Couture cleaning at Madame Paulette

Why it is on the list

Madame Paulette has cleaned and restored clothes in New York for more than 50 years, three generations of one family until ByNext bought it in 2021.¹ It takes the pieces an ordinary cleaner turns away: couture and vintage garments it will take apart, stabilise and repair, and runway samples it cleans for fashion houses before they go to a show or a museum.²³ Its tailors work on couture detail and bridal construction, fitting in the shop or on site.⁴⁵ Long-term pieces go into pH-neutral, acid-free archival boxes; a whole wardrobe can be kept in its climate-controlled vault and sent on, cleaned and pressed, to wherever the owner is travelling.³⁶

Its work is cleaning, restoration and alteration of what already exists.⁷ For a suit made from scratch, go to Leonard Logsdail instead.

How to get it

Call the flagship boutique on (212) 838-6827 or write to asktheexpert@madamepaulette.com; the shop answers Monday to Friday 9:00 to 18:00 and Saturday 9:00 to 17:00, and is closed on Sunday.⁸ For a restoration, ask for a consultation first: pieces are collected, assessed one by one, and a higher-risk job waits for written consent before work starts.¹⁷ Payment can be asked for in advance.⁷

Every piece is logged and may be photographed on arrival, so empty the pockets first.⁷ Report any damage within 48 hours of delivery; once a piece is handed to a hotel concierge or building staff, it is the client's responsibility, and compensation is judged case by case rather than at retail value, so insure anything irreplaceable separately.⁷

Discretion

Deliveries go by the shop's own drivers or couriers it has approved.⁷ Client confidentiality is standard, and a client's own non-disclosure agreement can be signed once it has been agreed in writing.⁷