+33 6 18 76 06 18Welcome to my blog about Paris and Paris life. Here you’ll find all the insider tips known only to people who live there.
I’ve lived in the capital for 9 years already, and in this blog I’ll tell you what only true Parisians know.
How the French Stay so Slim: 4 secrets
A true “Parisienne”, even the slimmest one, always wants to slim, just a bit… But Parisiennes very seldom have any overweight issues. Generally they are very slender. How they do??? Let’s start with their eating-at-home habit As for dinner or supper, normally French people have it at home. A Parisienne can have everything she wants […]
How to be a true Parisian it-girl?
How inexplicable Parisian women are, – wrote Balzac. Maybe their charm lies in this inexplicability? How does a true Parisian woman live? What kinds of sport are the trendiest in the fashion capital at the moment? Where do Parisians meet their friends, where do they go shopping, what do they eat? I have lived in […]
Paris pickpockets
My last post was about where in Paris it is better to choose a hotel or apartment to rent: “Good” and “bad”Paris’ districts . Talking about good and bad districts, sights and tourists, I should also warn you about another Paris “trademark”: pickpockets. You’ll meet pickpockets mostly near the Champs Elysées, Montmartre, Notre Dame Cathedral. […]
Where in Paris is it better to choose a hotel or apartment to rent?
Paris is divided into 20 districts (arrondissements), situated like a snail with its beginning in the centre. I highly recommend choosing your hotel close to the centre and the River Seine, the most prestigious quarters are situated on its right and left banks. On the right bank are mostly business and tourist quarters, almost all […]
Autumn in Paris
The brands that parisians LOVE this season. Brand discount stores in Paris
The famous French style, one and only… The style icon Ines de Fressange wrote in her book “Parisian Style”: “In the end there’s no rule. It doesn’t matter what you wear, as long as it suits you & as long as you feel pretty.” But, at the same time, in spite of their famous love of combining (sometimes incompatible things, but with what class!), Parisians have THEIR brands.
DO you know the four brands which “Parisiennes” prefer this season? Maybe to your surprise, in everyday life Parisians never wear Chanel, or Dior, or – by no means – YSL or something like this. In 2015 there are three brands, via a combination of clothes from which you’ll always recognise a French taste: Sandro, Maje, Claudie Pierlot. Needless to say, Zadig & Voltaire and Isabel Marant (well, ok Marant – it was mostly in 2014, wasn’it?). And as for the office style, French women prefer « Caroll ». Here are the addresses of stores of these and some other French brands, and, be sure, It’s worthwhile going:
– Maje : 9, rue du Cherche-Midi
– Sandro : 26, rue de Sévigné
– Zadig et Voltaire: 22, rue du Bourg Tibourg
– Kookai : 82 rue Réamur (highly recommended, the range is completed by THIS season’s collection with a shortage of some sizes three times a week !)
This is for brand discount stores. But there is also another way to buy luxury brands in Paris with up to 70% discount – and sometimes even from this season’s collection! There are luxury consignment stores for this purpose (they have nothing to do with the idea of second-hand goods). Even haters of the mere idea of buying anything in “thrift shops” (I’m also one of them) won’t be against getting, for instance, an absolutely new Prada bag for 30% of its recommended retail price. It’s real to have it (I’ve checked it out personally) in Paris at at least two places.
Factory outlets and discount stores of luxury brands in Paris of which tourists are often unaware
Everybody knows that the biggest designer outlet in the Paris region, La Vallée Village, is situated not far away from Paris Disneyland. Here you can buy clothes from a collection of more than 100 brands: Burberry, Celine, Carven, Michael Kors, Tod’s with a discount of up to 60%.
BUT there are a lot of less well-known, smaller but much more interesting stock boutiques in mere Paris! Do you know where Paris women dress? You will meet NO French it girls at Vallée Village! Women in the fashion capital dress in discount stores and factory outlets selling luxury designer clothes of former collections. Parisians buy with no hesitation the 50%-discounted items from last year collections and they’re not afraid to combine them with must-haves of the season. And you?
Christmas in Paris (сontinuation)
I’ll tell you where it’s worth going if you come to Paris with children during the Christmas period.
Which are the best skating-rinks in Paris? There are three of them. The first, it’s just a must see, is set up directly… on the Eiffel Tower! Yes, at a height of 57 meters. So we can skate and enjoy the view of Christmas Paris at the same time. You’ll find one more skating rink in the Grand Palais — this is France’s biggest one, 2700 square meters in area. And finally, there is a free skating rink in front of the City Hall. Here you can skate, ride on the free merry-go-round and also have a look at the Christmas decorations in the BHV (Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville) — the most stylish Paris store, where all the Parisians shop for clothes (and not at Lafayette or Printemps!)
Christmas in Paris
Christmas in Paris — it’s a time of real magic! If you come to Paris with children during the Christmas holidays, they will certainly be completely charmed by the dazzling Christmas decorations. Here your children can send a letter to Santa Claus and put it into one of the special postboxes, set up all over the city. They can also ride on the «Grande Roue» (like London’s Big Eye) at Place de la Concorde, take lessons in the «School of magic» and «School of cuisine» in the Jardin de l’Acclimatation. In Paris your children will be able to toboggan in Santa-Claus’s sleigh!
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