25 great ateliers — for two days in October, open to the public

Wrote Whitney Vargas in last weekend's Wall Street Journal W Magazine, "Tucked behind Europe's gilded doors are the legendary workshops that create the world's leading fashion, fragrances and wines. For the first time, on October 15 and 16, luxury-goods giant LVMH will open 25 of its ateliers in France, Italy, Spain, England and Poland to the public. Should you be nearby, you could explore Hubert de Givenchy's Paris mansion, which he bought in 1961 to use as a salon and today hosts the house's haute-couture clients; travel to L'Abbaye d'Hautvillers [above] in northeast France, where in the late 1660s a Benedictine monk, Pierre Pérignon, started Dom Pérignon champagne; or stop in on Louis Vuitton's state-of-the-art leather-goods workshop in Asnières [below]."

"Attached to the property is the Art Nouveau house that once served as the Vuitton family home. 'I cannot imagine anything more touching than a visit to Asnières,' says Antoine Arnault, chief executive officer of leather-goods house Berluti. 'The peaceful atmosphere, the light pouring into the workshop.... And within that setting, to see the trunk makers at work, applying their skills to a single piece often for months at a time.'"

For a complete listing of open ateliers throughout Europe, go to lesjourneesparticulieres.fr.