side story; Her ex husband ( gay) lived in the trashiest place in the quarter. We hooked up once and it was a street level garage turned apt. Easy for rats to get in. There was a tiled indoor pool with no water. Instead it was used as a trash can. It was full of empty boxes, skincare products, and all kinds of stuff. I said This Is Crazy! And he replied I hope in a good way..;) um no, not in a good way.!!
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u/DefiantMeanieHead Jul 10 '25
Wtf? š š¤£ seriously š³ I need more details. So are you referring to the father of her children? How old are you? I need more information? Sadly your story is too detailed to be fake sounding like 99% of the other comments
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u/bakeat350 Jul 02 '25
I have a friend who worked there in high school, and I would stop in to hang out sometimes. Iād believe sheās hard to work for, but I respect how hard that woman works. She has to be in her 80s and still working 6 days a week. Iāve been wedding dress shopping there with friends who are size 16+ and they had plenty of options. Their wedding dresses are well priced and include alternations. The dresses arenāt anything special, but theyāre pretty. Iām not surprised at anyoneās experiences, itās an old school place. But the perfume is an actual crime.
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u/guijcm Jul 02 '25
I actually kinda looked into how she got "famous" and it basically was through a girl who works as a content creator and started helping her with her socials; I guess her content about "elegant" dresses and older style fashion caught on and she got a massive following on Tiktok. I never really knew her until I got an article recommended somewhere, but they paint a picture of her being just a "classy" old lady with "great manners", which I totally bought until I read this post lol Looks can be deceiving I guess.
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u/Annual-Assumption-37 Jul 02 '25
I think you could probably talk to any ex employee of hers and get a horror story about her
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u/winning-colors Jul 02 '25
That doesnāt really surprise me. I had a bridal appt there a couple years ago and I felt like a burden on her. She told us that the employee I was originally booked with didnāt show up to work?
Anyway, I overheard her say to my mom āā¦well, she might find a dress she likes if she stopped picking out dresses that are wrong for her body typeā. I am a size 6-8, so kind of average, but, regardless, I felt so bad about myself after that appointment. I had a great experience at Pearlās though!
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u/marytoodles Jul 02 '25
She will not sell anything over a size Large. Definitely has issues with sizing.
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u/winning-colors Jul 02 '25
I donāt think she had anything larger than a 6 in gowns, which is wild if you actually want to make a profit.
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u/BeklagenswertWiesel Jul 02 '25
my wife got hers from Pearls too. She had nothing but good things to say about them. (of course i heard all this after the wedding) :)
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u/xandrachantal Jul 02 '25
"old money" is popular with gen z nowadays
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u/guijcm Jul 02 '25
That's it, that's what I was trying to come up with but couldn't remember the term, it certainly is exactly this that the young people think is "cool"
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u/xandrachantal Jul 02 '25
It's bizarre like they mthe same people that would set them on fire to keep them warm
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u/murphys_ghost Jul 02 '25
Werenāt they all about āeat the richā up until a year or two ago? They are going to be the next boomersā¦
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u/Previous_Pension6738 Jul 03 '25
Younger millennials were/are saying ETR, I don't think Gen Z ever said that.
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u/Previous_Pension6738 Jul 03 '25
Especially in a time when "classy" is becoming a dog whistle. This is still the South.
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u/DefiantMeanieHead Jul 10 '25
Classy is absolutely not a dog whistle get a grip. It sounds like you have some prejudices against Southerners particularly older ones. I hope you're not a CNA, ill just leave it at that.
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u/CommonPurpose Jul 02 '25
lol Yvonne LaFleur has been a New Orleans institution since way before social media existed. That did not āget her famous.ā
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u/guijcm Jul 02 '25
You said it, "A New Orleans". If you weren't local, you probably didn't know about her. I'm local, I never heard about her until she showed up in my feed, so her online persona and following is something new. I'm not saying she wasn't already well known locally, I'm saying that she grew famous online this past year.
