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New luxury shopping apps offer a fresh spin on old-school service—straight-from-Paris fashion tips! Lupita’s own stylist!—from the comfort of your own couch. Alison S. Cohn swipes right

- Alison S. Cohn

Jennifer has the kind of effortless no makeup makeup and perfectly mussed hair that only Parisians can pull off. She pops up in a bubble on my iPhone screen like a Francophone Glinda the Good Witch, exclaiming “Bonjour!” and asking how she can help me today. This isn’t some kind of Her-style futuristic fantasy—Jennifer is a real person, not a sentient OS, and she happens to be my personal shopper for the next 45 minutes. She works for 24 Sèvres—LVMH’s virtual extension of the iconic Parisian department store Le Bon Marché that offers express one- to two-day delivery to the U.S. on 160 labels (including the French luxury group’s own marquee names such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Céline, which you can’t shop anywhere else online)—and she’s helping me prep for New York Fashion Week, a dressing situation that can be overwhelming for even the most seasoned editor.

I launch into my predicament: Come September, I want to look on-trend for fall, even though it might still be 80-plus degrees outside, and make it through 12-hour days packed with shows, dinners, and at least one after-party stop per night. She listens attentively, then asks a series of questions about my favored silhouettes (midi skirts, tops with high necks and long sleeves, and pieces otherwise skewing fashion nun) and colors (black…but yes, okay, I’ll try print), and promises to come back to me with recommendations, if I could be so kind as to log on again. Same time tomorrow?