Tailors, alterations and formal wear in Monaco

Why Monaco has so many alteration shops for so few people

A Principality of 39,000 residents supports half a dozen alteration ateliers because its calendar demands them: the Rose Ball in March, the Grand Prix in late spring, the Red Cross Gala in July, the Yacht Show in September, National Day in November, and every week in between a black-tie dinner somewhere on the hill. The trade divides into three kinds of shop. Alteration ateliers (retoucheries) do hems, zips, waists, sleeves and the taking-in of evening wear; pressings add small repairs to their cleaning; and a couple of couturiers make to measure. This guide lists who does what and where. For the pressings themselves, see Pressings in Monaco; for the step-by-step of a rush job, see Quick alterations before an event.

The alteration ateliers

Monte-Carlo Retouches — 1 avenue Henry Dunant, in the Palais de la Scala gallery next to the Hôtel Hermitage, the same arcade as the Net Express flagship. Tel. +377 93 30 19 81. Announced hours Monday to Saturday 10:00–13:00 and 14:00–18:00. The central walk-in atelier for Monte-Carlo: hems, waists, sleeves, zips, evening-wear adjustments.

Couture Canelle — 4 rue des Oliviers, Monte-Carlo. Tel. +377 6 80 86 49 86. More than ten years in the Principality, known for speed. Alterations (hems, repairs, transformations) and made-to-measure for men and women, with fittings at your home on request.

Lady Row — 13 boulevard Princesse Charlotte, in Le Victoria. Bespoke tailoring and couture restoration, next-day alteration service, and a mobile atelier that comes to your flat, office or yacht. Also advertises specialist repairs (visible gold-stitch mending, hand-painted silk) and a discount on a first alteration. Monday to Saturday.

MC Retouches — 3 rue Terrazzani, in the streets behind the Condamine market. Listed on the Government's repairers map; the Condamine's neighbourhood atelier.

Retouches — 25 boulevard des Moulins, the shopping boulevard above the Casino gardens, also on the official map.

Addresses and phone numbers for small ateliers change; the two sources worth checking before you walk over are the Government's Carte des réparateurs et de la seconde main, published by the Mission pour la Transition Énergétique (transition-energetique.gouv.mc), which lists Monaco's clothing, shoe, watch and jewellery repairers as part of the Principality's repair-not-replace policy, and the official telephone directory at annuaire-monaco.mc under Retouches de vêtements.

Pressings that alter

Two cleaners take in alterations with the cleaning, which saves a second errand:

• Pressing de Fontvieille, 27 avenue Albert II inside the Centre Commercial de Fontvieille, +377 92 05 70 30, Monday to Saturday 8:30–20:00: teinturerie, blanchisserie, retouches.
• Net Express (Palais de la Scala and Place des Moulins) lists repairs and alterations among its services alongside couture and wedding-dress cleaning; standard turnaround four working days, 48-hour express at +50 %.

Full details in Pressings in Monaco.

Made to measure

Monaco is not a tailoring city in the Neapolitan or Savile Row sense, and residents who want a bench-made suit mostly travel for it. Within the Principality, Couture Canelle makes men's and women's garments to measure with home fittings, and Lady Row offers bespoke tailoring and the restoration of couture pieces. The fashion houses of the Carré d'Or and the Métropole alter their own garments for clients, usually free of charge at the time of purchase; see Luxury shopping in Monaco and the Métropole shopping guide. Hotel concierges at the Hôtel de Paris, the Hermitage and the Métropole keep lists of ateliers that will handle a guest's emergency on the day.

Formal wear: the calendar that drives the trade

In each of these weeks the ateliers run at capacity. The rule is simple: drop alterations off a fortnight before the event, cleaning a week before. What each occasion requires is in Dress codes in Monaco.

Practical points

• Bring the shoes. Hem length depends on heel height; every atelier will ask.
• Ask for a quote first. No Monaco atelier publishes prices; a written estimate avoids surprises on collection.
• Photograph couture before handing it over and point out any existing damage.
• Beausoleil and Nice have alteration shops at lower prices a short walk or train ride away; for a wardrobe's worth of work it can be worth the trip. See Beausoleil for Monaco residents.
• Repair rather than replace is now official policy: the Government's repairers map exists to steer residents towards exactly these ateliers. See Recycling and waste in Monaco.

Related reading

• Quick alterations before an event
• Pressings in Monaco: addresses, hours and prices
• Laundry in Monaco
• Dress codes in Monaco
• Luxury shopping in Monaco