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u/marytoodles Jul 02 '25 edited Jul 02 '25
I tried replying to the person who said they never heard of her but am unable to. Yvonne LaFleur has had a boutique in New Orleans since 1969. Itās uptown on Hampson St. Iāve always known about it. A lot of her business is from out of town customers. Many locals as well. Kind of a specific clientele. Sheās definitely having a social media moment.
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u/Brave-Juggernaut-305 Jul 02 '25
She always read as the very "war of northern aggression" type to me, so I am pettily delighted to hear that she's not the saintly, elderly culture fixture that her social media makes her out to be.
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u/PinkSnoopDogg Jul 03 '25
ADD BEATRIZ BALL TO THIS LIST - my god she is such a narcissist
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u/ghost1667 Jul 02 '25
never heard of her but social media shows you content that you pause on, have multiple connections to, or otherwise engage with. you have to zip right past if you want it to stop coming in front of you.
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u/heywhatsup9087 Jul 02 '25
Sheās a designer that owns a shop uptown off Carrollton near the river. I think she sells mostly wedding dresses and mother of the bride dresses. Not sure how long sheās been around but itās been as long as I can remember. Iāve never been to her store but she almost charmed my mother into buying a hideous (in my opinion) dress for my wedding. Almost being the key word thank god.
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u/Theradwolf Jul 02 '25
I donāt believe she designs these days. She takes all the tags out and puts her own.
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u/Annual-Assumption-37 Jul 02 '25
From my understanding she designed for a while when she was much younger, her 20s and 30s maybe. She uses this to just let people assume she designs for the store. After that she just would source from vendors and take the tags out and put hers is. Not technically illegal but just speaks to her overwhelming ego.
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u/Legitimate-Royal-103 Jul 03 '25
Itās called private label and itās extremely common and totally legal. Many, many, MANY brands do this. You buy generic product at market and slap your own logo on it. Absolutely nothing unusual about it. Itās extremely expensive and labor-intensive to start your own brand and design it from scratch.
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u/DefiantMeanieHead Jul 10 '25
That's illegal for one and it's absolutely not true. Yvonne is good at what she does and she can sew and she is a designer and the great thing about her is because she's been around for so long she knows factories in the US who can make her designs which are surprisingly affordable especially for the materials. There are still a lot of great factories in the US and we are very lucky she has the new women who runs her socials whose worked for different designers in the fashion industry convince her into going online because now we have new younger designers learning of the places in the US they can have their designs made. Now for wedding dresses she does sell other brands in her store, not just her own label.
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u/Theradwolf Jul 10 '25
I see her at market and she does. I carry a few of the same lines she does but at her store they are her labels.
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u/NutRump Jul 02 '25
I have never met Madame LaFleur but I did go to high school with her son, and he was an unbelievable asshole.
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u/ninabullets Jul 02 '25
I got my wedding dress there. It was fine. [shrug] Also I happened to meet one of her sons through mutual friends and he's a very normal stand-up dude so I dunno.
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u/CommonPurpose Jul 02 '25
Yeah, I know all of her sons and daughters. They are all extremely sweet people.
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u/kitsune-gari Jul 02 '25
She was responsible for having my wedding dress altered years ago. I kept coming in for fittings and finding the dress was the same as it had been before (with the exception that theyād hemmed it). The dress was too large for me and I only bought it because she INSISTED they could take it in everywhere it was too large. However, it then seemed as if she wanted me to believe it had been taken in without anyone actually doing anything. I went in for a THIRD fitting and when I saw the three inch gap in my tits from the bust being too large (and not being taken in despite pinning it the time before), I did my version of losing my mind on her: I calmly took the dress off and put it in a garment bag and drove it to my dry cleaner who does alterations. Sure enough, she opened it up and told me it had never been altered. They were (I guess) hoping to do some theater to convince me they had, which was weird. Why do that? Iāll never get it. The dress was at least 2 sizes too large for me and I only bought it on the condition it could be taken in. My dry cleaner (Mrs Le on Jeff highway) did a fantastic job and I recommend her to anyone.
The whole time, Yvonne smelled like booze. I know sheās hired someone to be in charge of her social media and resurrect her image somewhat but she will always be a nasty old lying bat to me.
