Scarves as gifts?
 

I am interested in picking up a few scarves for myself and my mom while we are in Paris because they seem so French and they would also be easy to pack. How much can I expect to pay for an average( nothing of cheap quality nor anything that is considered couture) scarf and where are some good places to pick them up? Should I try some place like a department store or boutiques?

Some of the museum gift shops have some beautiful ones. Plenty of stores catering to tourists, such as those on rue de Rivoli, have selections, ranging from tacky ones with prints of the Mona Lisa, to very nice silk ones. Of course the better department stores (Printemps, Galeries Lafayettes) have the best selection and wider ranges. Even in the museum gift shops prices start at 50 euro for silk, so I'd say the medium range would be 50-100 euro. In specialty shops like Hermes they are much more.

There are great fabric stores in Paris.
You might want to consider buying a length of silk or wool that you could turn into a shawl or even a pillow or furniture throw. It will not be cheap, but it's just another idea.

Just look all about everywhere you go. You should be able to tell the difference between "nothing of cheap quality nor anything that is considered couture" (by the price(s)). There is a HUGE difference.

The very best place, I've found, to find gorgeous (to you) scarves, at incredibly reasonable prices, is all about the 16th, though you would have to do much wandering all about (mixed with glorious neighborhoods and architecture).

But, you'll find scarves everywhere. If it's important to you that they're "French", be sure to check the tags.

Good point djk makes for you, ilovetulips. I know several women who bragged about how inexpensive the scarves were but they forgot to check. They were made in China, which is ok but If you want to bring a gift made in France rather than bought in France, be careful.

I too collect and give scarves as gifts (and seem to lose them too). I found a beautiful one in a little shop near Notre Dame--it was only about $20 then (which of course would be more like $30 now) and it was silk and made in France. I've also gotten nice, but inexpensive ones in the markets in various places. Every time I wear one, I think of where I purchased it.

Have a great trip.

Some of the prettiest scarves that I saw in Paris a couple of weeks ago (can it be that long already?) were at the D'Orsay gift shop.
* this is not counting the scarves at Hermes*
:)

There is a kiosk outside of Galleries Lafayette that sells really nice scarves that are 100% silk for about 30 euro. I have several from there.

Hi love,

Pashminas also make good gifts.

The 16th is a good place to look, esp. along the Aves. Victor Hugo (between Etoile and the Place Victor Hugo; many of the women's clothing stores there carry scarves) and Mozart from rue de la Fontaine up to the Jasmin metro stop. Don't forget shopping in some of the vintage/high quality second hand stores in the 16th. There is one very good shop in the 100 block of Ave. Mozart (I believe) and of course, the famous Reciproque on rue de la Pompe. You can find second hand designer scarves there in excellent (virtually perfect) condition for a fraction of their cost new. My one and only Hermes scarf comes from the Ave. Mozart shop (I'm not a scarf wearer, but I couldn't resist the beautiful design...I will probably frame it some day instead of wear it).
Cigalechanta makes a good point about checking the scarf's origin. In addition to China, some of the better quality scarves may come from Italy, not France (Italian silk scarves are beautiful too, but you seem to want French only).

It's a department store but I found some inexpensive very pretty scarves at Printemp. I already broke the bank for myself at Galerie Lafayett and was looking for my neice. She loves scarves but I was not going to pay 60.00 and up for her, not because I'm cheap but because she, like a lot of the young ones, gets quickly bored with her clothes etc. I found some really pretty ones for 15.00-25.00 euros. I also love scarves and bought quite a few..a couple that are really special and then others that are very pretty but much more reasonable in price.

i have to agree...printemps is truly scarf heaven! i bought scads, ranging in price from 12E to 50E. can you imagine...an entire department devoted to whisps of beauty to tie around your neck! ahhhhh...

It's good to learn that the dept stores offer these at good prices--I wouldn't have thought the prices were so low.

In Feb we breezed through the GAP store on Blvd St Michel and saw lots of scarves there. I didn't check to see where they were made, but they were in fun, youthful colors and prints. I adore my Van Gogh "Irises" scarf from the Musee D'Orsay. There were lovely ties there as well.

When I was in Giverney I saw three Hermes scarves in the gift shop. They were patterns of Monet paintings...oh drool, drool. About 395 euros as I recall at that time..but the euro was .97 then. Anyway, if I hadn't already shot my wad one of those would have been mine!!! Just gorgous. Next trip one of them will come home with me.

crefloors, for next time...

The Musee D'Orsay gift shop also had beautiful silk scarves in Monet prints. They weren't Hermes, but they were only 45E. I was torn between the Irises and Water Lilies; I wish I'd gotten both!

Jocelyn, It's never too late:

http://www.shop.musee-orsay.fr/EN/so...e.asp?gamme=60

Jocelyn...thanks ever so...gee for 45.00 I could get several...whoopee!!!

Thanks for the link, MrAmazed. crefloors, I seem to remember more Monets at the gift shop than just the one Water Lilies on the website, but I could be wrong.

Jocelyn, you are probably right. They probably feature the Water Lillies because it's probably one of his best known. I'm certain a personal visit to the gift shop would be beneficial for me, heh, heh. That's the problem with websites, you usually don't get to see everything.