Daughter's best customer is being flown to Paris and put up at the Ritz by a major department store to attend the fashion shows. Many of the fashion houses are arranging special tours and vents for her. She'll be dressing for the occasion and will have luggage stuffed with brand new, current season designer clothing. Will she have a problem returning to the US with all these new (but purchased in the U.S.) clothing, handbags, shoes, etc.?

If she's worried about it, she should just have copies of the receipts with her.

why should she have a problem? I have never been asked about my clothing's worth. I am asked to fill out a form stating the worth of items i'm bringing back home PURCHASED abroad.

Her clothing going from the US and back should not present a problem at all.

I don't really understand the question. The person is buying clothes in the US and taking them to France with the tags on them and then returning to the US with the clothes unworn and the tags still on them? If so, the tags will reflect goods purchased in the US.

If the person is removing the tags and wearing the clothes in France what is the question? This is personal clothing that was worn for business/vacation. Why would it be a problem?

I disagree a bit -- if by designer do you mean French/European designers?

If so - she really should bring her receipts. Because if one is returning from Paris w/ masses of designer bags/clothing, Customs might question her and/or try to assess duty.

W/ the receipts, if there are any questions they'll be cleared up in about 5 seconds.

I've seen advice in travel guides to "declare" items of foreign origin and of some value before departing the US, in order not to be assessed duty upon returning, so I can understand the question, especially since they are new, and expensive, couturier type items.

I think copies of the receipts should handle any questions.

I've never had customs officials look twice at clothing. Even if they did, what is to say that the official can tell that it is couture?

<<< what is to say that the official can tell that it is couture? >>>

The hefty price tag, the name on the label...

I'd also point out that if questioned it will up to her to prove that the goods were bought in the US, not for customs to prove they weren't.

So take the receipts & tags - but why doesn't she ask someone in her office, presumably they've done similar before

Thanks to all who understood what and why I was asking. US Customs doesn't question ME about MY clothes because 'Not Your Daughter's Jeans' and beat up Travel Pro luggage don't raise any red flags. Daughter's customer is traveling to France for the first time and will be carrying Louis Vuitton luggage stuffed with Chanel, YSL, Versace, Lanvin, Vuitton, Hermes, etc. Obviously, if she's wearing these things in Paris, there will be no tags attached to them. I'll pass along the opinion that she should bring sales receipts if she still has them, or declare them with Customs before she leaves the country. I don't think there's a Customs agent in the US who doesn't know that Chanel is expensive.
Thanks again!

I'll say it again. I think it is overkill. I travel with expensive luggage and expensive clothes. I have never been questioned on clothes. Electronics, yes. Booze, yes. Clothes, never.

Nothing to worry about.

I read somewhere a person took Italian necklace to Italy that she bought in USA, and upon return a custom employee spotted the necklace. Don't remember how it ended, if she had to pay tax on it.

I agree with those who say, declare when leaving, and have receipts with you.

Okay. Here is my confession. I have been smuggling items back and forth for maybe 4 years. I have been busted once. It was in Switzerland. I had a projector. I had a PS3. I had DVDs. I had games. It was ugly. I was worried about my residency permit. Seriously,

I was caught. And you know what? They told me they didn't care about clothes. They had me dead to rights and they told me that they didn't care about the women's clothes I had with me, which is surprising, as my wife was not with me. The clothes were worth at least as much as the electronics. They didn't care.

I personally have seen someone w/ new looking Louis V luggage being stopped at customs -- don't know if it is because the agent thought they were being imported from France w/o declaration, or if he thought they were fakes. But the lady was taken to away to answer questions.

take receipts or declare them before leaving.

I was asked about my camera once. "I bought it in Andorra," I said, knowing that this was perhaps not the best thing to say. "Do you have a receipt?" "Of course not. It was five years ago." And they let me go.

I have seen a woman wearing an expensive fur coat get pulled aside and asked for proof she pre-owned it. I agree with janisj - have her bring the receipts along. It can't hurt. It might help.

I have known someone who liked to shop a lot and buy expensive things be questioned extensively by customs. I would not assume there is no chance that could happen at all, if they are French labels. Now if this is US designer clothing, I wouldn't worry so much, of course.

I am pretty much a slob, don't buy anything, don't dress up, and one of the customs agents gave me a hard time because he refused to believe I could have gone to France for several weeks and only bought about $50 worth of things. He was a jerk, but a lot of those customs guys are IMO, they have a lot of power and like to use it. Same for immigration, they gave me a hard time because I went to France alone two months ago, I'm not kidding. Kept questioning me as to why I would just decide to up and go to France by myself. Bunch of jerks who are Neanderthals, I didn't know we lived under the Taliban.

Yecch, Christina, what a story.

Doesn't anyone old enough remember when Nancy Reagan's BFF Besty Bloomingdale was busted bringing in couturier dresses and not declaring?

Something weird's going on a Dulles Customs these days. We've been hosting exchange students for the past 6 months or so, and so go to Dulles to pick people up with some frequency. Every single one of them got stuck in Inquisition Hell at Dulles upon arrival. We waited more than 2 hours after landing for one of them, and the airport wasn't even crowded. When she emerged she was close to tears. You wouldn't believe the stuff she told us they asked her, plus they made her empty her suitcase and went through every item, including all her underwear, in full view of other people...and made lewd comments about it. A 19-year-old kid from Paris just coming to study English - it was amazing! The others all had problems too.