By Kate Matthams-Spencer and Charlotte Sutherland-Hawes
Bespoke fashion is having a moment, as brands cater to the demand for customisable pieces. Vogue.fr picks the best Paris houses for custom-made luxury pieces, created uniquely to your spec with an eye on craftsmanship, timeless elegance and modernity.
Made-to-measure fashion
Hermès(01 of15)
An iconic piece of Hermès history, the silk square was transformed in the 1960s from a simple scarf to a cult piece of apparel by the French house's couturiers. Each scarf is painstakingly created using an haute couture techinique called twillaine, which brings together wool and silk using retricotage, when twill silk is connected stitch by stitch and thread by thread with wool. Since April 5 of this year, Hermès has been offering a new personalisation service for its twillaine products; the Maille à soie concept offers clients the chance to turn your silk square into a top, dress, cardigan or sweater. All you need to do, is choose a colour and print from the vast choice of scarves, and customise it all with silk thread embroidery. Hermès also offers a monogram service on its leather goods and accessories, stamping client's initials onto every item bought.Stores: 24 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and 42 avenue George V, 75008 ParisTime: Delivered within two months of order being placed
Louis Vuitton(02 of15)
Louis Vuitton has inspired elegant travel since 1837. At the end of the 19th century, when the Industrial Revolution led to better transport systems thanks to the steam engine, trunk-maker and house founder Louis Vuitton himself adapted his hand baggage to the new way of life and travel, inventing the stackable flat trunk. The spirit of its founder is still very much at the core of the French brand, which offers reinvented versions of its pleasingly practical trunks, suitcases and travel bags every season. It is even possible to make the highly desirable delights bespoke, with your initials branded into the leather, or added by hand.Stores: all Louis Vuitton shopsTime: variable
Gucci(03 of15)
Another leather goods brand that specialises in exceptional leathers, since July 2012, Gucci has been providing a bespoke service for its New Bamboo, New Jackie and New Stirrup models. Three of the Italian brand's most iconic bags can now be fashioned in your choice of exotic leather from the huge range of colours. After being created entirely by hand by Gucci artisans, have your piece personalised further, with your initials engraved in either silver or gold.
Prada(04 of15)
Since March, Prada has been offering a shoe customization service exclusively for its Parisian clientele, allowing devoted fans to fashion a pair of elegant stilettos into the shoe of their dreams. The service comes with a choice of nine models - from classic stiletto to a sky-high sandal - in patent leather, satin, Saffiano leather or suede, in the colour of your choice. This shoe is personal to its core, as you even have a choice of colour for the sole, from black to pastel blue or lily of the valley, and the opportunity to sign it with two gold initials under the Italian house's logo. The finishing touch to this impeccable service? The box containing your precious personalised possessions even matches the colour of the heels inside, a luxury detail in a unique experience.Store: 10 avenue Montaigne, 75008 ParisTime: one month
Goyard(05 of15)
Trunkmaker Goyard has been keeping the monogram tradition alive since 1853. Derived from coats of arms, trunk personalisation came about in the 19th century, when travelers needed to be able to tell their luggage apart from the hundreds of other pieces on train journeys. The brands still offers this service today, monogramming each piece as they always have done, by hand, over the course of several days. Clients have a wide range of choice in personalising their trunks and bags, from the style of letters, to the colours, all prepared from natural pigments, using the house's very own secret recipe.Store: 233 rue Saint Honoré, 75001 ParisTime: 3 to 4 weeks
Valentino(06 of15)
For the past month, the Italian house has been adding a personal touch with its famous studs. Each accessory in the Valentino Garavani Rouge Absolute collection can be customised at will, with the addition of removable letters and symbols on ankle and wrist straps or on the front of bags. Add, combine, mix and match to create the personalised piece of your dreams.
