best places to go shopping in Paris?

[Fuuma]

Originally Posted by dpap

thanks. I guess it is difficult to give store recommendations without actually knowing what style one wears. I am early 30s, and I like slim-fit, trendier clothing. I guess I was looking for store that are not easy to find outside Paris, something that is worth buying here rather than in the US, despite the crazy exchange rate...

Pretty much every European label is lower priced...so if you like one of those go to their boutique. (say you like Lanvin go to Lanvin men's).

 

[chroMe]

BHV is a dedicated mens dept store in the Marais ~ also good area to wander around with many boutiques. Printemps and Galeries la fayette on haussman is worthwhile. I like jp gaultiers beautiful shop not the smaller one.

 

[JohnnyCrockett]

I have a master list of sorts. Here it is, in no particular order. 1. JM Weston. Many locations. Great shoe store, with beautiful shoes. There's one in NYC but I still love going in Paris. 2. Atelier Cattelan. One of the most impressive cobblers I've ever seen, does an incredible job on sunken toe plates ("fers encastres" in French). I usually bring a pair of shoes each time to get them "toe plated". Done in half a day to two days depending on how busy they are, cost is EUR 17 or something trivial like that. See here: http://www.net.esa-paris.fr/~alexis_...anatelier.html http://www.net.esa-paris.fr/~alexis_...encastres.html 3. Carmina (Albadalejo) near the Opera. Great shoes, especially in shell cordovan. Better store than what's in Madrid. 4. Old England -- a must. A fantastic selection of Edward Green, Tricker's, Alden (at ridiculous prices compared to the US), Tods. Good T&A and Hackett store-in-stores, decent selection of Barbour and lots of great, traditional house-label stuff. One of the better/larger JM Weston stores is across Rue de Cappucines from Old England. 5. Arnys -- beautiful store, beautiful stuff, though some of it is pretty French country chic 6. Corthay 7. Charvet - gorgeous store across Place Vendome from the Ritz. The tie selection is incredible, and offers many designs I've never seen stateside. All the Charvet ties I see in the US look like they were made expressly for Regis Philbin or the Donald. The ties offered in the Paris store are all much less satin-y and shiny and more classic. Lovely. And cheaper than full price in the US, even with the unfavorable USD-EUR exchange rate. Gorgeous silk knot cufflinks, too. They very generously give you three rather than a simple pair, just in case you lose one. 8. Lobb 9. APC. The one I went to in Paris was smaller than the NYC one, but there might be bigger stores. More SW&D, but still what are, in my opinion, the best jeans for MC. 10. There are several decent (read: range in quality from Loake to Alfred Sargent) quality shoe stores in Paris, all goodyear welted offerings. They're mostly chains and offer quite affordable, nice shoes. They are (in order of quality, from lowest to highest quality): Bexley, Emling, Finsbury, Loding, Bowen, Shipton & Heneage. I'd put the latter two at the same level. Shipton & Heneage sells rebranded AS and C&J shoes...most of the collection can be seen online. Bowen sells what I believe are rebranded AS shoes. Quite a few good country and suede options with Dainite soles. I believe Loding, Bowen, and S&H sell nothing buy UK-made shoes. Emling sells a few UK-made and a few made on the Continent. Bexley is more of a grab bag, some made in South America or China, I think. All are worth visiting if you need a pair of simple black captoes, loafers, whatever. Quality is, I'd say, far better than AE at Bowen and S&H, about comparable at Loding. 11. Crockett & Jones. There are a couple of locations. The one near the Madeleine is the bigger one where Dimitri Gomez does his stuff. I'd definitely visit. You're going to be angry because the prices are exhorbitant compared to what you can find at P.Lal, Pediwear, or even Barney's when on sale...but there are certain models RTW which only Dmitry sells..so the question is whether you feel comfortable paying the equivalent of USD 600-700 for a pair of C&J benchgrades which are on a last, in a color/hide, or in a style which only Dimitri sells. 12. Hilditch & Key (right at Place de la Concorde). Not too remarkable. Better stuff and more variety at Old England, I think. But then again I've never been a fan of the H&K collar. 13. Church's -- nothing remarkable. On Rue Faubourg St. Honore. 14. Paraboot -- locations allover. Great welted country footwear. Can't really comment on price to quality ratio, but seem very solidly-made. Some offerings in shell. 15. Laine Ecossais -- a small Old England-like Scottish wool house in St. Germain. Worth seeing if you don't mind overpaying for a few woolens. 16. Arthur & Fox -- misc. French clothes. Not worth killing oneself to get to, but nice enough and close enough to the other places on this list that it's worth seeing 17. Alain Figueret. I think this might be the French Thomas Pink. Same comment as I gave on Arthur & Fox.