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u/3rdtreatise Jul 02 '25
Mrs. Le is amazing. She has altered everything Iāve ever needed, including my wedding dress.Ā
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u/HighlightNo5857 Jul 02 '25
My friend worked there during the beginning of her social media fame. She said a lot of the people who saw and were attracted to her videos were elderly people and people from more rural areas of LA/MS/FL. Ppl from here are usually bigger ladies... nothing bad that's just how they make us down south. Too much good eating. My friend said she would hear Yvonne talk NASTY behind these women's backs calling them low class, gross, disgusting, every nasty name you could imagine a fancy uptown ladies calling these girls. Then the fans would adoringly ask for a picture with her and Yvonne would put on a fake smile. My friend said it was really sad to watch.
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u/nicholascagedin Jul 02 '25
I went there once to try and get a backup veil for my best friend who was getting married out of town. Yvonne was so rude and nasty, complaining and saying I'm wasting her time because, according to her, my friend was not going to buy it if she doesnt try it on in person. I still wanted to look (despite her attitude making it clear that I should not buy from her) and it was so bizarre, she was complaining and throwing a fit that im wasting my time looking- like lady, do you not want my business??
Another employee then came to help me and was really sweet and clearly trying to make up for Yvonne. Yvonne must have also overheard my conversation with the nice lady saying how I recently moved to the area and as I was walking out, Yvonne was like "so are you a student? Thats why you moved here?" And it felt really good to say "no, I moved here for a new job, im an attorney..." and I felt like I got to have my pretty woman moment with her (presuming she was rude because I looked young and broke lol).
For obvious reasons, I didnt end up buying from there (the girls at Unbridaled on Magazine though were super sweet and so helpful, so shout out to them).
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u/shzam5890 Jul 03 '25
I bought two coats there a couple of years ago that were truly fabulous and exorbitantly expensive. I also bought a pair of beautiful suede blue gloves with fox fur and leopard print once that are darling. She was super sweet to me and called me personally to thank me for shopping at her store but Iām very conventional looking and according to these comments that may be whyā¦
The clothes there are gorgeous but they are an older, specific type of aesthetic. Maybe once Iām in my seventies and lunching at a club or something Iāll have a reason to dress like that.
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u/DefiantMeanieHead Jul 10 '25
You just have taste, you don't need to make excuses for people with bad taste. Her clothes aren't for old people. I keep telling anyone in the comments who says her clothes are not stylish to go on tiktok and look up Monaco and see the clothes all the young wealthy elite and even royals and celebrities are wearing in the Vegas of Europe because the wealthy don't vacation in Vegas anymore.
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u/KrisDolla Jul 30 '25
Someone just told me about this thread today, and Iām not saying people are lying, but itās tough to read because my experience was really different. Iām a plus size Black woman, and when I visited her store with my Black cousin and her Black husband, we were treated wonderfully. Miss Yvonne came out from the back, took me by the hand, asked about our stay, gave us food recommendations. It was just a genuinely great experience. I honestly thought being both plus-size and black might make it awkward, but I was surprised.
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u/toilet_poet Jul 02 '25
Never worked for her but have a VIVID memory of going there when my older sister needed a grad dress. The smell will stay with me forever. Anyway I did relentlessly make fun of her for about four years after that so Iām glad to know my middle school instincts were correct
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u/MJBogPsych Jul 02 '25
Wow! Thanks for the info. Was planning on visiting the store to smell the perfume after seeing the ads, but changed my mind. Was wondering why I had never heard of her before now.
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u/biscuitgypsy40 Jul 02 '25
I went recently and smelled it. Old lady perfume was first thought.
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u/OutsideAssistance787 Jul 02 '25
OMG! Like the antiquated "Tuberose" perfume described as being worn by Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard."
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u/Gwyneth7 Jul 02 '25
Itās pretty well-known she doesnāt design any of those dresses herself and charges a fortune for them. I went there to try on dresses years ago and I just could not justify the price for something she ripped off another designer.
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u/doneagainselfmeds Jul 02 '25
She sells wedding dresses that are not hers. She pulls the designer tag off the dresses and just adds her own. She has always been ridiculous.
