A Canadian in Paris

Wendy writes:

I stumbled upon your blog and I love perusing it! I’m in Paris just now and am staying for two months, and since you’ve been, I wanted to know some of your favourite places to shop (Printemps being one of them bien sur)?  Any good open markets for trinkets that are not overly touristy?

oneandonlyparis

Wendy, you lucky ducky! I am so envious of your two-month Parisian adventure. Now, I was there five long years ago so my shopping memories are limited — we did frequently frequent Printemps and the gorgeous Galeries Lafayette (our little atelier was near the Grand Magasins). I also remember loving the boutiques in le Marais.

But where do I dream of going in Paris? That, I can tell you:

There’s Colette, of course, whose artsy-fartsy funkiness is so irresistible, it would be my first stop.

 colette-interior-paris

Then there’s the shop by Canadian designer Tara Jarmon, who Haute World introduced me to in a guest post she wrote for the Anthology.

tara-jarmon-11

And there’s the brilliant Merci, where you can feel good about stocking up on everything from books to fine jewelry — profits benefit impoverished children in Madagascar.imgmerci1

And finalement, there is Laduree, whose macarons are so beautifully pastel-y, they inspired the colour palette for Sophia Copola’s gorgeous film Marie Antoinette.

Laduree Paris shop window

Hope this helps, Wendy!

So, mes amis, do you have any tips for a gal embarking on a Parisian adventure? Any Paris wishes? Share, please!

Paris image found here. Tara Jarmon photo by Haute World. Merci illustration found here. Colette image found here. Laduree image found here.

P.S. Add the Anthology on Facebook, mes chéris.

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15 Comments

  • Reply kat April 8, 2010 at 10:44 am

    It’s been 10 years since I lived in Paris, and this made me just want to go back immediately. Make sure to check out the various street markets, you never know what you’re going to find. The Puces is the largest flea market on earth, and there is all sorts of crazy things there. Here’s a link with more detailed info on it http://bit.ly/cbn9eg

    Sometimes the touristy places can have little gems if you look closely enough. My most precious piece of jewelry is a mini Tour Eiffel pendant that I bought near the Hotel de Ville. It was only about 10 francs, and I slid it on a nice silver chain. I also bought my grandmother some gorgeous rosary beads at Notre Dame. And I found the cutest and most original postcards at the Louvre gift shop. So don’t rule those places out entirely!

    Enjoy your trip et bonne chance!

  • Reply Emma April 8, 2010 at 11:28 am

    I lived in le marais for a year and a half so I did a lot of my shopping in and around there. There are so many great shops along rue de francs bourgeois, rue de turenne, rue de la verrerie, rue vielle du temple, rue des archives etc. Some I particularly remember are American Retro, Kiliwatch, Shine, Zadig & Voltaire, both the Free P Star boutiques. Kiliwatch is actually in the 2nd arrond. and is super fabulous with lots of vintage, new stuff and books. It’s like a much more amazing urban outfitters. For food and bev: le fumoir, petit fer au cheval (so wonderful), le baron rouge (a little know gem and the most authentic thing i did, eating oysters leaning on wine casks with locals), stolly’s for a boisterous night of drinking. bisous!

  • Reply Emma April 8, 2010 at 11:31 am

    oooooo and drink at palais du tokyo!!! sooooo great to sit and drink on their stairs! a must.

  • Reply Abby April 8, 2010 at 11:34 am

    I’ve never been to Paris, or France for that matter. I have a million things I want to see, do and eat! Colette is definitely my first stop too! I really want to see Merci as well! Do follow “Not Martha”‘s blog? She went to Paris in February and documented it well! http://www.notmartha.org

  • Reply Cafe Fashionista April 8, 2010 at 11:37 am

    Oh I adore you for this post, Kelsey. I so badly want to hop a plane to Paris right now!! :)

  • Reply la flore et la faune April 8, 2010 at 1:36 pm

    well I live in Paris and I can tell you the best place to (BPT) shop is Le Bon Marché rue de Sèvres, with a new space dedicated to young designers. BPT to have diner are Le Comptoir à Odéon, Le Fumoir (in “la bibliothèque”) or Ze Kitchen Gallery (rue des Grands Augustins. And the best place for cakes is La Pâtisserie des Rêves rue du Bac.

