Shopping in Paris

[Alison421e]

I’ve never been to Paris but I always envy the french women style! I have a big birthday coming up this year (40th) and I’m starting work for first time in years after raising a family so I feel I definitely need a treat! So I’m considering doing a day trip with DH and kids for my actual birthday for the sole intention of buying some lovely clothes. I literally only worn leggings and maternity jeans for years! I really want to start looking stylish post 40.

My question is Will clothes shopping in Paris be what I’m thinking, or will I be disappointed? Also how expensive can it be it can you get bargains like you do here in the sales?

Sorry “here” I mean in the UK. I always forget not everyone on here is from uk. Anyone from Paris reading please give me tips places to go and places to avoid

A day trip to Paris to clothes shop might be better on your own or with your DH. It's a long way to go for clothes unless you specifically know where to shop and have a lot to spend I would think.

Could you try a day in London or a large mall first?

Won’t the kids get bored while you try stuff on? What is your budget and what size are you?

Expense is all relative. Do you class £3K on a Chanel handbag as expensive, or would £300 be your budget?

Honestly, I don't think it's worth going for a day to shop, especially not if you're taking the family. You'd be better off having a day in a big department store with a personal shopper (if that still exists).

The sales are only twice a year by law - about three weeks after Christmas and then at some point in May or June. Discounts can be up to 70% off if you can hold your nerve and wait until nearly the end.

It very much depends on what size and shape you are as to what will be available to you. Parisian clothes shops tend to favour the thin and rich, with very little being over about size 16 or 18.

A good quick fix would be the Galleries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann in the ninth arrondisment. The nearest metro is Opera or Chaussee d'Antin-La Fayette.

Honestly, you could get it all online. Even places like Smallable will ship over for about £10

Thank you everyone, I just feel if I don’t suggest Paris for my 40th we won’t ever go. It’s perfect excuse to see it too. It’s only a day I suppose we could leave kids with family. DH will be okay about it as he doesn’t have to really plan anything for my birthday this way.

What body type/size are you? I ask because I'm a pear shape and don't find shopping in French shops easy.

The sales here are nothing like in the UK. They are legally on set days (e.g. they don't start til mid January) and usually only part of the store is in the sales, and the discounts are 10-40%.

If you want accessories then yes it's good to come to Paris. If you want clothes then you really need to do your research beforehand to know which shops to target.

Also, covid = masks and no changing rooms open atm....

I really wouldn't drag kids over here to shop. Its a long way to just hang around a few shops.

I think it’s kind of a waste of a trip tbh.
Perhaps it would be better to look at some French style blogs and Parisian street style instas, and perhaps read one of those books about French women being goddesses or whatever. Then buy yourself some key pieces here from a French label (isn’t is a ten piece capsule wardrobe we’re supposed to aspire to for French chic?!) .
Wear them for your trip then take some spending money for expensive touches to your new neutral capsule collection. A nice Hermes scarf for example, or a posh cashmere jumper. Maybe a classic bottle of Guerlain perfume or a bright lippy to go with your new beret .
That way you can see some galleries, eat out etc, and do some serious people watching while you relax, stylishly.

At the moment I’m size 12 but I’m hoping being back in work I can get to my pre-baby body (size8-10).

You should definitely go to Paris, OP. Just not try fit buying a new wardrobe in on the one day you'll be there.

Sorry but I don't think a Day trip to Paris clothes shopping is sensible in the slightest especially with DH and children. Like other people have mentioned, budget and size will be a
Big contender.
I too recommend booking a personal shopper in a few shops in London, ie Selfridges, John Lewis and another shop possibly like Zara/
Top Shop etc.

Then, with your new Swanky wardrobe head off to Paris for a Weekend!!

Have a look on detoujours, comptoir des cotonniers, sézanne, rouje, the kooples (ok not technically French) etc and search 'Parisian style' vids on YouTube, there will be links for all the outfits put together in the drop down box.
Then just enjoy your trip without traipsing round the shops.

Im a UK size 10 but with hips and a bust and I find it hard finding clothes in French shops (I admit I hate shopping so that contributes).

Id do as PP suggests. Buy some nice clothes in the UK. Then come to Paris for a day to see the sights and buy yourself one or two nice accessories (scarf, handbag, purse, belt...). Again it depends on budget. Paris is expensive. And if you don't buy expensive stuff then you're shopping in international shops that are also in the UK (H&M, Zara, Gap, ...)

1. Wont much of your day be taken up with travel? I would consider going the night before so you can maximise your time in Paris.

1. Covid

1. I would go it alone because my DH and kids would literally hate it. I suppose yours might love following you round shops while you choose yourself new clothes but I really can't see why.

1. Covid

I would do an overnight on my own, 2 nights possible depending on where you are travelling from, but I wouldn't consider it this year given restrictions being put on and off travel as often as I switch on my lights.

Would go for longer and without the DC! DH also optional!

Wouldn’t spend the time looking for clothes though! Have you seen the Parisiennes de Mumsnet threads in Style and Beauty on here? Lots of discussion about French chic!

Would plan your work wardrobe needs and get nice stuff here in the UK, eg retail outlets, online sales.

Paris sounds fantastic... but I wouldn't be wanting to do clothes shopping there. Why not do some sight seeing and have a posh lunch instead?

I find the idea of spending your one trip to Paris shopping quite depressing, when there is so much else to do, and shopping clearly isn’t a big interest of yours. If you don’t know exactly what you want to buy and you aren’t familiar with the city it’s potentially going to be quite frustrating. Your DH and children would have to be much more tolerant than mine to trek round shops in one of the most interesting cities in the world!

Why not make an appointment with a personal shopper in a department store either in your home city or as part of a weekend away? I’ve done this in John Lewis and she totally refreshed my thinking about clothes, I just bought a few pieces which gave me the core of a new look. Take some pictures of the style you like with you. Then, as the PP suggested, wear them of a fabulous trip to Paris.

Yup. Covid = quarantine will be imposed on travellers from the UK

I see that that took so long to type that it’s now Repeating a PP!

I went to Paris last year and I'd suggest doing some internet research on shopping, areas, price points (to suit your budget)etc.
Paris is huge and I loved every minute of it, if I were you I'd find where I wanted to go shopping, dump DH & DC in a cafe nearby and shop on your own for an hour, the metro is really easy to use so you can cover a lot of ground in a day

Slight aside, I live and work in Paris. I have had a surprising number of compliments for my Boden dresses!

Go to Paris, visit the Eiffel Tower, buy a beautiful handbag and coat but don't go for a whole wardrobe. If you are planning a day trip, does this mean you live in SE? When I was younger my parents would take us on the ferry then spend the day at Cite Europe shopping centre near Calais. Could that be an idea instead?

Go with your DH and do a river lunch cruise on the Seine, it will be amazing. If you must shop, try the Galaries Lafayette shopping mall, it’s huge, impressive and has a lovely wine bar on the roof with a great view of the city.

haussmann.galerieslafayette.com/en/galeries-lafayette-the-best-shopping-mall-in-paris/

Without sounding harsh, just buying and wearing the clothes won’t make you stylish. It’s about how you carry yourself too. When restrictions have been further lifted why not look into a personal shopping session or even booking with a stylist who can advise what’s best for you?