Shopping the Champs-Élysées and Avenue Montaigne

Step into your Chanel suit, gird your loins, and plunge into Paris's most elegant and daunting hunting grounds, where royals, jet-setters, starlets, and other glitterati converge in pursuit of the luxurious life.

This elegant triangle—bordered by the avenues Montaigne, Georges V, and Champs-Élysées, with Rue François 1er in between—is home to pretty much all the luxury Goliaths with a few added lesser worthies. Once Paris's most elegant Grand Boulevard, the Champs-Élysées has suffered the blight of megastores, fast food, movie chains, and the like, but once off the avenue, you'll get a sense of what it once was. Palatial old mansions now house embassies and boutiques, all with liveried doormen who will take measure of you—and find you lacking. Not to worry, just hold your head high, flash your platinum card, and don't forget not to smile.

Best Time To Go

Unlike other shopping meccas, these streets never get too wild, even during the semiannual sales. Although we advise weekday afternoons for most shopping areas—when crowds are tame—here you might want to consider a weekend visit.

Best Find for Your Sister

If there's one place sure to give bang for the buck, it's Petit Bateau. Their comfy cotton and cotton-silk blend T-shirts are highly prized among Parisian women and kids. Wardrobe staples include cardigans and V-necks, along with silky-soft nighties, loungewear, and undies in colors that change each season.

Refueling

Not only is Ladurée one of the world's legendary pâtisseries, but the Champs-Élysées location also keeps great hours: from early breakfast (doors open at 7:30 am) to a posttheater snack, just amble over whenever the urge strikes. Whether you desire a cup of their famously rich hot chocolate; a refreshing raspberry, litchee, and rose-petal ice-cream sundae; a melt-in-your-mouth mille-feuille; or a hearty club sandwich, you'll find plenty to choose from at fairly reasonable prices (it's still Paris, dahling), all perfectly scrumptious.

What You'll Want

Classy Couture

Chanel. Elegant, classic looks, with sex appeal and lasting value.

Gaultier. Only his spectacular garments could outshine this fantasyland boutique.

In-Your-Face Opulence

Balenciaga. Fashion's darling, Nicolas Ghesquière, does futurism in nylon, patent leather, and fur.

Chloé. Sleek silhouettes in neutral colors without a use-by date.

Dior. Don't be fooled by the prim lavender exterior. Inside is pure vixen.

Dolce & Gabbana. Liberate your inner sex goddess. Everything here is meant to entice.

Marni. Dares to be different. Sort of an "upper crust slumming it" effect.

Shoes and Accessories

Hermès. The go-to for those who prefer their logo discrete yet still want instant recognition.

Jimmy Choo. Starlets adore his glitzy stilettos and fabulous flats.

Louis Vuitton. The Champs-Élysées megastore houses this ever-morphing line in a gorgeous space.