Shop up Savour

With some of the world’s biggest shops offering the best brands in the business, Paris is a feast for the shopper. Aninidita Chattopadhyay relishes the experience...

All pics:French Tourist Board

I looked at the small crowd in front of the stall - one of those temporary ones - on Boulevard Haussman. Women of all ages, shapes and sizes jostled, elbowed, stretched their hands over each other's head. Their dresses differed from smart casuals, formal office wears to evening dresses. The prop read sweaters 15E, coats 20E. That explained it all. I badly needed an overcoat because my Westside woolens failed to stop my teeth chattering in the Paris winter. I decided to take a plunge. Being short has its advantages. I squeezed through the crowd and managed a corner spot right at the front. A gum-chewing, lithe, young woman was receiving payments. I grabbed a fawn colour coat and tried it. It fitted but I wanted to look for another colour. Barely did I keep the coat on one side and asked the saleswoman to show another colour of my size, a hand swooned down and grabbed it. "But I have kept it," said I, yanking the coat. "Wei or no," demanded the gum-chewer. "I have not decided. I want to see more colours," I frantically tried to explain. Her expression made it clear she didn't understand English. “Wei or no?” She sounded rude and rattled something in French, which possibly meant if you don't want it, she would take it. Quite understandable, didn't want to let go off a customer. "Wei," I said, paid and wriggled my way out holding the coat like the most prized possession. Well, a sale in any part of the world - be it France or India - evokes the same response, I thought.

Yes, I regretted not speaking the language. In fact, language can be a downside when shopping in Paris because majority of the Parisians do not speak English. And, that I assume was possibly the reason why I found some sales help indifferent and curt. However, my escort had a different answer. In France, said Marianne, a shop is often an extension of the store owner's personal space and they tend to favour their regular customers over walk-ins. "It is important to greet the shop owner Bon Jour on entering and say Merci before leaving and never touch anything without asking," she taught me the basics. Whatever, but it didn't really dampen my shopping experience.

Pic: Achal Dhruva

In fact, shopping can be really interesting in Paris as the city's famous shopping streets are in the vicinity of its historical marvels. One can comfortably weave in shopping with sightseeing. Paris is the city that you should experience taking in all the sights and sounds and not just touch-n-go. I wanted to feel and live the city throbbing with life and romance. Anyway, I was never interested in picking up brands like Hermes, Dior or Vuitton. We get them in India, too. My real interest was savouring Paris's art, architecture, music, fashion and witness how Parisians live, while picking up some Bordeaux wine, chocolates and chic outfits.

The city, no doubt, has romance in the air. You see couples walking hand in hand, locking lips, sipping wine and canoodling and there could be wispy white-haired ones. Do the tree-lined boulevards, narrow cobbled streets, beautiful gardens, the simmering Seine, open-air cafés and street music play cupid, I wondered. The city has somehow retained its old-world charm and laid-back lifestyle. And thankfully, has not transformed into a concrete wasteland.

If you ask me, shopping in Paris is not that expensive if you care to look around. The best way to shop is to stroll around the streets and buy from stand-alone stores, while window-shopping at swanky malls because they are more expensive. That way I found some good bargains. What I realized while exploring the city was that covering the area between Boulevard Haussman, Madeleine, Palais Royal and Les Halle gives a complete shopping experience showcasing all the opulence, splendour and tranquil charm the city is famous for.

Start the day early with a visit to Montmartre in the morning. The basilica Sacre Coeur, a neo-lithic building, offers a panoramic view of the city. In the shadows of the Sacre Coeur is the small artists' square named Place du Tertre abuzz with the hum of humanity. Moving through the teeming crowd, mingling with the local artists, having breakfast on café terraces at Place des Abbesses and buying paintings will give you a chance to experience artists' Paris. From here take the metro to the Les Halles to start your shopping tour.