Moynat(07 of15)
In the 19th century, Moynat was one of the biggest Parisian brands in existence for trunks and leather goods, producing beautiful raw wicker hampers tailored to fit customers' cars, before going to on to create cases, bags and luggage. They became an essential, for savvy travellers in need of waterproof, unbreakable, light-weight luggage, and were even a feature in universal exhibitions - most notably the Arts Déco in 1925. Three years ago, Moynat made its grand return to the French capital, setting up shop at 348, rue Saint Honoré, not far from where its first boutique sat at 5, place du Théâtre Français. The shop offers customisation services on all purchases, executed by hand by a Beaux Arts de Paris-trained artist, who will add a monogram or drawing of choice onto your Taurillon leather or canvas piece. The house specialty is a 3D style, inspired by Art Deco, a key period in Moynat's history.Store: 348 rue Saint-Honoré 75001, Paris
Giambattista Valli(08 of15)
Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2013-2014 saw the launch of the very first Giambattista Valli bag, aptly named the Valli Bag. With geometric lines and a round fastening, the bag comes in luxe materials, and can also be customised, from the choice of skin - leather, crocodile, calfskin, python - to a range of colours - neon yellow, azure, rosewood, taupe, red and black. Make your Valli Bag your own in every way, with the final flourish of seeing your initials embossed on the leather.Stores: 30 Rue Boissy d'Anglas and galerie de la Madeleine, 75008 ParisTime: 4 to 10 weeks
Charvet(09 of15)
This rue de la Paix institution is one of the specialists when it comes to made-to-measure shirts. Charvet offers three services for women: custom, semi-bespoke and made-to-order. A custom order allows you to choose the fabric of your choice from a wide range and quality of silks, cotton and other natural materials. A semi-bespoke shirt's collar, sleeve-length and waist can be customised with a small paper pattern. Finally, the made-to-order shirt is whatever you want it to be, as a seamstress will work up a haute couture pattern just for you, followed by a toile and eventually your bespoke shirt. The fun doesn't stop there, Charvet will also make your pyjamas, a dressing gown or safari jacket, all bespoke, of course.Store: 28 Place Vendôme, 75001 ParisTime: 4 to 5 weeks
Delphine Delafon(10 of15)
Designer Delphine Delafon may not have invented the drawstring bag, but she has certainly been making it her own since the launch of her eponymous brand in 2011. The concept is simple: take one bag shape and create an infinite number of pieces with vintage materials, including fabrics, leathers, high-color reptile skins, studs, fringing, feathers and charms. You can choose everything, from the size of your bag to the chain strap you want, and the designer will hand-make it in her Faubourg Poissonière studio in Paris. What's more, Delphine Delafon has recently started offering made-to-measure leather jackets, using the same process as she does for her bags.Atelier: 6 rue de Marseille 75010, Paris
Time: 1 to 2 weeks
Time: 1 to 2 weeks
Laure de Sagazan(11 of15)
Laure de Sagazan took the plunge and launched her own bridal label in 2011, after spending three years at Ba&Sh. She creates bespoke gowns only, in a process that begins with an interview to get to know the client, during which she already starts sketching ideas. These early drawings eventually become the perfect wedding dress for each bride-to-be, tailored to each client and a million miles away from the usual meringue and cream cake clichés on the market. Laure admits to a penchant for vintage that has become the house signature and each piece is handmade in the French designer's showroom, in the 10th arondissement, in Paris.Atelier: 102 rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, 75010 ParisTime: 3 to 4 months
Maison Labiche(12 of15)
Paris label Maison Labiche takes an offbeat look at wardrobe basics, offering a new riff on simple cotton Ts and sweatshirts. Pick a ready-made shirt on the Maison Labiche e-shop, or create your own to be personalised by house founders Jenny and Mary, with hand-embroidered chain-stitch. Pick your T-shirt or sweatshirt colour online or in person at the Maison Labiche studio, then the coloured thread you would like - blue, red or black - and an inscription of 15 characters or less.Atelier: 3 Passage Lepic, 75018 ParisTime: 1 to 2 weeks
Repetto(13 of15)
The Repetto personalisation studio was opened in the brand's legendary rue de la Paix space in 2011, and since then, Rose Repetto's famous ballet-style shoes have been customisable. From Brigitte Bardot's favourite red slippers, to Kate Moss' beloved black ballet pumps, choose your favourite style from the full range of models, and then pick from 250 different colours of leather. Don't leave without the cherry on the cake: silver and gold charms to add an extra touch of luxury. Whilst in store, you can also discover the made-to-measure tutus, hand-created by the Repetto design team in the traditional style of stage costumes.Store: 22 Rue de la Paix, 75002 Paris
Pyramyd Eyewear(14 of15)
A new eyewear brand to hit the block, Pyramyd Eyewear unveiled its first sunglasses collection for Spring/Summer 2014. The retro frames are available in a range of mineral tones, set with precious stones in white or yellow gold, and all elements can be customised in the Pyramyd workshop. Complete with a snake or lambskin case to match the stones chosen, these are truly modern luxury sunglasses, made in France and hand-numbered. A standard range is available to buy, otherwise made-to-measure shades can be ordered by email or on appointment.Contact@pyramyd-eyewear.com09 51 92 59 62Time: roughly one week
Longchamp(15 of15)
Regularly customized by top designers like Jeremy Scott and Mary Katrantzou, the Pliage is one of Longchamp's most iconic models, available each season in different sizes, colours and materials. For the twentieth anniversary of this cult bag, the accessory house has launched a unique online personalisation service for the Pliage Cuir. Available in three sizes - small, medium and large - this unique Pliage also comes in eight colours: black, vermilion, indigo, taupe, orange, lemon, pink and camel. The handles, strap, lining and leather details are also customisable, creating a completely unique bag. To top it all off, Longchamp is also offering an monogramming service, to add initials or an inscription of your choice for the final touch on your bespoke bag.Website: www.longchamp.comTime: around three weeks