Go where you will and you will see French fashions but only in Paris do you see how they should be worn -Frances Trollope 1835
It all started with Emily, who has Phoebe Philo kind of vibe: pulled-back blonde ponytail; black no-button slim-cut coat; flat-front classic-cut trousers and those boots: tall and black with a tiny gold button at the back and mid-height block gold heels: the perfect mix of sobriety tempered with frivolity. "They’re Celine." Emily who works between London and Paris drops the name of the designer of the year’s label with French insouciance. "But they were cheaper in Paris," she adds, with Brit thriftiness. "They cost £200 less than in London. It made them almost seem like a bargain."
She’s not the only one. I’ve been dividing my time between Paris and the UK for years and guess where I shop. OK I prefer French style but that doesn’t mean an Hermès scarf and Chanel two-tone ballerines any more than it means a beret and a string of onions. I buy (in the sales bien sur) from smaller, more affordable designers - Les Prairies de Paris, APC, Vanessa Bruno and, before meteoric catwalk success pushed up her prices with her global presence, Isabel Marant. These labels are pure contemporary Paris style: immaculately cut and beautifully made with just the right amount of detail, neither boring nor fussy; anti-bling and effortlessly cool. What’s more they’re all slightly to majorly cheaper in Paris than in the boutiques that import them across the world.
So why not shop in Paris? If you live in Southern England, it takes no longer and costs no more to travel to Paris than to Edinburgh but to get your head round it you’re probably going to have to give your trip some serious justification. So here’s the plan. Don’t look on it as a day at the shops: think of it more as a sales-cation. When you offset your savings against the cost of your trip you’ll find it comes in at a kind of B.O.G.O.F. (buy a coat, get a free holiday).
Here's my first map: Saint Germain
Is there anywhere else you would go?
curses that I live in Florida and not the U.K..or Paris for that matter..
Posted by: Rachel Merrill | January 20, 2011 at 06:02 AM
Oh this makes me nostalgic... :'( My favoured hunting ground for les soldes is the Marais (Corinne Sarrut, Sandro, Maje, Chattawak, Abou d'Abi Bazar, Mellow Yellow, Jonak for clothes and shoes, Mi Amor/Sic Amor for jewellery, Sensitive et Fils for Asian goods). St-Germain is just too dangerous for me, not because of the clothes, but because of all the print dealers!
Posted by: Rachel | January 20, 2011 at 07:45 AM
Rachel 1: I think all you have to do to get to Paris from Florida is to make sure you buy something sufficiently (ex-) expensive to justify the cost of the flight. I didn't see any half-price Chanel handbags while walking round le Bon Marche but my second map(I'm posting it tomorrow) features a particularly eye-wateringly pricey coat...
Rachel 2: It's great how everyone has his/her own shopping maps. I feel a great sense of satisfaction every time I feel I've 'done' one of mine. I don't have to buy anything: I just have to have walked it.
Posted by: badaude | January 20, 2011 at 09:58 AM
The marais of course, but I know that's coming.
You make me want to shop the sales! But when you live here it's harder to find the time, paradoxically (the night we saw each other was my only excursion). I'm hitting it up hard this Saturday though.... Oh, and I got a cute dress at Antoine and Lili yesterday, not on purpose! I was just going to the OFfice Depot on blvd Magenta and it was on the way.:) It's sort of utilitarian - not my usual style. Khaki and mini w/ apron pockets. I think you'll like it!
Posted by: Coquette (Elisabeth) | January 20, 2011 at 01:28 PM
How exactly can you buy a dress 'not on purpose'? xx
Posted by: badaude | January 20, 2011 at 02:01 PM
"I buy (in the sales bien sur) from smaller, more affordable designers - Les Prairies de Paris, APC, Vanessa Bruno and, before meteoric catwalk success pushed up her prices with her global presence, Isabel Marant. These labels are pure contemporary Paris style: immaculately cut and beautifully made with just the right amount of detail, neither boring nor fussy; anti-bling and effortlessly cool. What’s more they’re all slightly to majorly cheaper in Paris than in the boutiques that import them across the world."
Yes, you described me perfectly.
I also KIND OF divide my time between Oslo and Paris. Not so often though, because of school, but I travel as much as possible. My excuse is that half of my relatives live in Paris so I'm obliged to visit them (and the IM, VB, Merci Les Prairies... and APC shop). Besides, you can get very very cheap flight tickets from oslo to paris for 20 euros one way.
I'm always devastated when I travel to Paris at the point when there are no linen t-shirts or good basics left in the store. Haha!
Posted by: Fleurette | January 21, 2011 at 04:46 PM
Hey Fleurette, thanks for reblogging me on adieu-tristesse.tumblr.com!
BTW when I got to the rue Saintonge Marant boutique last week, I found there were just about NO basics left - just the really expensive and really colourful pieces.
Posted by: badaude | January 21, 2011 at 06:18 PM
^Haha, that's exactly what I found on my previous trips. Only found the linen t-shirts in fuschia.
By the way, do you know if Le Bon Marche has 10% discount for tourists like Galeries Lafayette? The 10% discount comes in very handy especially if I'm going to buy something expensive.
Posted by: Fleurette | January 21, 2011 at 06:54 PM
I have a feeling you'd have to be God (or maybe Catherine Deneuve) to get a discount at LBM. They occasionally offer a discount to people who take up their storecard but you have to have a French bank account. Sooo annoying...
Posted by: badaude | January 21, 2011 at 07:12 PM
Reminds me of the time Lucy got a $20 sweater for free. It was on sale for $10 so she bought it with the $10 she saved!
Posted by: JeffS | January 22, 2011 at 07:56 PM
...and I see no flaw in that logic...
Posted by: badaude | January 22, 2011 at 09:36 PM
My parents met in Paris as students and every time we visit they always insist on stying in St. Germain. And last summer we went to both Le Comptoir de Relais and Les Editeurs! Wonderful places.
Posted by: sakura | February 21, 2011 at 04:26 PM
I've actually never been to Le Comptoir - it's always so booked up! I just gaze at it from Les Editeurs across the street...
Posted by: badaude | February 22, 2011 at 07:46 AM
Just re-reading this post in prep for sales season. Anyone know when the French sales start this year?
Posted by: Chaumierelesiris | December 15, 2011 at 12:44 PM