Pic: Paris Tourist Office/ Catherine Balet

This thriving shopping district, a pedestrian mall (closed to auto traffic) with 200 shops, restaurants, cafes, theatres and art galleries extending from Eglise Saint-Eustache to Rue Etienne Marcel, bowled me over. I started near the Eglise Saint Eustache on Rue du Jour and walked straight down to Rue Montorgueil. Paved with white cobblestone and lined with vegetable stalls, cheese shops, bakeries, wine shops offering wonderful vintages and streetside cafes, this street also has some good seafood restaurants where you find yummy fresh snails and oysters. Wandering down the street, I took a left turn and entered Rue Montmarte. The shops at number 26 (Foie Gras Luxe) and 34 (Comptoir de la Gastronomie) had a good collection of wine, salmon, caviar and foie gras. If you have a palate for French food, pick up some foie gras (goose liver), a French speciality. Tucked in between the food stalls, were do-it-yourself stores and small boutiques. To my utter surprise, I found a store called Setes Sa Antoine et Lili at 11 Rue Montmarte selling Indian juttis, jute bags labeled T series and other stuff. Not only Indian fashion designers like Rina Dhaka are having shows at Galarie Lafayette, but traditional Indian stuff have also found its way in this city of fashion. So read the labels or else you may end up buying Made In India stuff with your Euros.

Following the road sign I walked back to Rue Etienne Marcel and headed towards Place des Victoires. "The shops on Rue Etienne Marcel and at Place Des Victoires are at the cutting edge of fashion," informed Marianne. Walking towards the square, we crossed Comme des Garcons at Nos 40 (for men) and 42 (for women), Chevignon (No 49), Kenzo (No 51) and Junko Shimada at No 54. As you enter the square, designed by Jules-Hardouin-Mansart in 1685, the statue of Louis XIV greets you. Home to great names of haute couture, this is a good place to leisurely shop for chic apparel if you don't mind loosening your purse string a little.

Trendy designer boutiques around the square include Kenzo (No 3), Cacharel (No 5), Stephane Kélian (No 6) and Victoire (No 12). L' Eclaireur on nearby Rue Herold (No 10) is a space dedicated to new designers to showcase their collections. Their stores on Champs-Elysses (No 26) and Marais display classic collections of more well-known designers. "We are here not just to sell but to show what pieces look interesting on you and define your personality," said one of the designers. A couple of blocks west of Place des Victoires lies Rue Vivienne. Here the post-modern designs of Jean-Paul Gautier are on sale at No 6, while Galerie Vivienne is an arcade of boutique stores selling everything from gift items, books, shoes, bags to clothes and perfumes. Such galleries, strewn around Paris, are actually covered passages which were built at the beginning of the 19th century to protect pedestrians from rain. These are ideal places for shopping in peace.

Crossing the road from the front of Rue Vivienne to the other side of Rue des Petitis Champ, we entered the garden of Palais Royal. The place is wrapped in history and steeped in beauty. Louis the XIV spent his childhood in Palais Royal and on July 13, 1789, the call-to-arms from here started the French Revolution. At the beginning of the last century, the princely estate became a place of ill repute - a haven for pleasure seekers and debauchers. The three galleries around the plaza, built in 1978 designed after Venice's famous Piazza San Marco, house artsy boutique shops selling Art Nouveau, glassware, furniture, garden accessories and what not. Le Grand Véfour, one of the most famed restaurant of Paris, is here in the Galerie Beaujolais. The garden hemmed by archways and facing the palace offered a perfect setting to rest my tired legs. Walking through the archway we came out on the other side of the garden in front of the Le Comédie Française - the theatre that stages both classical and modern plays from the French repertoire. From here you can either take the metro to Boulevard Haussmann (metro Havre Caumartin), walk down the Rue St-Honore, or go to the Louvre because entry ticket costs less after 3 p.m.

If you are on a touch-n-go tour of Paris, then Boulevard Haussman is the right place to shop. Here at the famous mega malls - Galeries Lafayette and Printemp, separated by a couple of blocks - one gets everything from designer outfits, lingerie, branded cosmetics like Estee Lauder, Nina Ricci, fashion accessories from Vuitton and others, children's wear, toys, shoes to furnishings, home decor and a gourmet market. Lafayette holds a weekly fashion show every Tuesday to give a glimpse into the latest fashion trends. The belvedere on the top floor of both Printemps and Lafayette buildings offer a nice overview of the area. As you come out of the Havre Caumartin metro station, the grand monument of Opera Garnier, built in white marble, bronze and gold leaf, stare at you. You can straight way head for the restaurant on the top floor of Printemps - a good place to nosh after such a long walk. Touring both the mega malls are an experience in itself because we have none of such scale in India.

Pic: Achal Dhruva

I crossed Printemps (walking in the opposite direction of Lafayette), took a right turn and walked up Rue de Hauvre. A few yards away, took a right again to enter the Passage du Havre, an arcade of shops. The Sephora beauty store here keep good herbal cosmetics. The alley facing the entrance to the arcade had quite a few stores selling men's and women's clothes, which were easy on my wallet, yet resembled the chic designs I saw in the department stores. I picked up a few clothes including smart pullovers and sweaters (for men) priced at 10 E.

