First opened in the early 1920s, Lylian was an outgrowth of the Acadian Handicraft Project, which put gifted seamstresses from southwest Louisiana, many of whom still spoke only in Cajun French, in touch with stores and buyers in New Orleans. They made everything from baby clothes to embroidered evening gowns for such bygone stores as Maison Roff, the precursor to Maison Blanche. The first Lylian Shop was in the French Quarter, selling the same breathtakingly beautiful handmade children clothes that are still being made today.