Seven must-visit stores in Paris

Who cares about La Tour Eiffel and hunting down the best steak frites? When in Paris, we’ve shamelessly made these stores our first ports of call.

Le Bon Marché

This magical department store is to Paris what Liberty is to London and Barney’s is to New York. Once a hunting ground for home wares, its focus has shifted to fashion. There are the usual suspects including Dior, Chanel and Lanvin, more contemporary brands such as Maje, Sandro and Claudie Pierlot, plus a lovely selection of pint-sized Acne, Carven and Comme des Garcons Play for the stylish pre-schooler in your life. Once you’re done, take a stroll through the gorgeous neighbourhood on the Left Bank and then onto Jardin Du Luxembourg where you can try Paris’ most decadent-and-then-some hot chocolate at Angelina’s.
The interior of Le Bon Marche department store.

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The interior of Le Bon Marche department store.

Address: 24 Rue de Sèvres, 75007, Paris.

The Broken Arm

Founded by three friends in February 2013, this buzzing concept store in Le Marais plays host to a number of brands, including Patrick Evrell, Kenzo and Jacquemus. The café is also excellent. You’ll find healthy sandwiches, salads and ceviches, plus an impossible-to-resist rhubarb mousse with white chocolate. It's also the only place in Paris where you can get a proper coffee that doesn’t taste as though it was made with breast milk.

Address: 12 Rue Perrée, 75003, Paris.

Merci

An emporium of clothing, homewares, furniture, stationary, haberdashery and other knick-knacks housed in a revamped 19th-century fabric factory. The store’s vintage section is heaving with Burberry coats, Dior jackets and Chanel quilted purses and their designer corner cradles wares by the likes of Stella McCartney, Yves Saint Laurent and Marni, generously donated by the designers. The best thing? All the profits from the store go to a children’s charity in Madagascar. If peckish, grab a top-notch nibble at the café (the one upstairs is nicer than the one on the street). There you can order tasty vegetable-based meals that, after a few days of duck confit and greasy croissants, will come as a godsend. N.B. This is where the girls from Vogue take their lunchbreaks, so beware of fashion pricks.   

Address: 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais, 75003 Paris.

Agnes B.

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Since Agnés Troublé designed her classic snap cardigan back in 1979, it has become a staple in many a stylish woman’s wardrobe. You can find them in every colour at her five boutiques scattered around Paris. A few steps from the Pompidou Centre, there’s also an Agnés B library with a large exhibition space at the back. La Galerie du Jour boasts works by an array of artists and photographers, including Jonas Mekas, Massimo Vitali, Robert Estermann and Agnés’ spray-can-wielding, street artist pals.

Address: 44 Rue Quincampoix, 75004 Paris.

Colette

As soon as their train pulls up to Gare du Nord, in-the-know fashion enthusiasts make a beeline for Colette. The three-floor high-concept store stocks an incredible selection of hipper-than-thou things, from toys to magazines, from furniture to artworks, luxury apparel by the likes of Rodarte, Nicholas Kirkwood and Mary Katrantzou, plus exclusive in-store collaborations. After a particularly gruelling shopping session, quench your thirst at the beautifully laid-out Water Bar, where the salads come from the Rose Bakery, the cakes are made by Ladurée and you can swish them down with over 100 brands of bottled water.

Address: 213 Rue Saint Honoré, 75001 Paris.

Christophe Lemaire

The press-shy designer and former artistic director of Hermés opened this intimate boutique in 2006. Everything is surprisingly wearable and affordable – for high-fashion standards, anyway. The soundtrack, renewed every season, reflects Lemaire’s eclectic taste in music. Think a mix of Turkish funk, Iranian psychedelic, new wave and melancholic French songs, with Supertramp and The Cure thrown in for good measure.

Address: 28 Rue de Poitou, 75003 Paris.

A.P.C Surplus

Anyone who loves plaid shirts, autumnal anoraks and schoolgirl-style smock dresses as much as I do must drop into A.PC.’s discount store, hidden away in the 18th Arrondissement. The outpost is a treasure trove of last season’s stock, denim, accessories and covet-worthy pieces from the Vanessa Seward collection at half the original price. Do too much damage to your credit card and Sacré Coeur is only two minutes away. Repent! Repent!

Address: 20 Rue André del Sarte, 75018 Paris.

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