This boutique on a quiet Left Bank street where shoes are custom-designed and hand-tinted proudly bears the mark of hundreds of years of French craftsmanship. Entering the colorful, congenial space is like rediscovering an era when fine handwork was the norm rather than the exception. For more than four decades, master shoemaker Olivier Guyot has been designing, making and repairing shoes, continuing the ancient lineage of apprenticeship that gave him his training. His partner Anne, working by his side, left a successful career in finance to pursue the art of shoe coloration, or patinage.

On this private “backstage” studio visit, Olivier will show you how his shoes are made, and Anne will teach you how to dye leather like a true artist – one client requested a blue to match his fiancée’s eyes. They’ll share their shoe care secrets to help your shoes last a lifetime, and if you like, fit you for a pair of your own hand-crafted shoes.