Paris remains a choice luxury shopping destination for Arabian Knights and Ladies looking for the latest trends in the world of fashion

What do Chanel, Dior, Guerlain, Givenchy, Hermès, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Yves Saint Laurent, and indeed, the world’s largest high fashion house LVMH have in common? 

They are all from the City of Lights.

All these luxury fashion icons are French and have left behind a legacy so great, that it makes Paris one of the four fashion capitals in the world alongside London, Milan and New York.

When in Paris, you will most likely want a leisurely stroll down the horse chestnut tree-lined Avenue des Champs-Élysées, one of the most famous Parisian boulevards. A stately road that connects the iconic Arc de Triomphe and several other French monuments, Champs-Élysées boasts glamorous theatres, fashionable cafés, bourgeois nightclubs and luxury shops to indulge in. 

This 1.9-km retail ride is one of the most famous shopping streets in the world, promising to be as expensive as it’s glitzy. 

Boulevard Haussmann is a choice destination, stocking all of the world’s most desirable luxury goods in huge but convenient and stylish department stores. One of the biggest boulevards in the city dedicated entirely to shopping, Boulevard Haussmann is a favourite hangout for locals who call it ‘Les Grands Magasins’ simply and aptly translating to ‘big stores’.


HISTORIC NAMES

Some notable names of iconic department stores in the historical neighbourhood are Le Bon Marché, Galeries Lafayette and Le Printemps, which celebrates 150 years this year.

Any fashion aficionado will know Le Bon Marché as one of the world’s first department stores, established circa 1850 in Paris by Aristide Boucicaut. At the time, it provided ladies freedom to roam unchaperoned and an enticing window into a world of luxury products from clothes to household goods. Fittingly, the store is now the property of LVMH and sells a wide range of high-end goods, including gourmet epicurean delights in an adjacent building. 

Also in the Boulevard Haussmann neighbourhood is the stylish luxury store Galeries Lafayette, perhaps well known in the GCC due to its popular store at The Dubai Mall in the UAE. While Galeries Lafayette has stores around the world, the flagship Haussmann store is the oldest and most charming, with its ornate art nouveau architecture and iconic glass dome. 

Galeries Lafayette has remained a family business for five generations since the founding cousins from the Alsace region of France, Théophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn, started building their retail empire in 1893. 

Today, the store beautifully blends high-street brands alongside high fashion, in the stylishly scientific luxury labs on the first floor. Dedicated entirely to women, the floor features almost 200 brands in a stunning 4,600-sq-m area, including clothing lines and accessories, many of which are exclusive to the store. 

Pick the latest fashion and accessories at dedicated boutiques of Cartier, Chanel and Louis Vuitton or buy an outrageously expensive Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet. Gourmands should head towards Lafayette Gourmet, which has been housed together with the homeware section, in a new set-up since September last year. 

Galeries Lafayette’s multilingual guest relations and personal shopping teams promise a unique VIP experience. Customers who seek complete privacy can get dedicated rooms by advance appointment and the hands-free shopping experience entitles VIP guests to shop from a comfortable private location. Limousines can also be arranged by the store.  


TEMPLE OF LUXURY

To avoid beelines and organised bus tour crowds, however, head next door to the self-confessed ‘temple of luxury’ Le Printemps Paris, where patrons can worship such gods as Christian Louboutin, Giuseppe Zanotti, Emilio Pucci and Manolo Blahnik. 

Celebrating 150 years of opulence this year, the store façade is covered in 5,500 pink flowers including roses, cherry blossoms and hydrangeas. Printemps was founded in 1865, by Jules Jaluzot and Jean-Alfred Duclos.

To celebrate 150 years of success, some 1,000 products have been made exclusively for Printemps by designer brands. Please your inner goddess with a Dolce & Gabbana flowery dress worth €12,500 ($13,890), pink satin pumps by Christian Louboutin for a bargain €995 ($1,105) or the Tourbillons vase in glossy pink by Lalique at €7,900 ($8,780). 

The popularity of Printemps probably peaked in the GCC with the opening of the Saudi store in Jeddah and the team has been quite clever in retaining their loyal Arab customers. Printemps Paris also has high-quality, private luxury services for customers, with a special focus on the customer of Arab origin. The store also houses a Clarins and a Nuxe spa, making for an incredibly relaxed shopping experience, if combined with their hands-free shopping experience. 

From July 17 to August 29 this year, Printemps will roll out special offers in both their stores – Haussmann and Louvre. Luxury names such as Boucheron and Vertu are rumoured to be on the special offers list as are beauty brands such as Acqua di Parma, Armani, Dior and Tom Ford, and several fashion and accessories brands as well.  These Parisian institutions have transcended war and financial crisis to prove their unrivalled capacity for innovation.


PERFUMERY

The art of French perfumery has also withstood the ravages of time. It was brought to France from Italy in the 16th century by Rene le Florentin, French monarch Catherine de’ Medici’s personal perfumer. France quickly became the centre of perfume and cosmetic manufacture in Europe. 

Perfume thrived in French courts due to the eccentricities of the royalty. Louis XV who came to the French throne in the 18th century, demanded a different perfume for his bedchambers every day. Napoléon Bonaparte, who came to power in the 19th century, is said to have ordered two quarts of violet cologne every week, while also using up 60 bottles of double Jasmin extract every month. Legend has it that his first wife Joséphine used so much musk that the scent lingered in her boudoir 60 years after her death.

Galimard Perfumery, France’s oldest perfume company was established in 1747 in Grasse by Jean de Galimard who provided the royal court with ointments and perfumes. Another notable name that survives to this day is Molinard, established in 1849, whose fragrance bottles were made of Baccarat crystal and Lalique glass. The more modern Fragonard Perfumery, established in 1926, has a museum Fragonard Musée du Parfum, which displays rare objects that explain the history of perfumery. 

Apart from its home base in Grasse, Fragonard has shops in Nice, Cannes, Marseilles and Paul de Vence and several outposts in the French capital along with a free museum sharing generations of scented secrets. The museum and boutique, a minute away from Galeries Lafayette, are a must visit for any perfume aficionado. 

Fragonard is celebrating Jasmine as the flower of the year and has an exclusive range of perfumes, candles, gift kits and soaps. Apart from Jasmine, there are several other scents to explore including Belle de Nuit, ‘Diamant’, ‘Belle Cherie’ and ‘Frivole’. Fragonard is also set to open a 2,000-sq-m museum and store near the Opéra Garnier. 

France is home to many perfume houses, old and new, but Arabian Knight’s favourite remains Fragonard, for its generations of devotion to perfumery and tradition, and its promise of purity. If you are adamant to splash out on fragrances, a walk down the arcades of the Palais Royal a few blocks away from the opera will oblige. The newest fragrance at the decadent showroom of luxury brand Serge Lutens is L’Incendiaire, which retails at €450 ($500) for 50 ml. 

Your shopping bag is only limited by your imagination in Paris and your platinum card!