What to Buy in Paris ??
 

Would love some opinions about what people feel is worth buying in Paris, i.e. either unavailable [easily] in the US, or sufficiently cheaper to be worth the time (not spend in museums or outdoors) and worth the trouble to lug home through customs.

Three things I almost always bring back: wine (including champagne); perfume; foie gras. (A guy's list is bound to be short!)

I was in Paris for 4 days with an avid shopper. She absolutely honed in on the lingerie shops. Although not especially exciting for me, during the 10 days we spent in Europe, it seems we saw them on every corner. Not something you see much of here. The other shop that was very visible was ice cream. yum. Good luck - and be sure to go to the top of Notre Dame.

I bought cashmere shawls for a great price for gifts. I also love my sculpture "the kiss" which I purchased at the Rodin Museum and sent home Fed-Ex. Replicas of museum pieces can be purchased in the US, but to see them is much better.

Each time I visit Paris, I look for new perfumes that haven't been introduced in the U.S. yet. Also there are so many stylish, well-made leather handbags made in France and cost less than $100 that we don't get in the U.S. so I buy one or two.

I don't really go anywhere to shop when I travel, and only buy small artistic or craft items that mean something to me, or I find unusual in design or particularly attractive. In Paris, I usually only buy clothes because I find I need a sweater or something I haven't packed due to unexpected weather, or berets because I wear them a lot in winter and they have lots of good-quality pure wood berets in Paris. I have bought some lingerie in Paris, but it wasn't crucial, just for fun (it wasn't cheaper). I live in a large city, so there's nothing that unusual in that regard in Paris that I couldn't buy at home, if I wanted, or even the same brands.<BR><BR>Aside from minor art items or souvenirs or something truly unique (such as a crystal wine glass set that was a reproduction of those used by Georges Sand, which I fell in love with), the only things I really buy in Paris consistently because of better availability and price are French books and CDs.

Shopping at the grocery stores and dept. stores is fun. I've brought back hardware for the house, enammelled house numbers, towels, liquors, tins of luxury foods, and yes, fois gras. Also as (with the exception of the latter) these are not targetted to tourists, the prices are reasonable.

Longchamps purses are cheaper in Paris and the selection is MUCH better. I've only found them at Saks Fifth Avenue here.

I bought my crystal and china in Paris. It was considerably less and definitely worth it.

Mephisto shoes are the best savings. This is the website-email them and get the locations.<BR>http://www.mephisto.com/PAGES%20ENGLISH/Fbase.htm

Foie gras, unrefined sea salt for cooking (available in any grocery store in 1 kg packages), fleur de sel for for table salt and any liquor that is unavailable in the States (eau de noix, for example). Wines are not worth lugging, especially if you are from California. Liquor filled chocolates make great gifts.

Handbags -- Longchamps and Herve Chapelier come to mind.

There is a shop around the corner from Rue Cler that has beautiful prepared foods. Has anyone brought fresh food (not canned) back to the US? I always want to bring some of it back but I'm afraid I will have a problem with customs. I know we can't bring in live plants, but what about meats and cheeses? Thanks<BR>

I would not recommend trying - customs has been more difficult in recent years and since 9/11 it's better not to create a problem. In the old days I brought back a suitcase full of hams and specialty cheese from Germany. No more! You are better off buying on line and having things shipped.

No kidding Jeff, you brought back a suitcase (!) full of ham and cheese? Must have been very heavy to lift but worth it!

What is a Longchamps bag?

There is no particular style of Longchamps bag - they make all sorts. I have a black leather backpack but they do all sorts of hand bags and luggage. There is a Longchamps boutique here in Sydney. They are identified by an oval logo (stamped into the leather) of a horse and jockey (Longchamps is a racecourse near Paris).

I bought my mom some really beautiful fabric from Paris. She is having it made into some sort of blanket or pillows or something along that line. Millions of fabric stores in Montmartre area.

Christina,<BR>Are wood berets warmer than others? Aren't they a little heavy? And do they come in colors?<BR><BR>A new fashion statement, peutetre?

Thanks to all. Great ideas. I am not a recreational shopper (can see the appeal but usually run short of time), although I hate to pass up a chance to buy things in places where it makes sense. Nice to get tuned into some things I had not thought of.

We just returned a couple of days ago and I can tell you a few things that are &quot;hot&quot; in Paris right now. <BR><BR>Pointy-toed shoes, any kind...boots, pumps...not clogs :). <BR><BR>Jeans with lots of panels...lace, odd fabric, etc. <BR><BR>Fur accessories: Try a little shop on Ile St Louis up near the end near Notre Dame...it's name includes something like &quot;Sable&quot; and it's on the left bank side of the main rue. They have scarves with fur trim, little fur pins in the shape of a flower to wear on jacket or purse (darling and easy to carry home!), sweaters with fur trim, etc. <BR><BR>And all kinds of beaded bracelets. The shop right next door to the one above has beautiful costume bracelets. <BR><BR>Purses...great fringed purses...a little young for me, but I saw lots of beautiful bags everywhere I looked.

