Yesterday H&M started selling Elie Saab to anyone willing to queue before nine in the morning, embroidery and monograms included. Here’s what the queue cannot buy, which is embroidery that belongs to one man alone. My velvet slippers carry a motif of my own choosing, stitched for my feet and no one else’s.
I was at dinner when the news arrived, which felt appropriate. The Saab collection is eveningwear at heart, sharply cut tuxedo tailoring among its roughly 55 pieces, surfaces of fine lace, sequins, embroidery, and the house monogram. There is even a bridal gown with a hand-embroidered veil, a nod to the Beirut atelier where Saab built his name. In London they were queuing outside Regent Street before the doors opened. The queue was out the door by nine, the monogram was already spoken for by everyone.
The spectacle is the product, in a sense. H&M wrapped a former stock exchange in burgundy for Paris Fashion Week and threw a theatrical dinner in Berlin, all before a single garment reached a shop floor. Create the world first, sell the product inside it. To reflect on their choices.
None of this is an argument against the collection. Saab’s embroidery is beautiful, and beautiful things deserve an audience. It’s an argument about what embroidery is for. A monogram is a signature, and a signature photocopied a thousand times is a logo.
Why does embroidery matter more than the label?
Because thread on velvet is the oldest trick in the book, and it predates every logo on the high street. The drawing-room slipper has carried crests, initials, and motifs for over a century. Saab did not invent embroidery. He inherited it, and so did the man who puts his own motif on purple velvet. Mine is the Drake in purple velvet, the embroidery worked in violet thread with a light purple grosgrain trim. The difference between his embroidery and mine is that mine cannot be queued for.
What do embroidered velvet slippers go with?
Evening tailoring, full stop. A black tuxedo lets purple velvet do the talking, and the embroidery answers in a lower voice. This is the shoe for the dining room, for the opera, for the wedding after-party when the patent leather has done its duty. The embroidered velvet slipper lives in that hour of the evening, whether it carries your initials or a motif of your own devising.
Smythe & Digby makes every pair to order in four to six weeks, and embroidery is a studio option on velvet, suede, and linen. The H&M drop had roughly 55 pieces for the whole world. Ours has one pair for one man, and the thread color is his to choose.
Where do you wear purple velvet slippers?
Anywhere the evening is dressed. Purple is the confident choice, black is the safe one, and the embroidery makes either of them yours. Design Your Pair in the Design Studio, and let the thread do the introducing.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get my initials embroidered on velvet slippers?
Yes. Embroidery is a studio option on velvet, suede, and linen, and monograms in any thread color are part of the made-to-order build. You choose the motif, the thread, and the placement.
Are monogrammed velvet loafers only for black tie?
They are at their best after dark, which covers black tie, holiday dinners, and the wedding after-party alike. The embroidery is what makes them yours, not the dress code.