    Bon séjour !

  • Reply Larissa April 8, 2010 at 2:41 pm

    Can’t go wrong walking the Champs-Elysees

  • Reply liv April 8, 2010 at 3:53 pm

    ooh thank you thank you thank you soo much for writing this post and a billion thanks to everyone who commented. I am going to be in paris this summer so this is extremely helpful. Bookmarking this post for sure

  • Reply Davidikus April 9, 2010 at 8:16 am

    I should also highly recommend:

    Millet, 103n rue Saint Dominique, VIIe. It’s a five minutes walk from the Eiffel tower, and the best pastry shop I have ever been to!

    http://davidikus.blogspot.com

  • Reply Kelsey April 9, 2010 at 9:13 am

    You guys are such stars! Thank you so much for all your input! Keep the ideas coming

    Maurice (via Twitter) added L’Eclaireur to the list of must-sees http://j.mp/azV9kb | http://j.mp/aI7dNa

    Kat — I’m so envious that you lived in Paris. Hope you get back there soon.

    Emma — You lived there for a year and a half? Such a dream come true.

    Abby — Will have to take a look. Love travel blogs.

    Cafe Fashionista — I so badly want to hop a plane to Paris too.

    La Flore — Hooray! Thanks for the tips — I was going to email you to ask your thoughts on the subject. So helpful to get a local’s take.

    Larissa — Love the Champs Elysees. That’s where we were when we watched the Tour de France. So. Freaking. Fun.

    Liv — Hope it helps! Let me know how your trip is.

    David — Sounds outrageously delicious.

  • Reply antholojeet April 9, 2010 at 10:58 am

    I recall the area around Sacre Coeur having adorable little trinket shops. Kels, what was the name of the street near the Sorbonne? That’s where I bought my all time favourite leather jacket which, sadly, is no longer with us.

  • Reply Kelsey April 9, 2010 at 1:43 pm

    Antholojeet — Would that be Boulevard Saint-Michel? May your leather jacket rest in peace.

    And Haute World, who also lives in Paris, sent in the following via email (thank you, S!)

    The most popular open market is the huge flea market called Marché aux Puces de Saint Ouen. It’s fairly intimidating because of its size and it will require more than a day to traverse so locals usually recommend focusing on something specific (i.e. rugs or jewelry) and scouting a small section of the market.

    I tend to refer people to Le Blog de Betty’s Paris shopping section which also includes a bunch of thrift stores: http://www.leblogdebetty.com/thrift-shop-in-paris-friperies-parisiennes/

    And here’s another link, this time from Cherry Blossom Girl: http://www.thecherryblossomgirl.com/category/guide-paris-for-shopping-visits-and-restaurants/

    She also includes a snippet on the other flea market Puces de Vanves, but I’ve never been to that one so I can’t say whether it’s worth it or not. 2 months will be plenty of time to visit both though!

  • Reply Wendy April 13, 2010 at 11:16 am

    Thanks so much for writing a post to answer my question! I feel so honored!!. I’ll definitely check out all the places suggested.

    For my finds so far: found a vintage shop in the Marais and got a great tartan skirt and a stripped dolman sweater (there were also a lot of dresses that could be spruced up by a tailor). And got a great kelly green scarf in one of the shops in Montemarte. Rue Mouftard is where I found good unique jewelery shops, and got some cute earrings.

    So, much more shopping to be done! Thanks again!

  • Reply Kelsey April 23, 2010 at 11:53 am

    Wendy — your finds sound absolutely delightful. Send pics!

    So happy the post is helpful. Can’t wait to hear about your trip!

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