I didn’t get to make my annual Paris expedition last year due to travels elsewhere and I really missed it especially for the killer shopping opportunities (among my favorite stops are Vanessa Bruno for dresses, Paul and Joe for chic separates and suits, Sabbia Rosa on the Rue des Saint-Peres for suitably silky lingerie, Christian Louboutin, natch, for the red-soled wonders, and Colette, that temple of all things cool).   Now there are two more stops to add to the pilgrimage: one of the city’s coolest boutique owners, Maria Luisa Poumaillou, who has one of the sharpest eyes in fashion (she was an early champion of John Galliano and Alexander McQueen) has just opened second outpost, a stand alone store in the newly renovated Printemps department store. What’s cool about this new boutique is that in addition to her glamorous handpicked selection from designers like L’Wren Scott and Roland Mouret, she is also coming up with her own first capsule collection which is sure to be a hit with the fashion set.
And then there is Merci, the new hot shop from the owners behind the children’s brand Bonpoint for people looking for a deal on designer threads who also want to feel socially conscious–basically the way the concept works is that designers and collectors give some of their wares for free, then the store sells the clothes for less than retail prices, and the proceeds go to underprivileged children in Madagascar. Think Burberry, Chanel, YSL etc at a about 30-40 percent off their original price tag.  It’s a shopping trip you can feel good about. Now I just have to figure out when to make the next trip.