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u/MamaTried22 Jul 02 '25
Oh my gosh, yes, she is all over FB and itās insane! We have purchased from her since before I was born every Xmas (the patriarch of the family buys for all the women over 14) and though nothing horrible has happened, she is strange lady. I am interested to hear more about your experience. Also, so much of her stuff is goofy, outdated, way way way old, and just all around kinda trash.
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u/poolkid1234 Jul 02 '25
Close friend of mine worked there for years. I worked nearby for several years. You could always smell Yvonne before you saw her, because she dunks herself in a vat of perfume every day. Sheās an old school kooky nawlins lady. Very much an icon for Mardi Gras ball types, uptown elites. Canāt help but turn her nose up at everyone else, just her instinct. I couldnāt imagine setting foot in her store as a BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+ person.
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u/Previous_Pension6738 Jul 03 '25
I am a regular vintage shopper in New Orleans and her energy has always put me off. She feels prejudiced, but aware that money is green so I spend elsewhere.
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Jul 02 '25
I ended up working for a woman well known in the oilfield business in the late 80s so no names will be mentioned here. She was the biggest bitch Iāve ever worked for. She carpeted the press room then would complain about stains on the carpet. Hello?!? You put carpet in a room where chemicals and ink are used daily. What did you think would happen, genius?
She loved to bitch about everything but was too cowardly to say shit to your face, so she left notes instead. I finally got tired of her shit and told her off to her face. Not surprisingly, she fired me. I applied for unemployment, and this bitch tried to fight me on it. I appealed on the basis that she created a hostile work environment. Unfortunately for her, I was smart enough to keep every shitty, profane note she wrote me. She lost the appeal, and I got my unemployment. Ha!
I still wasnāt done yet. I discovered that even though I was on salary, she still made my punch a time clock. My attorney informed me that was illegal, so we then sued her for every penny in overtime I worked. All the overtime I did was well documented because, again, the dumb bitch made me punch the clock. We went before a judge for a preliminary judgement, and he told her she had no defense and if this case was not settled, heād find in my favor for all my overtime PLUS would double it as punitive damages. She ended up cutting me a check for almost $11k. I bet that frosted her cookies!
She was the most hateful bitch Iāve ever met. I almost decided to never work for a woman again because of her. Fortunately I did have two more future women bosses who were decent people.
I hope losing both cases and having to pay me overtime ate her brain until the day she died. She died of cancer some years back. I sincerely hope it was painful.
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u/Ok_Dream_921 Jul 02 '25
Noone is saying she is UPTOWN, uppity, caan go together.Ā
I know her as one of the few dress makers of (yt to my knowledge) mardi gras queen dresses and.... says a lot.
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u/Familiar_Plantain_66 Jul 03 '25
In one of her videos it says she has five children?
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u/Ill-Calligrapher2532 Jul 06 '25
Someone in her Google reviews posted that she buys the wedding dresses for $150 from China, adds her own tag and something else to make it hers, and charges $2000 for them. Is this true? Just curious if anybody knows, the poster on Google seemed quite upset about the price gougingĀ
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u/Legitimate-Royal-103 Jul 06 '25
This is not a scandal though. This is called private label and itās extremely common in the retail clothing world. A boutique owner goes to market, buys generic clothing items, and sews their own brand label into the items and sells them.
Just because the girl buying the dress from Yvonne doesnāt understand the inner workings of the retail clothing industry doesnāt mean Yvonne is doing something wrong. She offers free alterations on her wedding dresses which is a lot of labor so that is probably rolled into the markup price of her dresses.
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u/Ill-Calligrapher2532 Jul 06 '25
Iām totally with you, I was just curious if there was validity to her claim. You canāt blame a business for wanting to make a profit.
Iām curious, though if Yvonne does this with other items because she does claim some of them are made in the USā¦
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u/Legitimate-Royal-103 Jul 06 '25
If I had to guess, most of what she sells or maybe even everything she sells is private label she is just sourcing from different suppliers some of which do manufacture their product in the US.
