Charvet

We all know that men’s clothing can look extremely hot on a woman; Giovanna Battaglia takes this wisdom to the extreme and wears handmade men's shirts everywhere. It is very Milanese to have your shirts created by a local shirtmaker who will embroider your initials upon request as well. Though she obviously adores the shirts that she owns by Milanese craftsmen, Giovanna has her shirts made by Charvet when in Paris.

Charvet is the house to go to when you require a bespoke shirt, costume, or tie in the French tradition. Christofle Charvet, son of the wardrobe curator of Napoleon, founded Charvet in 1838. He was the first chemisier (or in English, "shirtmaker") of his kind, measuring clients in his store and urging them to choose their own fabrics for each of his shirts which were then made to order on site. You can find Charvet at the Place Vendôme in Paris and after years of watching other shirtmakers open and close their stores, this is the only chemisier in town still crafting bespoke shirts.

If you go for a customized shirt fitting, Charvet will take a minimum of 18 measurements. A basic cotton version of the ordered shirt will be made first to ensure the custom fit is tailored to perfection. After the successful proof is approved, an additional 30 days are needed to complete each shirt. You need not order a closet full either, Charvet takes orders starting at just one shirt! Nor are all of their shirts bespoke and custom, you can explore a vast collection of ready to wear choices. Don’t be surprised to see someone famous in line at Charvet: besides Gio herself, Catherine Deneuve, Sofia Coppola, and several presidents cannot live without their Charvet shirts — they will even make a shirt to order for a monkey! It's true, watch the fascinating video by men.style.com for a glimpse of their exquisite craftsmanship and painstaking attention to detail. Only the very best for Giovanna...

Charvet images courtesy of charvet.com, makethman.com, juliesparis.wordpress.com, prepidemic.com
Giovanna Battaglia in Charvet photograph © 2010 Tommy Ton. All Rights Reserved.