Boss Made-To-Measure

SHOE IN

On any given day, human feet can be subjected to hundreds of tonnes of force. Well-fitting footwear makes all the difference, particularly for those with peculiarly shaped feet.

The latest brand to enter the custom footwear arena is German luxury fashion house Boss, which has added shoes and belts to its menu of made-to-measure (MTM) services. To traditionalists, it might seem blasphemous that Boss’ MTM shoe service uses a 3-D optical scanner to take measurements of feet – a step usually carried out by a shoemaker as part of the bespoke process.

According to Boss, however, this piece of equipment takes far more accurate measurements, in just 20 seconds, than a person ever could. The rest of the process, from creating a last (or shoe mould) to patinating the leather and stitching the Goodyear welt, is carried out by hand by the brand’s artisans in Italy. Complete the look with a matching MTM belt, precisely designed to be fastened on the third hole. #01-14 to 18, Ngee Ann City.

IN THEIR OWN TIME

When we last met Bovet owner Pascal Raffy, he proudly handed us an Amadeo Fleurier Tourbillon Braveheart watch, a double-faced timepiece featuring elaborate engravings and a miniature version of Raphael’s famous religious artwork, Madonna della Sedia.

“This miniature painting took one month to complete,” said Raffy, egging us on to examine the details with a magnifying loupe.

Italian Renaissance works are just one of the options that Bovet’s miniature painters can execute for the brand’s bespoke clients.

You could, perhaps, opt for your favourite animal (like the majestic eagles shown here) or landscape. Portraits of family members, says Raffy, are popular requests. You can also get just about any part of a Bovet watch – including its tourbillon cage – engraved, and also customise its strap or even decorative gems. Sincere Fine Watches is the exclusive retailer of Bovet in Singapore.

(RELATED: Lange just released 5 new blue watches – and they’re stunning.)

MADE IN THE SHADES

In recent years, the fine-watch world has been occasionally enlivened with jolts of colour, with vibrant accents giving sporty pieces an unmissable edge. Hautlence now takes this to the next level with the Vortex Gamma, a complex, rectangular-ish timepiece featuring a case made from the unusually named material, HLLightColor. The ceramic-carbon composite is exclusive to the Neuchatel-based brand, and is apparently also used in the automotive and aerospace industries.

What most distinguishes the Vortex Gamma from its metal-encased predecessors is the fact that the case of the former can be customised in any of the 1,867 colours on the Pantone spectrum, and finished with a high-contrast outline. The chosen colour will also be used on the numerals on the hour chain and on the minutes dial. So, if there is a flamboyant and sporty watch fan in your life, there’s a chance that Vortex Gamma + their favourite colour = perfect present. Cortina Watch is the exclusive retailer of Hautlence in Singapore.

ON THE SCENTS

A purveyor of pure, top-quality perfumes housed in specially designed crystal bottles, Henry Jacques is one of the most exclusive names in the world of haute fragrances. Established by Henry Cremona in 1975, the French label released its first retail collection only in 2010.

Prior to that, the house had specialised in custom orders for its top-tier clientele, which includes members of royalty.

Outside France, it has had a presence at high-end London department store Harrods since 2014, and, now, it has opened its first stand-alone boutique, right on our shores.

Treat the perfume devotee in your life to one of the brand’s bespoke formulations, for which prices start at a heady $25,000. It all begins with a consultation based on the 50 premium, highly concentrated scents in the Les Classiques de HJ collection (prices for these individual fragrances start at $800 for a 15ml bottle). After that, the brand’s laboratory in the French perfume capital of Grasse creates formulations for the client.

The process can be completed in as little as two to six months – or as long as it takes to achieve buyer satisfaction. #01-08A, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

(RELATED: Explore the world of whisky through the eyes of a master perfumer with The Macallan’s Edition No. 3.)

THAT’S THE SPIRIT

John Walker & Sons Signature Blend

If whisky is your strength, consider gifting your best buds prized blends you can call your own. Under the John Walker & Sons’ invite-only Signature Blend programme, you’ll enjoy intimate sessions with master blender Jim Beveridge – among the most hallowed authorities in the whisky world. During the sessions, you’ll explore the intricacies of handpicked, rare whisky, while Beveridge ascertains your taste profile. He then creates the bespoke blend accordingly, while you work with a commissioned designer to fashion the bottle – the handcrafted labels, packaging and seals are yours to mandate.

Each of the 50 bottles will be serialised and marked with your signature as well as Beveridge’s. The process may take up to eight months and falls just short of a quarter million quid to get going – a small cost for your made-to-measure dram. For enquiries, e-mail privateclientsg@diageo.com.