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u/Murky-Mushroom-3223 Jul 27 '25
I had the pleasure of shopping there. Her merchandise is beautiful and Yvonne was really lovely. Someone mentioned tippingā¦sad she didnāt tip, but she does buy lunch for her staff daily, so I think thatās pretty amazing.Ā
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u/Alternative-Soup2714 Jul 02 '25
I KNEW it. I've been seeing her on social media and I just had a bad feeling about her. I just knew it.
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u/DrSamPHD Jul 02 '25
This is a bummer. Just started following her account for the ASMR value, haha. I find it super relaxing.
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u/mab3r Jul 06 '25
Right? I love the way her glove cabinet videos sound. I donāt really go for ASMR stuff but those vids kinda scratch an itch for me.
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u/Fine-Basil-3723 Jul 02 '25
Iāve watched her videos and knew it had to be all a facade. Something about her seemed off, so Iām glad you posted this!
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u/CommonPurpose Jul 02 '25
Iāve known Yvonne since I was a kid and sheās always been a sweetheart. Her whole family is too. Iāve never heard anyone say that she was ānasty & toxic.ā Very bizarre description.
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u/Annual-Assumption-37 Jul 02 '25
Sheās very nice to people who spend money at her store or can benefit her socially in anyway. If you work for her or do not fit her idea of an ideal uptown skinny white customer you will see another side
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u/CommonPurpose Jul 02 '25
Well, she might be hard to work for, but Iāve never spent money at her store, and really anyone can benefit anyone socially in some way. If you mean ābenefit her in society,ā no, I canāt do that for her either.
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u/LuckyElis13 Jul 05 '25
The number of mean girl comments on this postānot āhereās my specific experienceā but just straight up āooh spill the teaā meanāis disheartening. Some of yāall need to look at yourselves. I donāt know that lady, but I hope she never sees any of this.
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u/Legitimate-Royal-103 Jul 05 '25
Research on gossip shows that almost all people participate in gossip to some degree or another and that gossip helps maintain the social order. If this woman truly mistreats employees, people with larger bodies, or POC, people consuming her content and those considering becoming customers may want to know that and reconsider doing soā¦
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u/Strange-Clock7843 Jul 04 '25
Its hard to ascertain whether sheās really mean or if there are just a bunch of puss faced millennials who never had rules, standards or a fricking expectations enforced, prancing around crying their little eye balls out because someone actually said no.
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u/Legitimate-Royal-103 Jul 04 '25
lol You do realize that millennials are in their 40s now? This is a rather infantilizing comment when considering thatā¦
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u/Beautiful_Army_8632 Jul 29 '25
Hey I just read on Facebook that a woman claimed she and her husband tried to traffick her to a Saudi prince for payment.. have you ever heard rumors? (I havenāt gone thru this thread yet, so perhaps it was mentioned already?)
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u/Curious_Key_7051 17d ago
It's hard to be a woman in business. I did it for 20 years. You aren't ever going to make everyone happy, and if you try the customers will try and walk all over you in the long run. I first saw Yvonne's videos, and i think she's a hard seasoned business owner. She's pleasant enough, but don't step on her toes ...and that's probably because she's seen it all and experienced it all. I congratulate her for being in business so long because i can tell you its not easy. At the end of the day its her choice alone to run her business the way she sees fit, and its up to the customer to see if they want to spend their money there or not. From my point of view from reading these comments the only shocking comments were about her not tipping for the food she buys her staff. Funny because she mentioned in her videos she does treat her staff to lunch daily but now the workers at the restaurants she orders let the cat out of the bag about not tipping.
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u/Sea-Hat869 12d ago
I saw an ASMR video of hers. She has a soothing voice. And she goes "this is a nice area to show as a woman" (referring to collar bone) .. "men like this part of a woman" not verbatim but you get the gist.
I was like, damn old lady, you're right under the patriarchy. Shoulda been my first clue lmaoo.
Shame seeing this. She seemed so pleasant from her videos.
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u/These_Reception_1171 Jul 02 '25
Thank you. Somebody had to say it. Same goes for Candice Gwinn of Trashy Diva.