Centers of Style in the City of Light

For reasons that elude most of us, Parisians often make impeccable fashion sense look effortless. Even on modest budgets, they often seem to just know how to pull it all together. It's no surprise, then, that the city remains the global center of all things style-related. After museums and monuments, shopping alone attracts millions of visitors each year. While the city is studded with great places to shop, these uber-popular shopping districts in Paris are guaranteed to satiate discount-hunters, designer divas, window shoppers, and fashion victims alike.

There's room for all budgets, too, so looking snappy doesn't have to rhyme with going broke. Make sure you take home a little "je ne sais quoi" by clicking through our picks for the 7 top centers of style in the city.

Essential Shopping Features and Tips to Bookmark: 

• Shopping on a Tight Budget in Paris
• Best Concept Shops and Boutiques in Paris
• Paris Stores Open on Sunday?
• 9 of the Weirdest Shops in Paris 

FIRST UP:Concept shops and designers galore in the Louvre-Tuileries Neighborhood 

Shopping Mecca #1: Louvre and Tuileries District

Best for: Crème de la crème designer fashion, chic home furnishings, and quality cosmetics

Getting there: Metro Concorde, Tuileries (Line 1), Pyramides (Line 7, 14)
Main streets: Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Rue Saint-Honoré, Rue de la Paix, Place Vendome

The Faubourg Saint-Honoré district is the pulse of Paris design and fashion. Part of the Louvre-Tuileries neighborhood and just a few blocks from the Opera Garnier and the Paris department stores dominating Boulevard Haussmann, the Saint-Honoré fashion district is occupied by classic designers like Versace, Hermes, and Yves Saint Laurent, but also houses resolutely trendy concept shops such as Colette (pictured above).

 

Also make sure to check out the elegant boutiques lining the arcades (covered galleries) of the Palais Royal: from luxury perfumer Serge Lutens to upscale vintage shops, jewelry, and art, it's a classically chic dream.

For after-shopping unwinding: Cocktail up at the Hotel Costes Bar and Lounge

NEXT UP:  Shopping Mecca #2 - Boulevard Haussmann and the Grands Boulevards

Shopping Mecca #2 - Boulevard Haussmann and the Grands Boulevards

Best for: Getting lost in Paris' prestigious-- and dizzying-- Belle-Epoque department stores (grands magasins)

Getting there: Metro Havre-Caumartin (Line 3 or 9), Opera (Lines 3, 7, 8), RER Auber(Line A)
Main streets: Boulevard Haussmann; Place de la Madeleine

Paris department stores are famous for being worlds unto themselves. Galeries Lafayette and Printemps department stores dominate Boulevard Haussmann with real Belle Epoque grandeur, concentrating top designer collections for men and women, gourmet food shopping, home design, jewelry, and even hardware into a labyrinth of consumer delights.

Also make sure to check out the old-world elegance (and high-quality boutiques) of the old covered "arcades" (passageways) in the area, including the Galerie Vivienne, which houses luxury designer boutiques including Jean-Paul Gaultier, as well as old bookshops, old-fashioned toy shops, and more.

Read related feature: Exploring the old-world urban charms of the Grands Boulevards

NEXT UP:Fashion Mecca #3 - The Marais

Fashion Mecca #3 - The Marais

Best for: Eclectic and high-fashion, vintage stores, artisan and handcrafted jewelry, antiques and fine art galleries.
Getting there: Metro Saint-Paul (Line 1) or Hotel de Ville (Line 1, 11)
Main streets: Rue des Francs-Bourgeois, Place des Vosges, Rue de Turenne, Rue des Rosiers

The historic Marais quarter is prime stomping ground for shoppers with an eye for the unique and finely-crafted, not to mention antique and art lovers.

Try antiques or fine-arts shopping on the Place des Vosges, jewelry shopping at boutiques like Satellite on Rue des Francs-Bourgeois, or explore boutiques featuring up-and-coming designers on Rue des Rosiers. This is also an excellent spot for perusing high-quality teas (Mariage Frères, Kusmi Tea). 

More: Review of Marais Neighborhood Shopping Tour 

NEXT UP: Fashion Mecca #4 - Avenue Montaigne and the Champs-Elysées

Fashion Mecca #4 - Avenue Montaigne and the Champs-Elysées

Best for: Designer shopping, trendy chain stores, Sunday shopping

Getting there: Metro Alma Marceau (Line 9), Franklin D. Roosevelt (Lines 1 and 9), George V (Line 1), RER A (Charles de Gaulle-Etoile)

Avenue Montaigne and Avenue des Champs-Elysées form one of the city's hottest fashion junctures. Ave. Montaigne is fast outstripping Saint Honoré in the arena of chic-cachet, with legendary designers like Chanel and Dior lining the street with flagship boutiques.

The Champs-Elysées features luxury names (Louis Vuitton) while also being a major spot for shopping in trendy global chains like Zara.

Sweet tooth? Try a legendary macaron at Laduree.

Read more about the Champs-Elysées neighborhood here.

NEXT UP: Fashion Mecca #5: St-Germain-des-Prés 

Fashion Mecca #5: St-Germain-des-Prés

Best for: Chic classic design, books, and home furnishings

Getting there: Metro Saint-Germain-des-Prés (Line 4), Sèvres-Babylone (Line 10)
Main streets: Blvd. St.-Germain, Rue St. André-des-Arts, Rue de Sèvres

Once synonymous with the famous intellectuals who haunted local cafés, St.-Germain-des-Prés has acquired several shades of chic and is now a preferred spot of BCBG's (yuppies). Sonia Rykiel and Paco Rabanne have boutiques here, and the famous department store Le Bon Marché includes a gourmet market that all foodies should pay a visit to.

Try Rue Saint-Andre des Arts for rare books, gifts, and vintage threads.

NEXT UP: Fashion Mecca #6: Les Halles and Rue de Rivoli

Best for: Major chain shops and trendy boutiques

Getting there: Metro Chatelet-Les Halles (Line 4, RER A,B)
Main streets: Rue de Rivoli, Rue Pierre-Lescot, Rue Etienne Marcel, Rue de Turbigo

Once the locus of "the guts of Paris"-- an enormous outdoor food market, the area around Châtelet-les Halles was transformed into a major shopping area in the 20th century. At metro Les Halles is a monstrous underground mall, "Le Forum des Halles", where global chain stores reign.

Rue de Rivoli is much the same. Great deals can be made here, even outside of the Paris sales season.

Read Related: Discount and Budget Shopping in Paris

Meanwhile, in the adjoining (and much trendier) Rue Montorgueil area, quirky contemporary boutiques abound, including Barbara Bui and young cutting-edge designers.

Explore the Neighborhood: All About Les Halles and "Beaubourg"

NEXT UP: Get intrepid and dig around at these Paris flea markets

Best for: Antiques and oddball items, discounted and vintage clothes and shoes

Getting there: Metro Porte de Clingancourt (Line 4) or Garibaldi (Line 13)

The Saint-Ouen flea market (or "puces"-- literally, "fleas") is the city's largest, and dates to the 19th century. Located at the very northern tip of Paris, les puces are an essential shopping stop. Come here for a few hours to browse the antique furniture, odd objects, or vintage clothes.

There are also many other flea markets around the city, and they're pretty much all worth visiting.

Read Related: Complete Guide to Flea Markets in Paris

You may not come away with a masterpiece painting (as once was the case), but a find you are likely to make. A word of advice, however: weekdays are preferable to avoid the inevitable crowds. Also make sure to watch out for pickpockets. 

Read Related: Discount and Budget Shopping in Paris

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