*Cracks knuckles* It’s been a while, eh? I told my assistant, Sophia, that if I didn't knock this Paris shopping list outta the way this week there was absolutely nothing else I would be doing (ie. posting). It's the guide that's been a long time comin' (for about a year now) and for the reader who left a comment on a recent Pechuga IG post asking where this list was, this article is actually just for you (no, I'm serious) and well, for anyone else that may find themselves in Paris in the fall or in the future, hope you find this guide helpful.
Stop, why is this literally me at my desk right now?
For the first Pechuga Paris shopping guide click here! This first entry will give you a bit of info. as to why I travel to Paris often and you'll find a resource of 10 vintage spots that I personally shop at all located in the City of Light.
She is truly that wonderful
I divided my 2019 Paris guide into three sections but this time around I actually visited more specialized shops and less dépôt ventes "consignment shops" (although I'm sure some of these vintage stores below do take in some consigned pieces ). This year's guide will start with my go-to (Vintage 77) and then the newest discoveries. Just like my first Pechuga Paris guide I'll use the $$$ to denote the price range of the shops listed, with three dollar signs being the highest.
77 rue de Ménilmontant, 75020 Paris, France
This shop sits in the middle of a steep incline in the 20th arrondissement and I make it a point to come here every time I find myself in Paris, in 2008, when I was a student at Sciences Po. Vintage 77 was the place I made my first Parisian vintage purchase, a Lanvin scarf with a portrait of Louis XIV. The store owner, Djenette, is super sweet and super welcoming. She'll tell you about the quartier's doings & what she thinks of current French affairs whilst giving you a brief lesson on the uniforms that Balenciaga made for Air France in the 60's.
Me and the Pechuga girls pulling up in our best Cristóbal
At Vintage 77 you'll find your classics : Dior, Courrèges, and Leonard. However, if you dig long enough you will bump into some Comme des Garçons and Issey. This time around I found a vintage Mugler skirt suit in impeccable shape and I absolutely had to bring it home with me. You can follow Vintage 77 on IG @vintage77menilmontant.
12 Rue de Lancry, 75010 Paris, France
This place was recommended to me by a couple of people in the Pechuga DMs and when I was shopping around Paris it was the one place that others kept recommending as well so I decided to go check it out for myself. The store itself is actually very spacious & everything, no I mean everything, is organized by color and neatly placed. The walls are painted a light graphite and that gives the store a very crisp, modern feel. You can actually take a virtual tour of the store by clicking on the name above.
See? Chic.
What you'll find here : you'll see giant Chanel and Hermès carrés decorating the store fronts & if you walk all the way to the back of the boutique you'll be greeted by a very chic in-store café with a lush green wall serving as a backdrop while you shop. Labels and pieces seen her include: YSL, Claude Montana, Versace kimonos, Hermès cardigans, Gucci bags, and 1940's style pieces (some vintage and some vintage inspired). You can follow the shop on Instagram @thanxgodimavip. I recommend coming here with a lot of time because if you're anything like me you'll want to look at every single piece and trust me, there's a lot!
Linda Evangelista for Hermès SS90
10 Rue de Crussol, 75011 Paris, France
As the store's name would suggest, the findings at Vintage Clothing Paris are pretty straightforward! Tanis, the owner of Vintage Star Paris brought me here and I have to tell y'all that the prices are good! There were a couple of gems here and there, to this day I'm still thinking of these Claude Montana suede opera gloves with metal studs & as I write this I'm kicking myself for not buying them.
The way I can feel this Montana model judging me for not buying those gloves
The store's owner, Briggite Petit, is quintessentially French, and will occasionally seem animated when she sees you looking at a piece she loves. Standouts here included a Vivienne Westwood cotton twill skirt from SS98, "Tied to the Mast" and a bubblegum pink Chanel cardigan (this latter piece I had to take home with me). You can follow the shop on Instagram @vintageclothingparis.