The best things that I bought on my last trip to Paris were two paint brushes. Really. As we were window shopping in the Marias we happened upon a paint/wallpaper store that had a really nice window display of brushes, paints, etc. We decided to go in &quot;just for the fun of it&quot; and it was really quite a place. I ended up buying two hand crafted paint brushes (for house interior painting), made of the prettiest wood, with nice copper fittings, and wonderful bristles. I have since used them for some painting at home and I must say they are the best I have ever used. We also picked up several of the free brochures that demonstrated various painting methods using these brushes. A very different but very usable purchase from Paris.

I love to by tapestry! They have beautiful wall hangings and pillows, etc. They don't take up much room in the suitcase! They are someting that one can enjoy everyday in the home.

These suggestions are pretty specialized but may be of interest to a few shoppers ...<BR><BR>I love to knit with Pingouin yarns, however, in my home town they are difficult to find and expensive when available. On a recent trip to Paris I was able to find them at Mercerie Collection 5 (215 rue Lafayette) and stocked up at half the price. (Many thanks to Christina for her kind assistance in helping me locate these yarns). My only regret is that I didn't buy more!<BR><BR>During a visit to Viaduc des Arts, I bought three lovely cross-stitch kits at a shop called Le Bonheur des Dames (17, avenue Daumesnil). This shop carries a wide range of needlework kits from across Europe - certainly, some of the most impressive that I have ever seen - many designed &quot;in-house&quot;. I spent an hour just admiring the beautiful samples on display.

Paula,<BR><BR>I have been to Le Bonheur des Dames. It is indeed a lovely store. I purchased a cross stitch kit for my daughter there, she loved it. I also like to buy beautiful ribbon there and make pillows for my home. It is indeed a wonderful store for those of us who like needle craft.

Although it's not offically in Paris the duty free shop at CDG has great prices on some nice wine and champage. I think everything was about 20-25% less than here in the states and they had a fairly nice selection. &quot;Dom&quot; was about $80 (a nice treat for New Years).

Go to Samartain department store near the Louvre - great deals on Chanel products and other soaps and cosmetics. Also, good lingerie prices. You can also find very nice tabelcloths at reasonable prices at the Flower Market on Ille de la Cite.

My wife and I are in our mid-thirties, fashionable but not real trendy. We love a store called L.O.B.-The Loft. There are several locations in Paris and the wool and cotton clothing is great. Lots of black Sweaters, jackets, vests for both men and women. Similar to Banana Republic but better quality and less trendy. Sort-of Armani like !!

PLASTIC EIFFEL TOWERS!!!!!!

I AM a recreational shopper. What are you interested in? The unique things are found in antique shops and flea markets and the best things are what you stumble over on the way to someplace else. That said, I was in Paris a week or so ago and had really bad rain and was &quot;forced&quot; to spend more time in the stores. I noticed that a pair of Max Mara slacks that sold for $280. and $265. here sold for $169. in Max Mara shops in Paris. A Wolford bodysuit that is selling here for $298. is going for $198. there. Daum crystal was much less. Best advice is to go through the stores here and WRITE DOWN the prices of items you like and might be interested in purchasing if you could get them at a huge discount in Paris. I hate trying on clothes - such an ordeal. But I love a good buy! Another tip-try to buy as much as you can at either Galleries Layfayette or Printemps. They will give you a 10% discount PLUS the 13% VAT return if you spend over $175. on one day. They have wonderful houseware, china, silver, linen, giftware, etc. as well as clothing, cosmetics, perfume. If you are in the market for something and know what things cost at home before you go, you can do well. But don't miss Paris to stay inside stores!

Calvin, am intrigued by the L.O.B. Loft store, but am unable to find anything about it via Google of Jeune Pages. Was going to try to get addresses. Ideas?

Speaking about La Samaritane, when I was there, they had a sale on some Longchamp bags. I've never seen a sale on Longchamp bags in the US nor in Paris before. Many on sale were the large shopping tote bags (okay, they were in bright red or blue but still at 49 euro plus 10% disc. each it was good) and the black bag with the bamboo clasp on it.

In my past trips to Paris, I have gotten vintage posters, along the Seine at the Booknistes or in galleries are economical and fun. Silk scarves, perfume, anything made in France that you won't see at the neighborhood mall.<BR>Longchamp bags, they still sell some that are never sold in the US, and they cost half the price as in the NYC area.<BR>Lingerie, Sabbia Rose on Blvd St Germain.<BR>A dish/bowl/something from a shop on rue Jacob or rue de Bac that sells Provencal kitchenware.<BR>Something from the museums, a Monet calendar, a Rodin address book, so through the year, I will be reminded of my wonderful trip.<BR>Chocolate.<BR>Soaps, lotions , candles and potpourris.<BR>I guess I am a recreational shopper?