Agnès in Wonderland

At her retreat outside of Versailles on former royal land, the French fashion icon Agnès b magics up a world of boundless creativity.

- By Leah Singer

The French clothing designer Agnès b doesn't attend fashion week or advertise her brand she likes to follow her own instincts. Since she opened her first store, in Paris in 1975, in what was once a butcher shop, her name has become synonymous with an inextricably Gallic look.

Her famed snap cardigan has been a staple in the 230 stores she operates worldwide almost since the beginning. Her large circle of friends includes the musician Patti Smith, who often shops in the men's department. And her philanthropic pursuits are numerous from her support of nonprofits like Human Rights Watch to the deep-sea research vessel (helmed by her son Étienne) that she funds to explore the effects of climate change.

For more than three decades, the designer has lived in a two-story manor outside of Versailles-not far from where she grew up on a property once owned by Louis XIV and later given to Guy-Crescent Fagon, his personal physician. Agnès found the house in a newspaper advertisement, which she cut out and tucked inside a book. Months later, the clipping fell out, and she arranged to meet the seller-but not before an impulsive late-night visit turned daring and she found herself jumping over the property's high stone wall to get a closer look.