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Shopping in Paris, Part One


Paris, a fashion capital, is well known as a shopping paradise which offers something for everyone.  There is an abundance of super high-end boutiques and haute couture stores, but Paris also offers plenty of affordable, more down-to-earth choices.

For the very high-end stores like Dior,  Chanel, YSL, Gucci and such, Avenue Montaigne is the place to shop, and follow it with a lunch at Plaza Athenee.  Rue du Faubourg Saint Honore and its second part, rue Saint Honore, are dotted with one beautiful shop after another; a mix of reasonable priced and expensive, Hermes #24, Chanel #21, Goyard #233, Tara Jarmon #400,  Cotelac #284, and Comptoir des Cotoniers #342.

A few notes about shopping in Paris.  It's always good to make an effort to greet the salesperson in French, they will try to help out even if their English is not great. I find that a lot of the department stores and small boutiques for that matter, are not air conditioned.  They can occasionally be quite warm, so dress accordingly. If you spend over 175 Euro and are not an EU resident, you are eligible for a VAT refund. Note that some stores require a passport to be present, while others are fine with just the passport number.  The high-end stores will not issue Detaxe papers without a passport being shown. Ask for Detaxe, and the salesperson will give you a special receipt that will be processed at the airport to provide you with a VAT tax refund.  I will have a detailed VAT post up soon.

Since I can't live on pastries alone, here are some of my favorite places for shopping or browsing:

Galeries Lafayette, 40 Boulevard Haussman - fashion, perfume, shoes, housewares.


There is usually a steady line of customers waiting in front of Chanel, Longchamp, Louie Vuitton, and a few other fashion houses.


Le Printemps, 64 Boulevard Haussman - a great department store.


Le Bon Marche, 24 rue de Sevres - my favorite department store.  It does not get as crazy crowded as Lafayette, but has a wonderful selection of well known and new up-and-coming designers.




The shoe department at Le Bon Marche is fantastic.


La Maison Ivre, 38 rue Jacob - a wonderful pottery and tablecloth store run by a lovely and very helpful woman.





I don't have a photo of it but La Tuile a Loup, 35 rue Daubenton, is another wonderful pottery shop.

Fragonard, 207 rue Saint Honore - I can spend hours here looking at all the candles, soaps, perfume, pretty pillowcases, dresses, scarves, soap dishes, etc.



I nearly flipped when I heard that Ines de la Fressange, the iconic model and a quintessential Parisian girl,  was opening a boutique.


Ines de la Fressange,124 rue de Grenelle - clothing, shoes, accessories, gifts.



Richard Grand, 229 rue Saint Honore - my favorite cashmere store.  I love their sweaters but prefer to buy during the twice yearly sales when the prices tend to be lower by almost 40%.


Barrie, 22 rue Cambon - probably the most luxurious cashmere I have ever felt.  They have recently moved from rue Saint Honore, this photo is from their old store.  They are expensive, but the quality and the beautiful design are worth every Euro.




Ken Okada, 1 bis rue de la Chaise - I found this little shop/tailor about a year ago.  They are limited to dresses and shirts but the collection is very original and elegant.  I bought the beautiful navy dress pictured below.



Catherine Andre, 26 Galerie Vivienne - beautiful knits.


Cotelac, 30, rue Saint Sulpice - they have many locations throughout Paris.  Cotelac is similar to our JCrew, with some Boho chic thrown in. 


Tara Jarmon, this photo was taken in a department store but Jarmon has many boutiques throughout Paris.


Venessa Bruno, 25, rue Saint Sulpice, and other locations - I love her surprisingly durable, canvas bags embellished  with sequins.  I have a few different colors and sizes; they are perfect for travel or running errands.



Monoprix, locations throughout Paris - think Target, but in Paris!  They have a great selection of beauty products, cute housewares, and some nice and inexpensive clothing.  Monoprix is the place to find a cute summer dress, a nice sweater, scarf, a fun shirt, and some cheese!


BHV, 52 rue de Rivoli - don't let the hardware department on the lower level scare you away.  BHV has a nice selection of fashion, shoes, and a wonderful housewares department.




Fauchon, 30 Place de la Madeleine - teas, chocolates, dried fruits, and other beautiful edible gifts.





E. Dehillrin, 20 rue Coquilliere - a did a post already on this terrific kitchenware store, but it's worth mentioning it once again.


Longchamp, 404 rue Saint Honore - it seems that every woman in Paris carries a Longchamp bag.


Paris has a good number of great stores selling vintage clothing, shoes and handbags.
Reciproque, 95 rue de la Pompe - vintage clothing, shoes, bags, and accessories.


Resiproque is HUGE and it takes a lot of patience to look through it all.  I am including them on this list since  the selection is decent ,but I really do not care for the way that they follow the customers throughout the store.  I had a salesgirl within an arms reach which felt intrusive and uncomfortable.  Not everyone walks into the store with the intention of stealing a Chanel blazer!




Lili Rose, 40 rue Dauphine - vintage bags, and accessories.


City Pharma, 26 rue du Four, another place worth mentioning again.  A separate post on this beauty treasure can be found in the Paris section of this blog.


Joanna













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