So if you loooove fashion then Paris is an absolute must. I mean, Italians have style, Brits have mix-n-matching, Americans have free-styling, but the French; they have charme.
With patrons such as Louis XIV, creator of luxury as a commercial concept (read The Essence of Style by Joan DeJean), Aristide Boucicaut, founder of the first mall "Le Bon Marché", Charles Frederick Worth inventor of haute couture,
and the emergence of great visionaries such as Paul Poiret, it is no wonder that Paris is today capital of the fashion industry.
:::The city:::
You will find Paris is divided into 20 different neighborhoods, or what they call "arrondissements", and they all curl up into a circle -the first being the nucleus-. Everything about Paris is a leap into creativity, so I am sure
you will be tempted to see all of it; here I will mention those "not to be missed areas", and uh, totally shopping involved!
1ère arrondissement
Route 1 (more alternative-ish: independent desig
ners, small boutiques). The 1ère (also shown in roman numbers: I...IV...X...XX) is the heart of the city, and our starting point will be the Louvre on rue Rivoli (remember this street, it crosses most of Paris along the river and will serve as a point of reference). If you haven't already seen it, you can take the opportunity now, otherwise go up rue Croix des Petits Champs and rue de Valois. This area has a selection of delicate, small shops, always respecting the buildings old architecture. Walk your way up until you meet Place des Victoires (2ème arrondissement) and carry on r
eading!!
Route 2 (more classic-ish: umparket areas, runway brands). Take rue Saint Honoré and walk away from the Louvre. You will find that the further you walk the more high-end boutiques you find. Keep walking and make sure not to miss Place Vendôme (up a block on rue Castiglione) and number 31 on rue Cambon (crosses rue Saint Honoré). The first is a secluded plaza holding the crème de la crème in jewelry (Ca
rtier, Chaumet, Van Cleef & Arpels, Buccelatti...) and the second is the address to Chanel's flagship store and offices (a home of creations)!
If you carry on a little more, you will soon find yourself in one of the more famed streets in high fashion: rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Ski
p to "8ème arrondissement" if you want to know more about
this street.
DON'T MISS
- Louis Vuitton offices (u-huh!! if you stay long enough during Paris Fashion Week you might even get a sneak peek of Marc Jacobs!!) - 2
, rue du Pont Neuf
- Kenzo - 1, rue Pont Neuf
- Kong (bar/restaurant featured in Sex and the City -the series-) - 1, rue de Pont Neuf
- Les Arts Décoratifs (must visit: Musée de la Mode and boutique!) - 107, rue Rivoli
- Café Marly (restaurant in the Louvre, very chic!) - 93, rue Rivoli
- Galeries du Palais Royal (artisan gallery) - 2, Place Colette
- Angélina (de-licious tea shop) - 226, rue Rivoli
- ChaCha
(club, very "in" at the moment) - 47, rue Berger
- La librerie de la mode (store specialized o
n fashion magazines) - 52, rue Croix des Petits Champs
- Colette (one of the three main trendsetter stores in the world) - 213, rue Saint-Honoré
- Longchamp - 404, rue St-Honoré
2ème arrondissement
You should now be on Place des Victoires. Take a look at it, there are some very nice shops here (i.e. Kenzo shop and offices), then take a turn towards rue des Petits Champs until it crosses rue Vivienne where you will find what the French call a passage or galerie. I already mentioned Galerie du Palais Royal (this is the biggest one), but there are 18 others distributed along the city. They have all been
restructured and you will find they are mostly used by independent designers. Go in and take a look at their artisan stores and second hand bookshops, but don't leave without taking a break in the delicious tea shop "A priori thé"!
After yo
ur break, go back to Place des Victoires and walk opposite on rue Etienne Marcel. This is a commercial street with shops such as Comme des Garçons, Diesel, Replay, Levi's, and some designer shops; Yamamoto for Adidas and Paul&Joe. Walk straight on and take rue Tiquetonne, famous for its Vintage and young designer stores. Then walk up rue Montorgueil, and admire the open air market (closed Mondays). Turn left on rue Mandar and left again on rue Montmartre for more unique shopping!
DON'T MISS
- A priori thé (tea shop) - 35 Galerie Vivienne
- Mora (anything you need for baking, it's impressive!) -13, rue Montmartre
- Mokuba (beeeeeeautiful ribbons, even has branches in NY and Tokyo) - 8, rue Montmartre
- Stohrer (BEST cake shop EVER, even the Queen of England has visited!)- 51, rue Montorgueil
nne
- Osteria Ruggera (Italian restaurant, run by a real Italian family) - 35, rue Tiquetonne
- Mi Cayito (delicious Cuban restaurant, the waitors are SO friendly!) - 10, rue Marie Stuart
- Passage du Grand Cerf (a beautiful passage with jewelry shops and young designer creations) - between rue St. Denis and rue Dussoubs
... if interested, click here for more info on Paris passages and galeries
4ème arrondissement
This area is what the french call "Le Marais" (don't ask me why). It is the old quarter and where all the cool youngsters want to live. The petite ville is contained within bl. de Sébastopol, bd. St. Denis, bd. du Temple (later becomes bd. des Filles du Calvaire) and rue Rivoli. I suggest you let yourself go because, whether it's the shops, coffee bars, buildings or people playing music, it is all worth seeing. Just make sure you don't miss Place des Vosges (a real cult in the bobo* lifestyle), rue Vieille du Temple, r
ue des Archives and rue Rambuteau. You can then follow rue Rivoli to reach Place de la Bastille where you will find loads of
night bars and budget rest's.After that make your way back down bd. Henry IV and cross over the bridge that takes you into Île St. Louis. This is a small island located on the river Seine.
