I discovered Les Dandys, a custom suit and shirt maker, a few years ago and wrote about them on Eye Prefer Paris in November 2010. I also wrote about the shop for Passport magazine last September in an article about custom men's shops in Paris. The owners Sylvan and Antoine were so happy and thankful for what I wrote that they generously offered to make me a shirt.
I was so touched and excited, since I have never had a custom shirt before. I made an appointment for the fitting one afternoon last November. Sylvan brought out about a dozen books of fabric samples, and each one had hundreds of patterns to choose from. Stripes, solids, twills, wide stripes, narrow stripes, every imaginable and unimaginable color combination, thick cotton, thin cotton, and other choices I can't remember that made my head spin. How do I choose one? I narrowed it down to three and finally chose a bold fuchsia medium stripe against a white background. It was two-ply, 120-weight cotton poplin made in Italy by one of the finest fabric companies for clothing, Thomas Mason, started by Thomas Mason in 1750 in England. Sylvan took out his tape measure and measured me in all sorts of places: from my elbow to my wrist, elbow to shoulder, the width around my body, my neck, and across my shoulders. Then he asked me questions that I had never been asked and wasn't quite sure what to answer.
Do you want the buttons to show or hidden?
Do you want a monogram and if you do, where do you want it? (He then proceeded to show me a choice of monogram styles)
Do you want a pocket?
What kind of buttons and what color?
What kind of collar do you prefer and how many buttons do you want on the collar?
Straight bottom or curved?
After I made my final choices with more questions than my SAT test in high school, Sylvan gave me a dummy shirt to try on for size. He adjusted it a little so it wasn't too tight. He carefully went over the order to make sure everything was correct and said the he would call me in three to four weeks when the shirt was ready. I went back to the shop in mid December and the shirt came out fabulous. I tried it on and it felt like a jillion bucks. The crisp, cool cotton felt so good against my torso and the cut made me instantly look 10 lbs. thinner. Who needs a 10 lbs. thinner uncomfortable, rubber girdle when you can have a delicious cotton shirt do the job.
I wore the shirt to an important Christmas party with a black suit and solid black Hermés tie. I also wore it New Years eve, just open with a few buttons showing a little cleavage and black corduroy pants. I have to say and even my friends said I looked smashing. Other shirts in my wardrobe will never feel the same and I may have to order some more shirts from Les Dandys.
Les Dandys
23 rue Pasquier, 75008
Metro: Madeleine
Tel. 01 40 07 05 54
Open Monday to Saturday 10:30AM to 7PM
http://www.lesdandys.com/en/collection.html#
New Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale
I am happy to announce the sale of a new set of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos. I am offering 20 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.
Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.
New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.
Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
Great shirt!!! I used to have a garments business and the questions are amusingly familiar, except for the monogram. Fascinating shop, too bad they don't seem to make ladies1 shirts!
Posted by: jeannie | January 09, 2012 at 03:21 PM
You look great!!! That shirt is wonderful...ok, come on, tell us what they typically go for with all the choices you made.
Posted by: Beth Rankin | January 09, 2012 at 03:40 PM
You look terrific!! And I love the monogram---what a great shirt! Lucky you!
Posted by: Cheryl | January 09, 2012 at 05:57 PM