Bespoke Shopping in Paris

As an American who has lived in Paris a dozen years, I am often asked by visitors from the States where they can find a keepsake that isn't available at home or on the Web. Invariably, I suggest they have something made in France, sur mesure—to measure. Of course, this approach is not for those seeking instant gratification, as fine-tuning a custom product can require a bit of time. The top craftspeople, however, will bend over backward to accommodate any schedule, including doing some of the work by phone and e-mail; a few will even make "house calls" to your hotel room. The following artisans represent the best of bespoke shopping in Paris, offering centuries-old French know-how, a service you can't get anywhere else.

Jewelry

Carine Obrey-Allardi learned the jewelry trade during twenty-five years working in the family business, venerable Paris watchmaker and jeweler Obrey. "People were always asking for things that didn't exist," she says. Now, at the shop she co-owns, Dessine Moi un Bijou, Obrey-Allardi helps you realize the bauble of your dreams. Bring her a stone or an idea for a ring and she will sketch a design at the big wooden table in the boutique, then produce clay and wax models before finally presenting the finished piece. "Since we're in Paris," she says, "I can source any kind of stone—anything!" In a rush? Ready-to-wear gold envelope-shaped pendants can be engraved with un message d'amour in an exact copy of your handwriting. Custom pieces from $815. 2 Rue de Caumartin; 011-33-1-47-42-18-27; dessinemoiunbijou.com.

Lingerie

In 1889, two miracles of engineering were introduced in Paris: the Eiffel Tower and the brassiere. Herminie Cadolle created the latter by chopping the corset in two. Five generations later, Poupie Cadolle presides over every aspect of the made-to-measure service at Cadolle, Paris's most famous address for exquisitely tailored, classic lingerie for more than a century. After one or two fittings, Cadolle will embellish your bras, corsets and other undergarments with French lace, ribbon and Swarovski crystals to give them "le petit rien de rien," the little bits of nothing, as Poupie puts it, that make all the difference. From $810, including fittings. 255 Rue St.-Honoré; 011-33-1-42-60-94-94; cadolle.fr.

Perfume

Celebrated French nose Francis Kurkdjian has designed fragrances for Elizabeth Arden and Jean Paul Gaultier. A streamlined version of his bespoke service, for foreign clients, starts with a phone call. Give Kurkdjian an olfactory preference—rose, cedar, lily of the valley—and he'll conjure up five to eight variations for you to test. You then choose one, which he perfects when you meet in person. "It's not the perfume of a life I'm creating," he says, "but one that corresponds to a moment in someone's lifetime." From $10,830 for two engraved 60 ml bottles; refills from $244. 011-33-1-42-77-40-33; franciskurkdjian.com.

Shoes

At the age of thirty-one, Prudence Oliko has built quite a reputation in the French fashion press with his cutting-edge pointy-toed shoes dyed in rich colors. Oliko first sees clients in their hotel rooms with a sketch pad and a briefcase full of samples. He'll need a follow-up meeting to create a design from scratch, but he will happily do a demi mesure instead, using prefitted models in the client's size. Says Oliko: "I make shoes that a woman dreams of, particularly for a special event. I want her to come to me and say, 'Monsieur Oliko, make me something crazy!'" Demi mesures from $600. 61 Rue de Maubeuge; 011-33-1-53-21-04-79; prudenceoliko.com.