DON'T MISS
- Georges (pricy but with views of Paris's rooftops) - 6th floor on Pompidou Centre
- Garrice (lovely shoe shop) - 30, rue Rivoli and 26, rue Saint-Antoine
- Boulangerie Malienau (yummy cakes!) - 18, rue Vieille du Temple
, rue Saint Paul
- Ma Bourgogne (restaurant) - 19, Place des Vosges
- Les Philosophes (cafe, restaurant) - 28, rue Vieille du Temple
- Maison Berthillon (their crêpes are definitely worth the calories) - 31, rue St. Louis-en-L'Île
5ème&6ème arrondissement
From rue
St. Louis-en-lÎle make your way towards rue du Cloître Notre Dame so that you reach the second island in Paris, Île de la Cité. Take a stroll and then walk down rue de la Cité (exiting the island) until you reach bd. Saint Michel, where the famous Quartier Latin (or Latin Quarter) begins. It is a main meeting point for young people and a great place to sit down for an apéritif. Turn right on bd. Saint Germain and walk down rue Bonaparte, then carry down rue de Buci (lovely market and bookstores), rue Dauphine, rue de Sèvres and rue St. Sulpice.
DON'T MISS
- Café de Flore (meeting place for intellectuals) -172, bd. Saint Germain
- Francis Klein (original glasses and accessories) - 30, rue Bonaparte
- A.P.C. - 3, rue du Fleurus
- Pont des Arts (place for young people to hang out at night. Picnic and music!) - bridge coming down from rue du Louvre
Jacob
- Son
ia Rykiel - 175, bd Saint Germain
- Christian Dior - 16, rue de l'Abbaye
8ème arrondissement
If you followed the first itinerary, you should now be walking through rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré; home to some of the best brands: Christian Laboutin, Christian Dior, Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, Lanvin, Givenchy, YSL, and of course, Hermès. The street is small, so don't worry about rushing!
When done, go down av. de Marigny until it crosses wit
h the Champs-Élysées and make your way up. The Champs-Élysées are very commercial and crowded, so I suggest you turn left on av. Montaigne; one of the most important streets in high fashion. Chanel, Christian Dior (since 1940), Louis Vuitton, Chloé, Jimmy Choo, Bottega Veneta, Blumarine...
If you are fortunate enough to buy anything on this street, keep shopping! If not, you can window shop (it's really nice just to look at) and then follow me on to my last walk.
DON'T MISS
- Hermès (besides being one of the largest stores, it is also famous for its extravagant shop windows, designed by Leïla Menchari) - 24, rue du Faubourg-St-Ho
noré
- Versa
ce - 62, rue du Faubourg-St-Honoré
- Lanvin - 22, rue du Faubourg-St-Honoré
- Bottega Veneta - 14, rue du Faoubourg-St-Honoré
- Christian Louboutin (best in stiletto's... easily recognized for their red soles) - 68, rue du Faubourg-St-Honoré
- L'Eclaireur - 8, rue Boissy d'Anglas
- Louis Vuitton (their biggest store, 1,500m2)- 101, Av. des Champs-Élysées
re the best) - 56, Avenue Montaigne
- Christian Dior (house to its four lines: women and jewels collection designed by John Galliano, - 25, rue Royale
9ème arrondissement
Now all you are missing is the "Madeleine"! To get here, all you need to do is take the number 6 metro line on Alma Morceau (if you are still on av.
Montaigne) and get off on Chausée d'Antin La Fayette. When you come out you will first find the Galeries Lafayette
(very crowded) closely followed by Printemps (another mall very much like Lafayette). When you have seen both malls, walk down bd. des Italiens and make your way through the Opera, bd. des Capucines, bd. de la Madeleine and the Madeleine Church. This is one of the more commercial areas but still worth seeing for the richness of its architecture and variety of styles.
DON'T MISS
- Repetto (originally a shop for ballet dancers is now specialised in ballerina shoes for street wear. VERY CUTE) - 22, rue de la Paix
...OTHER....
- Café de l'Homme (posh restaurant/lounge bar with full view to the Eiffel tower. Worth visiting in summer at night) - 17, place du Trocadero (16ème arrondisement)
- Musée de la Mode et du Textile, Galliera - 10 Avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie (16ème arrondissement). Open from 10-18h. except Mondays.
- Flea Market (there are several, but this is probably the best on
e. Beware of pickpockets!) - 30 avenue d
e la Porte de Clignancourt. Open Saturday and Sunday 9.30-18h
- La Maison de Baccarat (Known for its quality glass, this museum offers a selection of some of their best designs. It also offers a spectacular restaurant, "Le Cristal Room")
*Bobo: parisian term used to describe a social group found in Paris. The term is a composition of the words "Bourgeois" and "Bohème" and relates to the upper class youngsters in Paris living a bohemian life style.
FIND
YOUR WAY AROUND PARIS SHOPS (scanned from the magazine Where - P
aris - January 2009)
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