An Insider's Map to the Oldest Shops in Paris
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When Josephine Baker sang, “I have two loves, my country and Paris,” she was speaking directly to me. Only in my case it turns out I have three loves: New York City, of course (like Ms. Baker, I am an American girl!), magical Paris—but not just the Paris I visit whenever I can invent the flimsiest excuse. I am also infatuated with the Paris of the past, so vivid and vibrant in my imagination. My dream life, in which I am traversing the city as if it were 1850 or 1950, is abetted by the city itself, where, despite relentless reinvention, much of the architecture, and the streets themselves, have remained unchanged for centuries.
I have heard about people who go to Paris for the museums, for the cuisine, for the cultural enrichment. Not me. I shop. How better to fulfill the fantasy that I am visiting my bygone Paris—hobnobbing with Colette, sipping absinthe with Toulouse-Lautrec—than to visit places that were in business decades ago and are still trading?
I always stay at the H?tel Regina, across from the Louvre, built to accommodate guests for the 1900 Paris Exposition. From here it’s a short walk to the exquisite antique jewelry store Au Vase de Delft, which opened in 1910; Coco Chanel, who lived around the corner, was one of the first to sign the guestbook. (Wonder if she bought anything?) The vitrine begs you to play the game I Can Have One Thing! Today I would pick the Art Deco diamond and emerald ring, though the vintage Cartier diamond tank watch is a contender.
It’s a beautiful afternoon, and I’m comfy in my Patou smock dress, because I am not wearing a corset! But this doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy ogling the display at Cadolle, on Rue Cambon, which has been fitting lace-up undergarments since 1911. If the wasp-waisted lady for whom these -torture chambers are intended has a shady companion, that person might pick up a cane that conceals a flask at Antoine, a few blocks away, which has dealt in walking sticks and umbrellas for close to 300 years.
I am in the mood for a long stroll, though I could take the metro—the first line opened in the summer of 1900, during the Olympics that year. I decide to visit my favorite Paris institutions: the arcades, known as passages, built throughout Paris 200 or so years ago. These ancestors of shopping malls were meant to entice consumers and also protect them from the rain.
I walk through the beautiful Galerie Vivienne, stopping at the Librairie Jousseaume, a wonderful bookstore run by the same family since 1890. Vivienne is gorgeous, and restored within an inch of its life, but in truth I prefer the homelier arcades. Just outside the Passage Choiseul is Ultramod Mercerie, opened circa 1832, a fabric and notions emporium with a staggering archive of passe-menterie: braiding, piping, tassels, pom-poms, ribbons—everything the Belle Epoque needlewoman required. In the passage itself I check out the art store Lavrut, where the heroine in Radclyffe Hall’s iconic 1928 lesbian novel The Well of Loneliness shopped for “manuscript books with the mottled blue borders.”
I push on to the Passage Jouffroy, which houses among other quirky retail businesses the extremely unpretentious H?tel Chopin, which has been welcoming guests since 1846, when the passage opened. I have thought for a hot minute about staying here, though the Regina has my heart. Feeling peckish? Time for a praline, a caramel, some marzipan! A few streets away, A La Mère de Famille, opened in 1761, flaunts an insanely elaborate fa?ade as irresistible as the treats within.
The next day is Saturday—which means Vanves! Connoisseurs may prefer the wonders of the Marché aux Puces at Porte de Clignancourt, that vast antiques market on the northern edge of the city, but I love the smaller, more manageable—and cheaper! —flea at Porte de Vanves, where vintage dealers have been setting up every weekend since 1905. The tables are crammed with things that once belonged to now vanished denizens of Paris: Who originally owned this mechanical dog who tips his hat when you wind him up? Who is the ballerina, so meticulously rendered in oil, now resting on a tree and ready for you to cram into the overhead compartment? Why wouldn’t you buy a bonbon container shaped like a boat, or a silver Art Nouveau dresser set?
These poignant items, once coveted by people with the same taste as yours, remind you that you are only lent your treasures. They will live on, like Paris itself. Long after you are gone, some other eager shopper, besotted with the magic of the City of Light, will come here in search of the past, and herself.
More Shops We Love...
Chanel, 31 Rue Cambon: Since 1918, the headquarters of chic, where Coco set up her couture house, including a boutique, salons, and workshops. The layout remains the same, but the selection has blossomed as beautifully as a camellia.
Christian Dior, 30 Avenue Montaigne: This 108,000-square-foot cathedral to all things Christian Dior includes a restaurant and patisserie, three gardens, and an exhibition space, the largest devoted to fashion in the city.
Sennelier, 3 Quai Voltaire: It's tempting to bring home pastels from this charming shop—especially since it was the go-to supplier of pigments for artists like Picasso, Cézanne, and Gauguin. Our tip: Avoid colorful luggage mishaps and order a set from Amazon.
Didier Ludot, 24 Galerie de Montpensier: The Aladdin's cave of couture, where for 50 years the connoisseurs have shopped, including Reese Witherspoon, who found the 1950s Dior she wore to pick up her Oscar.
Cartier, 13 Rue de la Pais: A major makeover in 2022 transformed the 125-year-old flagship into a 32,300-square-foot temple to jewelry, with exquisitely lacquered salons, some of which display one-of-a-kind objets, and even a place to entertain the kids.
"Friends with good taste, like Aerin Lauder, send me to home goods store Talmaris in the 16th. It's by appointment only, so don't just walk in." —Stellene Volandes
Astier de Villate, 173 Rue Saint-Honoré: We're known to hoard their ceramics and soaps but it's really the Christmas ornaments that are second to none.
Benneton Graveur, 75 Boulevard Malesherbes: You're in good company. Fans of the personalized stationery, stamps, crests, and calendars include Sofia Coppola.
Charvet, 28 Place Vend?me: A Charvet shirt is a classic Paris buy. Come for the button-down, stay for the woven belts in every color of the rainbow.
Lydia Courteille, 231 Rue Saint-Honoré: Where grande dames—among them Daphne Guinness and Catherine Deneuve—have been going for cheeky lip rings, 75-carat Paraíba tourmalines, and rare vintage Art Deco pieces since 1987.
Thanx God I'm a V.I.P., 12 Rue de Lancry: Not all the best buys in Paris are new. Pin this on your Google Map for vintage finds, including Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche.
This story appears in the Summer 2024 issue of Town & Country, with the headline, "Midnight in Paris, 1924." SUBSCRIBE NOW
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