24 hours in Paris

It was third time lucky (or as the French say: ‘troisieme fois chanceux’) for my trip to Paris with my friend Leandra, having had to previously postpone due to unforeseen circumstances.

We’d decided to have a girly night away to chat and mooch around one of our favourite cities, visiting a few vintage shops and soaking up the idyllic vibes that the city of light exudes.

We stayed at Hotel Bourg Tibourg in the heart of Le Marais– having stayed here before with another good friend, I knew we were in safe hands. Paris is not known for the best size hotel rooms - charming yes, roomy no - so we took the liberty and treated ourselves to one of their recently renovated suites.

We took a taxi from Gare du Nord to the hotel, dropped our bags off, had a quick bite to eat and spent the late afternoon and early evening at Samaritane, on Rue de Rivoli Pont-Neuf.

Samaritaine is a new concept department store. The building has been sympathetically renovated after it was closed way back in 2005, and it finally opened on the 23rd June 2021. We wanted to see the store for its architectural offering– it was a pharaonic project and you can really feel this. We wandered around the beauty section first, then had some fun trying on a couple of hats and checking out some incredible pieces from one of our favourite designers Sacai. The store also houses a CinqMondes Spa which would be a nice thing to do next time!

On our stroll back to our hotel, we discovered the newly opened vintage store Free ‘P’ Star on 52 Rue de la Verrerie (they have other stores dotted around the city, too). Prices are really, really reasonable and the variety of vintage is good– apparently JLo visited back in July! I would definitely go back there for a good rummage.

We had wanted to eat dinner at one of our favourite restaurants, but we got back to our room a little later than planned. Even though Le Mary Celeste was only a 15 minute walk away, we decided to stay ‘local’, enjoying beef bourguignon and a kir cassis royale in Au Bourguignon du Marais.

Our first stop the next day was Vintage Little Box on Boulevard Beaumarchais. It’s a cute little store: here’s a short clip of the inside! I’ve found some super pieces in here before, and there were a couple of bits this time but nothing to really rave about. That’s the way it goes sometimes.

We then moved on to Merci, which is on the same street as Vintage Little Box. I remember when this store first opened– a concept store that was formerly occupied by a house of furnishing fabrics and wallpapers, so it is apt that it now sells a full lifestyle offering. Their household linen is really good, the colours are great and the pieces I bought from here ten years ago are still going strong. We had brunch at their Used Book café.

Once we were suitably fed and watered, we were ready to check out some more vintage stores. On our way to Thanx God I am a VIP at 16 Rue de Lancry, we stumbled upon Louise Paris at no 10. Offering second-hand luxury and designer fashion, this store was filled with iconic French designer brands Celine, Dior and Chloe upstairs, and a curated vintage section downstairs at great prices. The designer prices were reasonable, sizes were on the petite side with it being Paris, but there were certainly some treats to be found and the discovery of pieces that made me think, “I remember that collection”.

We came across a pop up store called Le Temple du Vintage at 14 Rue du Château d'Eau housing about 10 individual vintage sellers with some eye watering delights. The founder Solène has two stores in the city. She is passionate about vintage and has always turned to this mode of consumption, whether it’s to find an incredible piece or a cashmere sweater for 20 euros. You can read more about her mission here.

I found an awesome tweed suit, however the trousers were too small. I don’t own a suit and I would hands down have bought this one, but the hunt goes on! I tried an 80s leather coat on– the design detail was cool, and it’s something I could see Isabel Marant taking inspiration from.

At 2pm, we followed the procession of vintage hunters into Thanx God I’m a VIP as it opened its doors. A word of advice: always check the opening times before visiting any vintage stores.

TGIAV have curated lots of high-end designer pieces: Chanel, YSL and Courreges to name a few, and prices reflect this. I was excited to find this Dries Van Noten dress from his AW’16 collection, but as it was priced at €600.00 I decided I couldn’t afford it! I have actually been looking for an old school jacquard apron that will create a similar look.

The store also offers a selection of pieces at lower prices. This boilersuit was cool and I loved the three colours together, but sadly it was difficult to get into as entry was via the neck opening. I think it could have been altered, but I wasn’t inclined to do that on this occasion.

I didn’t make a purchase on this trip– not because I didn’t like anything, but because nothing stole my heart (apart from the tweed suit of course, which would definitely have been a purchase!). I am particular about what I buy, as I have to feel it has a place and a space in my wardrobe. 

If you have more time in Paris, then I also recommend visiting Le 19 Vintage and Rose Market Vintage.

Until next time, Paris x