lilaki

hello fodorites!

i was planning to buy a pair of mephisto shoes recently but then realized that it's a french company and perhaps i should just wait until i get to paris this september.

in toronto (where i live), mephistos go for about $300 canadian (if not more). the specific pair that i was looking at is $385 (plus our crazy taxes of 13%)...making the shoes WELL over $400 (gulp)...

SO, i've poked around on fodors and found some older threads (i.e. 1999/2000) talking about the mephisto stores in paris and how much cheaper the shoes are in france.

can anyone confirm (given the not-so-great exchange rate) that mephistos are still a deal in france??

AND can i just go to a department store or do i need to go to a specific mephisto store to get a better selection? does price vary by location/store?

thank you!!!

llamalady

Yup. They are about half the price
they would be in Canada.

I've bought a pair in a shoe store
on Rue Cler - can't remember the name but it's the only one there -
and I paid around 100. euro two years ago.

chevre

The store on Rue Cler is toward the Ave Le Motte Piquet end. Can't think of the name either. Don't be taken aback by the drugstore feel of the store. Mephistos are usually displayed on a rack in front of the store. The store is in no way glamourous, but the Mephistos are there! You will also find them in the shoe departments of the large department stores.

Sher

It has been some time since I traveled to France. At that time, I emailed the company and asked the location of the stores in Nice. This is where we were headed.

They sent me a list.

The sandals I bought were about half what they were here. But the exchange rate then was in our favor.

I am planning to return to France again this summer. I am hoping that with July sales I will be able to get something even with the terrible exchange rate.

This was in 2003, I believe.

Pvoyageuse

There is a big "Mephisto Shop"
116 avenue du General Leclerc, Paris 14ème (metro Alesia)
open Mon. 10 am to 7 pm
Tues. to Sat : 10 am to 7 pm

llamalady

The Rue Cler store is Jezabel.

FrUS

Want a great trip? Go down to Troyes (180km from Paris) and discover the bigest factories outlets of France as well as a remarcable city which used to be the center if the textile industry. Try the "Marques City"(Pont Sainte Marie). The Mephisto outlet is oppen from Monday to Saterday, included.

lilaki

hi fodorites...

where would i find the largest/widest selection of mephistos in paris?

i read in another thread that some of the mephisto stores are quite small...

what about the dept stores? would i fare better there?

thanks!!

danon

hi,
the one I like is in the 7th.

I think it is on Rue des Saintes
Peres near Rue de Sevres ( or on Rue de Dragon)
You will save more than 150 dollars ( at least I did)

danon

here it is

Mephisto Chaussures
78, Rue Saints Pères, 75007 Paris,

lilaki

hi danon,

thanks so much!!!

we leave on monday night ... can't wait!

basingstoke2

Have you looked at www.sierratradingpost.com

They have over 30 styles of Mephisto shoes at cut rate prices. I have often purchased from them and they are a reliable company. STP is where DW buys her Wolky shoes- her all time favorite brand. We found a couple of Wolky shops in Holland (they are a Dutch company) and the prices were far, far higher than STP.

danon

no problem lilaki,
happy shopping!

Guenmai

The Mephisto store that I went to was in the 7th...probably the Saint Peres store. I kept thinking that it was rue Cherche Midi, but it was probably Saint Peres.

I found tons of styles that I liked...problem...not one women's pair over a size 40. I wear a 41 (American 10). So, I left totally empty handed. It is a big problem trying to find a 41 in Paris. I've looked for years....decades. A saleperson I know in Galeries Layfaette said that she also wears a 41. So, I asked her where she buys her shoes and her answer was, "Italy".

When I went from a size 8 shoe to a 10, back in the 80s, the shoe buying ceased in Paris. This past spring a French friend and I walked through the 6th and 7th and asked in store after store if they had any shoes in 41 and we found a few pairs of high heels and that was it. I don't wear high heels.

The shoe stores in the 6th and 7th are really good. But, I can only look and wish. I can't buy Campers or Paraboots anymore. My last pair of Paraboots was in a size 39 . And I don't want to buy men's shoes which do come in 41. I have, in the past, been told to look in the Men's department.

So, I buy my Mephistos right here in L.A. Just picked up my 6th pair of Mephisto Allaround... styles Nimbo and Nero which are the same, just different colors. I buy them at the Walking Company and sometimes on line. I have them in different colors. I also have a great pair of red, suede, lace ups with white bottoms (Nordstrom) and a pair of sandals (Nordstrom). They're the best. I've worn Mephistos for years. Happy Travels!

LaurenKahn1

The best thing about Mephistos is that they will recondition them as needed (for a price, of course). They come back looking like new shoes.

The worst thing about Mephistos is the price. I do think they are nice (I have a few pairs mostly bought on sale on trips), but I don't think they are really worth the price and don't plan to buy anymore.

Just my opinion. The shoes I always end up taking and living in are my New Balance walkers. They are just as comfortable and much less pricey.

Pvoyageuse

The biggest Mepohisto Shop in Paris : 116 Bd Général Leclerc, Paris 14.

http://www.mephisto.fr/societe_uk.htm#

Challiman

bookmarking

Ackislander

I only wear Mephisto shoes since they are the only thing that works -- well-broken-in -- on my enormous, bumpy, and, sadly, twisted feet.

In Paris I have usually bought at Deshayes Chaussures Mephisto on Sts Peres. They speak English about as well as I speak French, but with some good humor on both sides, we muddle through, and they will do they paperwork for VAT refunds.

Guenmai's problem with sizes is mine as well. I wear a US 14, and in some styles that is not even quite big enough because my feet are two different sizes. They usually have one pair each visit that meets my needs, but I looked for years for a pair of fisherman's sandals (to wear with black socks, of course) without finding them there.

I also looked without luck at the shop in Rue Cler, where the owners are nice, the English is a bit better, and the selection is smaller.

Finally, I found them in the US and paid an enormous price. But I feel comfortable with the investment because I regulary wear Mephistos I bought in 1994 and have had a couple of pairs rebuilt more than once. The price of rebuilding is about the same as a discounted pair of New Balance of the same general style, but the Mephistos provide much more serious ankle and foot support. This will be a bug or a feature, depending on your willingness to break in shoes.

lilaki

hi fodorites,

this is why i love this forum!

thanks so much for all the help!

i'm a US size 6 (women's) so hopefully i will be able to find some good shoes!

does anyone know what the largest MEN'S size is at these stores? DH is a US size 11 ... will he have any luck @ the mephisto stores?

thanks again!!!

kasialouise

Hi, we bought 3 pair of Mephistos at the General Le Clerc location in the 14e in 2004. The exchange rate with the Euro was a bit better $1.35...We paid with Visa and the store filled out the VAT tax refund paperwork and we dropped it in the VAT box at the airport after the customs guys looked at our shoes and stamped our paperwork. The VAT refund made the big difference in price. We paid an average of about $170 US dollars a pair instead of $320 in the States. This store had quite a variety of Mephistos. The refund showed up on the Visa a couple months later.