Simonetta Gianfelici for Vivienne Westwood SS98
20 Rue du Pont aux Choux, 75003 Paris, France
Gaijin (外人) is the Japanese word for 'foreigner' and a term used to describe a non-Japanese citizen living in Japan. Located in the heart of the Marais, this boutique specializes only in Japanese designers. I found this shop because I was recommended by others to explore the street Pont aux Choux. Labels you can find here : Comme des Garçons, Sacai, and plenty of Issey Miyake,
Word of advice: the Marais has some of the best niche boutiques in Paris, if you have a day (and the energy) to spend some hours walking I highly recommend making this arrondissement a destination to explore. You'll be pleasantly surprised! You can follow Gaijin on Instagram @gaijinparis.
Maëlee in Issey Miyake Windcoat from Gaijin, shot by Audrey Mballa
26 Rue de Poitou, 75003 Paris, France
I think that out of all of the new shops I discovered during this trip, Selection Marais has got to be my favorite one. The store owner is Alban Bardin and he was actually there the day that I walked in. Selection Marais is the type of boutique where you really want to take a look at every single garment because every other piece is a surprise.
I remember grabbing a dress off the rack and Bardin looked over at me and said, "Lady Gaga wore that in House of Gucci, you know."
Bardin as Gaga in Tirelli & Me as Leto in Selection Marais
Indeed it was the exact Umberto Tirelli polka dotted number Gaga donned in the flick. I picked up another piece, a Versace dress with a Byzantine cross on it and Bardin again looked over and told me,
"I have one of the original pieces from AW91 and you know Kourtney Kardashian just wore a yellow bustier from Versace with that same cross motif."
I glanced at his direction and said with a smile, "Yeah! She bought that from me!"
And that's when we burst out laughing and started bonding over our shared annoyance with product shots and the mutual frustrations that we both feel when we got ahold of mistreated garments.
"How could anyone treat these pieces like this? It's unacceptable", Bardin exclaimed.
We made plans to hang out for Bastille Day, the 14th of July, but weren't able to coordinate due to the ongoing festivities. You can follow Selection Marais on Instagram @selection_marais.
21 Rue du Pont aux Choux, 75003 Paris, France
Another gem that I found on Pont aux Choux, Studio W is the last store in this guide and the one stop I highly recommend making. It's also in the Marais and in walking distance from Gaijin. The owner, William Moricet, was present the day I walked in. The boutique is very well organized, mind you there is a lot to look at, so come here with some time. The store front is highly decorated, on the day that I visited there were a lot of Paco Rabanne chainmail pieces and if y'all know me I'm like a moth to flame when it comes to vintage maille.
Moricet is very quiet in the beginning but is super friendly once he opens up, I asked him if he knew where I could go get my shoes fixed (my Balenciaga boots broke during my visit) and Moricet was very helpful & suggested I visit his personal cobbler just some streets over.
At Studio W you'll find plenty of gems! Jean Paul Gaultier from the late 80's, Thierry Mugler from the early 90's, Lolita Lempicka from the mid-90's, and early 2000's Galliano for Dior. There are two main rooms, the main one, where most of the RTW will be found hanging off all four walls of the boutique and then a back room, much smaller, where Moricet sits at amongst a sea of shoes and bags.
Moi je m'appelle, Lolita (Lempicka)
You can follow Studio W on Instagram @williammoricet.
La Fin
Looks like we've come to end of this guide! Thank you so much for reading I had a lot of fun revisiting these places from memory. Paris, just like any other big city, can sometimes be a bit overwhelming so here are some tips on how to shop and break the ice with some of the boutique owners. A kind greeting will take you far, remember you're going into people's space where they work, a polite smile will be enough to show mutual respect. Don't bring food or drinks into any of the stores, an accident could be costly. Ask before taking pictures, yes, trying on the clothes in the dressing room is half of the fun but as a courtesy ask the shop owner if taking pics. is OK (more than half the time they'll say yes).
Lastly, don't be shy! Ask the boutique owners for their favorite spots, they may recommend you other shops that their friends own, or their go-to spots around the neighborhood for good eats and drinks. As the saying goes, closed mouths don't get fed! So go, eat and life is short, girl, just buy the vintage shoes. A la prochaine!
xx
Johnny Valencia
Pechuga Vintage