If you intend to walk, cross the road in front of the Le Française and stroll straight along the Rue St-Honoré, which leads to one of the wealthiest areas of Paris. Cafés and pastry shops share the road with stores selling lingerie, perfume and leather bags. Grabbing a bite at one of the open-air cafes gave me a chance to people watch while romancing the palate. We stopped at E Goyard Aine, (No 233 on the Rue St-Honoré), one of the oldest shops in Paris. This non-descript luggage store had a number of unique and unusual gift items.

Turning right at the intersection of Rue St-Honoré and Rue de Castiglione, we entered the Place Vendome, the wealthiest square in Paris. The statue of Napoleon as Caesar perched atop a central column overlooks the beautiful square, designed by Jules-Hardouin-Mansart. Around the place, one sees only the greatest names in the world of jewelers (such as Cartier), silverware, luxury boutiques, banks. Not really a place to buy if you are a commoner like me.

Continuing down Rue St-Honore, we passed some of the world's finest shops such as Morabito (the rival of Hermes), Lacoste and Cadolle. It was in Cadolle, known as the lingerie shop for the royalty, that a century ago a seamstress named Madam Cadolle invented the brassiere.

We stopped at the intersection of St Honore and Rue Royal to marvel at the view of the long stretch with Place de la Concorde on one end and La Madeleine, a 18th century church inspired by Greek temple architecture, on the other. Turning right on Rue Royal, we walked towards Place de Madeleine. At the square, two delicatessen stores Fauchon (No 26) and Hédiard (No 21) sell incredibly mouth-watering and expensive delicacies, such as pâté de foie gras, jam, wine, pastries, fruit and so on. Walking to the far end of church we reached Rue Tronchet (Rue Royal actually changes name). Here we stopped to do a quick sortee of the Aux Trois Quartier, one of the more expensive department stores in Paris. Walking another two blocks up rue Tronchet, you reach Printemps on Boulevard Haussmann.

However, shopping experience in Paris cannot be complete without visiting Champs Elysses, the most glamourous boulevard. The two kilometers stretch slopes down hill from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde at the entrance of the Tuileries Gardens. The bastion of fashion and class during the 19th century, it looks like a neon strip of commercial centres, shopping malls, multiplexes and restaurants aimed squarely at tourists. Getting down at the Charles de Gaulle Etoile metro station, we came out at the Arc de Triomphe - Paris's national symbol of unity standing at the converging centre of twelve streets. It reminded me of our India Gate overlooking the Rajpath stretch and a radii of roads. The arch offers one of the best bird's eye views of the city. One can take the elevator or dare the 284-step climb to the viewing terrace. I tumbled onto a 360 degree view from 150 feet above. Looking down the Champs Elysées, I could see the obelisk, the Louvre, and the cathedral of Notre Dame. To the right, stood the Eiffel Tower nudging the sky, while behind in the distance sprawled the modern business centre of Paris, Le Defense.

Strolling down the white granite sidewalk along the tree-lined illuminated Champs Elysses at night is quite an experience. As we walked down, there stood Lido, the world famous nightclub, on the left at the crossing of the Champs Elysées and Avenue George V. At the Rond Point des Champs-Élysées, where the Avenue Montaigne joins the boulevard, the Petit Palais and the Grand Palais stand staring at you. Built in 1900, the Petit Palais is the Museum of Fine Arts while the Grand Palais (glass dome) houses exhibitions and special exhibits. We walked down Avenue Montaigne, the mecca of Parisian luxury and fashion. Home to the salons of famous labels, along the even-numbered side we passed Prada, Inès de la Fressange, Christian Lacroix and Celine. On the odd side, Valentino, Nina Ricci and Thierry Mugler shared the space. Givenchy and Hermes were nearby at Avenue George V. Back on the Les Champs, we stopped at the Galerie Élysées, a perfect place for window shopping. The ambience towards Concorde square changed to a more relaxed one with more garden areas and fountains. At the centre of Place de la Concorde stands the obelisk. "From this vantage point take a look at the Arc de Triomphe. Now turn around and with your back to the Arc look through the Tuileries to see the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel - the smaller Arc at the far end of the gardens will appear the same size as the large Arc at the Étoile. French architects always liked symmetry," explained Marianne. If you feel hungry, stopping at Laduree tearoom (No 75) is a good idea to refuel yourself, while taking in the view.