Heading to Paris next month. Any suggestions on where to shop for a down comforter other than at a Grand Magazin are greatly appreciated. Also more importantly any specific "made in France" brand that would be a nice reminder of our trip?? Thanks in advance.

Down comforters are huge, even when folded, & may cost you more to ship home than the cost of the comforter. Small items like perfume or lingerie would be easier to bring back.

I know you don't want a grand magazin but truthfully, all the french brand names and designers can be found at Galeries Lafayette. The housewares/linens dept. is excellent. You will have a bigger choice, usually someone knowledgeable, or who speaks some English, and it is so easy to take care of the VAT stuff there. Why Schlepp? Just a thought.

Kathy -<BR><BR>French comforters (duvets) and pillows are the best. They have several grades of down, with goose and duck being the best . . . even their synthetic mock-down products are wonderful.<BR><BR>I'd recommend the BHV department store right across from the Hotel de Ville. After choosing your bedding, head over to the 'draps' section; I got some good deals on soon-to-be discontinued Kenzo pillowcases there last time.<BR><BR>HTH and it is worth the schlep !<BR>=)

Thanks for your thoughts. My husband and I are quite familiar with "schlepping," especially him. We have carried home many large size, heavy weight and/or fragile purchases from Europe. We even consider this an option for requests from friends. To us it's all a part of the experience. I remember the wonderful comforters on the beds in the Czech Republic and have to have a great one for our home.

A couple of years ago, on a trip to Switzerland with us, her parents, our daughter was captivated by the Swiss duvet on the bed in her room. We stopped in a little shop in Langnau, Switzerland where she bought a duvet, double bed sized, and had it shipped home. A few weeks later, there was a cylindrical package IN our standard sized mailbox along with all the usual junk mail. Good lord, thought I, that Swiss shop sent us a pillow by mistake. We opened it and after some dexterous shaking and shuffling resurrected the duvet into its full size with what is easily a six inch layer of down throughout. Big surprises in small packages, indeed!

I'm all for schlepping it home in the suitcase. In fact, I prefer that. I meant why schlepp from store to store to store when you might find everything you need under one roof. Good Luck and I hope you find exactly what you are looking for!

Wes, is quite right. A good quality duvet will fit into a remarkably small space. So long as you don't take it out of the box, it won't take up all that much room.

I bought a double duvet in England few years ago and it came in its own box with handle, rather like a mini-suitcase. I checked it through as baggage and it arrived safely.

I purchased 5 down comforters in Germany and had them shipped home. They were the better quality, but they are just too hot. I think they may use a heavier weight (more feathers?) in Europe. Now I use the one I bought in the USA.