Whenever I’ve visited Paris, I have always kept an eye out for cool French clothing that I would never see back home.
I imagine a conversation with someone upon my return:
“Oh! Where did you get that blouse/jacket/shoes?”
“In Paris!”
You see? It just sounds good.
At the moment, I am not in France, and that’s fine because it can be cold and miserable and gray this time of year, especially in Paris. So right now, I don’t have a Fear of Missing Out (FOMO).
HOWEVER.
There is one great thing about this time of year that trumps all cold, dreary weather: soldes. They’re the bi-annual national sales events when retailers lower their prices to clean out their stock and prepare for the new season.
I’ve written about soldes before (link).
And since the sales season has kicked off, I thought I’d take the opportunity to share with you some of my favorite French brands. These are in no particular order. (If you click on the brand names, it has a link to their websites.)
Comptoir des Cotonniers – I loved this brand when my visits to Paris first became ‘a thing’. This is a solid brand for the staple items for all seasons, and like most French brands, they sell shoes and accessories, too. Note: they only have women’s clothes.
Jimmy Fairly – This is a glasses/sunglasses brand. About 5 or 6 years ago, I went to Paris to decompress and reunite with my favorite city. I went to my preferred department store, Galeries Lafayette, and found a kiosk on the ground floor that sold really nice-looking sunglasses. I still have my green-framed Jimmy Fairlys and I love them. They cost me about $1201, no more expensive than a pair of nice Ray Bans.
Vanessa Bruno – this is a brand that was born in Paris by a designer named – you guessed it – Vanessa Bruno. I love her clothing and her handbags. If you walk around Paris, you are sure to see someone carrying her famous totebag, pictured below.
In my first months in Paris, I felt the need to soothe my tired soul and spend my hard-earned money on the loveliest rose-pink Vanessa Bruno handbag. I just had to have it. So I bought it for about $5002 (reminder, if you’re not an EU citizen, you can get about 15% back when you leave the country through the VAT reimbursement, so really, I got a bargain!). Haven’t regretted it one bit. Note: they only have women’s clothes.
Louis Vuitton – I’m a pretty low-key shopper and normally I wouldn’t drop thousands of dollars on a handbag. But I have made one exception: Louis Vuitton. I happen to own the most beautiful three-piece LV crossbody (pictured below) that I bought when I worked in Qatar – a most excellent consolation prize for living in an oppressively hot country. It cost about $2,7003) I love my LV and if I ever make it big (there’s still time), I’ll probably treat myself to something else from this iconic brand. They have bags for men as well!
Zadig & Voltaire – This is a clothing brand, but their handbags are really cool and chic. I haven’t bought anything from Z&V myself, but a friend who came to visit me in Paris bought the most adorable crossbody bag that has funky zippers and other metallic embellishments (pictured below). It cost around $350. This brand has stand-alone stores or you can find their clothing and handbags at the big department stores. They have men’s and women’s clothes.
La Fée Maraboutée – this is a colorful brand of clothing that has some pretty fun designs. I once owned a lovely long sweater from this store that served me well. It was sage green with asymmetrical buttons, which gave the illusion that I was cool. Note: they only have women’s clothes.
agnès b. – this brand is an absolute French icon. Agnes started her clothing brand in 1973 in Paris and today is an excellent, high-quality clothing label. The clothing is simple and well-made, and, well, iconic. For me, it’s pretty expensive: a simple, high-quality sweater can cost around $250. But if you roll with the French mentality, you can spend your money on some quality pieces that will never go out of style or get too frayed. They have men’s and women’s clothes.
Monoprix - for Americans, I would compare this to Target. It may surprise you that I have this on here, because it keeps some pretty pricey company. But Monoprix has standard quality and plenty of staple clothing items that are cute and cheaper than the bigger-name brands. Monoprix is a national retail shop that often has a grocery store attached to it. They also sell homewares, school supplies and is a great one-stop shop. They are best known for their re-usable, limited-edition nylon shopping bags. (I was lucky enough to get one with little French symbols on it, like the French tricolor flag and the Eiffel Tower.) They have men’s and women’s clothes.
Then I have the BONUS BRANDS that are not French but that I love anyway:
Oysho – I would call this Europe’s answer to Athleta and Lululemon. It’s a Spanish brand that I first discovered in Qatar (which imports great global brands). Oysho specializes in sports and athleisure wear, with very soft cottons and stretchy, comfortable fabrics. They’re reasonably priced, too. I have spent maybe $60-70 on a top. They also sell really cute bags for working out or travel, as well as shoes and other accessories. Note: they sell women’s clothes only.
All Saints – This is probably one of my very top brands. They are British but they have stores in Paris, Amsterdam, and even Georgetown in DC, for example. The quality of the clothing is so superb, I have loved everything I have ever bought here. Most importantly, if you like to wear black, this is the place for you. But what I love about their clothing is they have a lot of asymmetrical cuts and very flowy tops, which I love. They have men’s and women’s clothes.
I’m not bragging; sometimes a price reference is helpful.
see footnote 1
see footnote 1; I’d never spend this kind of money on a bag but trust me, I earned it.
One of my favorite shops is Lafaurie. There are several around Paris, the original being off Place Des Vosges on rue de Birague. Men’s only, started in early ‘90s by a Parisian, Pierre Lafaurie, who sadly passed away in 2018. But his sons took over running, rebranding and expanding the business. It’s excellent, affordable and classic. He was the first to popularize the painters jacket, which is now ubiquitous in menswear.