Le Bon Marché
The city’s oldest department store, opened in 1848, is also its most swish and user-friendly. Luxury boutiques, Dior and Chanel among them, take pride of place on the ground floor; escalators designed by Andrée Putman take you up to the fashion floor, which has an excellent selection of global designer labels, while VIP services include personal shopping stylists for men and women.
Printemps
Printemps is the home of superlatives: its shoe department (the entire fifth floor of Printemps de la Mode) and beauty department are the largest in Europe, the latter now boasts an impressive Chanel concesssion and a replica of Kiehl’s New York flagship. With another facelift this year, Printemps is more luxury-focused than ever, and the level of customer service astounding. In all, there are six floors of fashion over four stores (all next to each other) where French designers APC and Zadig et Voltaire sit side by side with Moschino and Dolce & Gabbana. There’s also a new street, boardwear and vintage concept store, the Citadium, with more than 250 brands to satisfy stylish Parisian youth. For the fashion-weary the tea salon is a slightly more intimate choice than ‘Taste For Luxury’, Printemps’ huge glittering gastronomic experience underneath a breathtaking atrium. All department stores should be like this.
Azzedine Alaïa
Ringing the doorbell gains you entry to the factory-style showroom in the same building as Alaïa’s headquarters and apartment, where the 67-year-old Tunisian creator continues to astound with his originality. Stunning haute couture creations are in the back room, and sexy shoes bordering on fetish are scattered among the mannequins and rails.
Balenciaga
With Nicolas Ghesquière at the helm, the Spanish fashion house is ahead of Japanese and Belgian designers in the hip stakes. Floating fabrics contrast with dramatic cuts, producing a sophisticated urban style that the fashion haut monde can’t wait to slip into. Bags and shoes are also available.
Chanel
One of the world’s most well-known and loved fashion brands, Chanel has managed to stay relevant thanks to Karl Lagerfeld. Coco opened her first boutique in this street, at number 21, in 1910, and the tradition continues in this supremely elegant space. Lagerfeld has been designing for Chanel since 1983 and keeps on cleverly celebrating and subverting the classics, like the little black dress and the Chanel suit, with great success.
Lanvin
One of the oldest French couture houses founded in 1889 by Jeanne Lanvin and designed today by Alber Elbaz, who adds his own unique approach to classic couture design. With a respectful nod to Jeanne Lanvin’s archive, the house has become a cult favorite with fashion’s elite. Revamped very recently, this is the flagship women’s store; the men’s store can be found at number 15 (+33 1 44 71 31 25).
Louis Vuitton
Marc Jacobs revamped Vuitton at the same time as revamping himself – his recent change of image from plump, bespectacled designer to pumped-up style icon is reflected in Vuitton’s confidently brash notion of luxury. The ‘Promenade’ flagship sets the tone for Vuitton’s global image, from the ‘bag bar’ and jewelry department to the women’s and men’s ready-to-wear. Contemporary art, videos by Tim White Sobieski and a pitch-black elevator by Olafur Eliasson complete the picture.
Yves Saint Laurent
Yves Saint Laurent retired in 2002 after a 40-year career that began at Dior and continued with the androgynous revolution he fomented in the 1960s under his own name, getting women into dinner and jump suits. This is the women’s store; you’ll find menswear at number 12 (+33 1 43 26 84 40).
Comme des Garçons
Rei Kawakubo’s design ideas and revolutionary mix of materials have influenced fashions of the past two decades, and are showcased in this fire-engine red, fibreglass store. Exclusive perfume lines get a futuristic setting at Comme des Garçons Parfums (23 pl du Marché-St-Honoré, 1st, +33 1 47 03 15 03).
John Galliano
It’s hard to imagine how he manages it, but Dior chief Galliano still has his own range and a reputation as one of the UK’s most original designers. You can view the small but diverse collection of flamboyant and feminine delights through the showcase window, or from the Louis XVI-style leather chairs inside.
Jean-Paul Gaultier
Thirty-plus years in the fashion business, Gaultier is still going strong. His boudoir boutique with its peach taffeta walls stocks men’s and women’s ready-to-wear and the reasonably priced JPG Jeans lines, with the haute couture department upstairs.
Isabel Marant
Marant’s style is easily recognizable in her ethno-babe brocades, blanket-like coats and decorated sweaters. It’s a favorite among young trendies and artsy Parisiennes.
Isabel Marant, 16 rue de Charonne, 11th. Métro Ledru-Rollin. 10.30am-7.30pm Mon-Sat.
Martin Margiela
Margiela’s first Paris outlet is a pristine, white, unlabelled space. His collection for women (Line 1) has a blank label but is recognizable by external white stitching. You’ll also find Line 6 (women’s basics) and Line 10 (menswear), plus accessories for men and women and shoes.
