Last night we visited Galeries Lafayette and tonight I’d like to focus on brand boutique shopping in Paris. First, my readers should be aware that all of these brand boutiques are available at Galeries Lafayette, so as I mentioned before, there’s no need to make specific trips to freestanding stores. Here are a few French brands that I love and certainly believe are worth a look. I’ll also note that French style guru Ines de la Fressange recommends APC, Maje, and Sandro in her stylish tome, Parisian Chic. I highly recommend this book for anyone planning to travel to Paris or looking to cultivate that cool Parisian style. The places I’ve picked typically carry clothing made of quality materials such as wool coats, well-cut, chic jackets, classic inspired sweaters, girly meets sophisticated dresses, and trendy pants.
APC. APC makes incredibly simple clothing that falls a bit more on the androgynous than the feminine side. The cuts of the coats and dresses tend to be boxy. I feel somewhat odd saying that I’ve never purchased a piece of APC clothing because I’ve adored the brand for years. With a boutique located on Mercer St, it’s easily accessible. But APC’s steep prices have made purchasing their pieces less of a priority for me. I saw several items at Galeries Lafayette that I would’ve been happy to take home, but I have a feel for how much certain items are worth; though I loved these items and felt that they were of quality design and manufacturing, they were not quite thrilling enough to merit their prices. It’s that feeling that keeps me from buying. I still recommend checking out APC for quality clothing and handbags. And they do have sales.
Claudie Pierlot. Claudie Pierlot was one of my major shopping discoveries on this trip. I visited 3 different locations while in Paris and the photos that I share here are from the Marais location at 30 de la rue des Francs Bourgeois. Like a lot of French clothing, Claudie Pierlot captures the different looks that I aspire to achieve: masculine yet feminine, preppy, chic, and sometimes a bit quirky. The clothing had that “something special” that a lot of mainstream American clothing often lacks. The fabric is of high quality, the design fantastic, and the prices are reasonable by French standards. I also discovered that Claudie Pierlot has generous sales. It makes sense that I would like Claudie Pierlot so much: I learned that the brand’s parent company, Groupe SMCP, also owns Maje and Sandro, two brands that I consistently follow in the U.S. SMCP bills itself as “a leader in accessible luxury apparel, with three French aspirational brands:..” How fitting that I would be a fan of these “aspirational” brands!
Chattawak– Chattawak was another new discovery for me on this trip. It’s not on the same floor of Galeries Lafayette as all of the “cool” French brands like APC and Claudie Pierlot, so I almost passed it completely. But my eye happened to fall on a cool jacket with leather detailing and I found a couple of other cool jackets amidst some so-so offerings. These were jackets that I felt looked more expensive than their prices, and they were even on sale. My Chattawak experience epitomizes what I love about shopping in France: sometimes I stumble upon a piece of clothing by a new brand, the price is right, and it looks like a major designer piece. Win-win.
Comptoir des Cotonniers. I love Comptoir des Cotonniers but must admit that its sweaters and shirts typically border on the plain side of dressing. There’s certainly room for plain in every wardrobe, but my preference for a little sleeker appearance and darker colors often wins out over Comptoir’s sometimes uninspired pieces. Don’t get me wrong, the clothing is well made, it’s just not always quite as “me” as other pieces, the black boucle jacket I purchased in Nice years ago, notwithstanding. I’ve found that Comptoir especially excels in jackets and coats. I actually only own jackets from the label. In addition to the black boucle jacket, I also have a cotton and leather tailored jacket that someone mistook for a Balmain (now that’s a sign of a good buy!), and a simple brown leather jacket. All three were purchased on sale. The dresses tend to be a little less tailored than those of the other French brands.
Maje. Maje is just as cool as Claudie Pierlot and Sandro, but it’s one of the two recommended brands that I don’t yet own. I came close to buying a couple of pieces of Maje while in Paris, but a bigger ticket item won out. I always look in the Maje section at Bloomingdale’s after checking out Sandro, but I don’t find that Maje’s pieces impress me quite as much as Sandro’s.
Sandro. Sandro is probably my favorite French clothing brand and one of my absolute favorite clothing brands period. They consistently make clothes that I can’t wait to wear. Like Claudie Pierlot and Maje, they crank out menswear-inspired yet feminine pieces that manage to be preppy and edgy at the same time. Sandro has been available in the US since the end of 2011, with stores in NYC and other select locations. Sandro is my #1 stop when shopping at Bloomingdales. The pieces can be pricey, but I’ve found some fantastic sales. Pieces typically range from $120 (for a tank) to $1385 for a coat with sale prices bringing the range down to $60-970.
Bottom line: These French brands carry high quality clothing that you’ll want to wear for years. The high quality of these brands can come at a price, but good sales can make your style aspirations more of a reality.
What are your favorite clothing brands? Are you familiar with these French brands?