All around the world, plush private salons and supremely personalised services are taking luxury fashion buying to a new level of exclusivity. Moda Operandi, the online luxury fashion retailer founded in 2010, has exclusive havens in London and New York, equipped with velvet armchairs and luxurious changing areas. This is where the company that enables customers to order straight from designers' catwalk shows entertains its most loyal and high-spending clients.
"In each showroom there is a moment of discovery, enabling Moda to provide clients with custom or commissioned designs," says Elisabetta Casula, director of retail for Europe and the Middle East.
Also in London - and in another universe - sits 23 Welbeck Street, an elegant Georgian townhouse. All plush carpets, mid-century modern furniture and chic art, it has become the frontier for a new, rarefied kind of shopping.
"We opened No 23 as a discreet and luxurious space for our international clients to enjoy a bespoke shopping experience," says Ines Lareo, customer experience director at Matchesfashion.com, which has used the building to create an exclusive, intimate way to shop. "Whether it's used for a one-to-one appointment with a stylist or a curated event for a group, the space is a unique shopping environment."
All this sounds like a rather dreamy alternative to queuing at the tills, but it is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the services now on offer to the super-rich with a serious shopping habit.
At Net-a-Porter, the UK's haute couture online shop, 40% of sales come from just 2% of customers, so focusing on them makes sound business sense. For them, it is choice, speed and convenience that are of utmost importance. That's why the personal shoppers offered by high-end retailers will be on hand for their clients wherever they are in the world, ready to cater to their every whim.A Panthère de Cartier 18ct rhodiumised white gold, diamond and enamel watch was snapped up for £113,000 (more than R2-million) via WhatsApp shortly after it went live on Net-a-Porter in May; at Dolce & Gabbana's Alta Moda extravaganzas, attendees are treated to beautiful settings and lavish dinners, while at the shows themselves they select their preferences via text or WhatsApp as the looks breeze past them on the catwalk. The fastest finger wins (and if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it). Afterwards, their chosen looks will be customised according to personal preferences...