The “Asia travel team” (see our spring 2026 Seoul/Hong Kong/Hanoi/Tokyo trip here) was back in action last week, this time exploring London and Paris!
First, Chrissie & Audrey went to London for a few days to do some museum hopping and high street shopping. Then Audrey’s sister, Alison, and I (Jo) met them in Paris, and this tireless team hit the ground running to do some FabList research. Boy oh boy we covered some major ground in the 30 hours we spent together (before I headed off to Milan & Venice with my son) and left the others to fend for themselves in Paris.
We shopped, walked, shopped, ate, went to Art Basel, shopped, saw the amazing Cezanne art exhibit, shopped, and went to more museums.
Rain and riots? It takes a whole lot more than that to slow us down!
Here are our favorite shopping finds in London and Paris.
Enjoy!
Chrissie & Joanne
London:
It was a super brief trip, and these were Chrissie’s two standout stores.
Me & Em: We love the British brand’s elevated basics. Audrey got this beautiful green velvet blazer (looks like that color is sold out, but it’s still available in saffron) for the holidays (the high V lets it be worn chicly without a shirt underneath as a great option), and Chrissie and Audrey both got these super-thin, super-soft wool/cashmere “barely there” sweater tees. They are terrific and have already been worn on the trip. Audrey also got a wool/cashmere sweater.
WNU (With Nothing Underneath): This British brand has taken menswear tailoring and applied it to women’s clothing. They have a few signature style shirts made in beautiful materials in a variety of colors. They also make outerwear, sweaters, and pants, but we focused on their shirts. Audrey got the Kew blouse in white, with a great ruffle collar and sleeves, and the Boyfriend shirt in a blue-and-white stripe. Chrissie got the Classic shirt in a fine brushed cotton plaid. These are really beautifully made shirts.
Paris:
The Marais:
Merci: A Paris shopping must and our first stop was at the store in the Marais (the area in which we were staying). This shopping emporium is stocked with a well-curated collection of women’s, men’s, and kids’ clothing, accessories, linens, stationery, kitchenware, and more, covering three floors. Tired? Recharge in the library for a cafe and carrot cake and get back to it! Their Merci logo graces a variety of tote bags, pouches, dish towels, and more. All make great gifts. There is also now a second smaller (and less crowded) location in the 1st arrondissement.
Veja: Available in the US, but the number of unique styles found in France was inspiring.
K-Way: The most popular raincoat in Europe, identifiable by its signature striped zipper. Their coats, available in many styles and colors, are well made and classic. ALL OF US have Kway coats. Team jackets.
Sabre: Another French brand with a cult following (and a line out the door). Who knew we’d spend so much time in a store that sells only silverware! Sabre Paris combines traditional French craftsmanship with playful, vibrant designs and a lot of customization options. You can custom pick your color(s) and have silverware sets (and other items) made the same day (or maybe two days depending on whether they are “out of order”—behind). They also sell butter/cheese spreaders, bottle openers, and other items. We all bought gifts here.
Rendez-Vous: A small collection of niche designers like Sophie D’Hoore and Apuntob. Gorgeous, expensive clothing!
Alohas: We mentioned these on our NYC shopping trip report and couldn’t resist popping into the Marais store to try on these butter-soft, made-in-Spain, gorgeous shoes. We especially like the ballet flats and loafers.
Hartford: Another favorite French brand with the thinnest (very packable) cotton blousing, beautiful sweaters, and traditional clothing for men and women. We purchased button-ups and sweaters this year.
Dover Street Market: Avant-garde fashion (founded by Comme des Garçons founder); these stores (there are now 7 worldwide) are treasure hunts in labyrinthine layouts. We love Comme des Garçons striped shirts, sweaters, and tennis shoes and wanted to buy the tennis shoes, but they didn’t have our size.
Bimba & Lola: A Spanish brand with some good basics, and they always have a strong animal print offering!
Flabelus: Spanish-made velvet Mary Jane shoes in various styles and almost unlimited colors.
Universelle Buly: This beautiful store had wonderful perfumes, lotions and more. Our favorites were the lip balms you can personalize on the spot and the beautiful hand lotion with a ‘faucet handle’ closure, so you can stand it up on your sink (hard to explain, but trust us, it’s what you want on your sink countertop!). Great gifts and such a beautiful setting.
1st Arrondissement:
Samaratine: Owned by the luxury goods conglomerate LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) and located across the street from its HQ (great people-watching), this department store reopened in 2021 and has the largest beauty floor in Europe. It’s worth the trip for the architecture, and the shopping is top-notch for major name brands. The shoe floor is fun!
Astier de Villatte: This Paris-based ceramic atelier is known for handmade white-glazed pottery and object-based homewares. The clay used is typically used for sculpture, not ceramics, and it has a rougher finish. Every piece is handmade and gorgeous, and we especially like the Snoopy pieces.
Epice: In the Palais Royal arcade, we had such a good time trying on (and learning how to tie!) gorgeous scarves in this shop. I (Jo) spied this tote bag and purchased it immediately. It’s large and lightweight (made from a cool Air Mesh material), fully lined, with woven cotton handles and a coordinated adjustable, removable shoulder strap. Alison and Audrey bought squares- these gorgeous small silk scarves.
La Bonne Brosse: We’ve been reading about these heirloom-quality, French-made hairbrushes for years and were so happy to see them in person! Designed to deeply stimulate the scalp, naturally condition your hair, and elevate your daily self-care ritual, they come in an array of colors and bristle materials to suit your hair type. We all bought gifts here, and you can also find them solo or in a holiday gift pack at Nordstrom.
Yves Saint Laurent: We popped in to look at their pinched-toe loafers, and tried on the mule version and this new version—the heel folds down so you can wear them either as mules or loafers. Nice! Out of this year’s budget range. Maybe next time.
7th Arrondissement:
La Bon Marché: Mecca. One of Paris’s major department stores, and our favorite. The Bon has it all, and we could have spent an entire day getting lost in the loads of fab products, plus the food halls across the street, which are overflowing and are a great place to grab a snack and recharge. Alison bought a pair of leather boots, and I tried to buy a pair of suede Hogan sneakers, but they didn’t have my size. We also tried on Suqqu, a trending Japanese foundation, and really liked it.
Sezane: This French clothing brand that hit stateside over the past few years recently opened a new flagship store conveniently located next to the Bon. It is a really pretty store with a room full of the basics: jeans, white blouses, and sweaters in a variety of styles and colors. Audrey and Jo bought chocolate brown cropped sweater vests.
Brand Bazaar: Across the street from the Bon Marché, this little shop has a great array of casual clothing and accessories.
Arket: A sub of H&M, one of our favorite cheap chic stores with great basics—tees, sweaters, jackets, etc. I usually buy tee shirts when I’m in Arket and this year was no different, this time a chocolate brown and white striped long sleeved tee. The men’s department also has fun striped shoelaces!
Petite Bateau: Speaking of tee shirts, I’m a big fan of the Petite Bateau long-sleeve tee shirts and bought this one in a new beige color. They are now available in adult sizes, and these are the OG of T-shirts IMO. This is also a great place to buy baby gifts! The kids’ clothing is very well made and so cute.
Balzac: Popular for their ruffle-neck shirts, we finally got to try these on in person!
Rubirosa: Lots of press on this one lately, so we dropped in to check out their poplin pajamas and beautifully stacked boxer shorts and socks!
Oh My Cream!: Stopped in, per Jo’s sister, to check out their face wash brush, which is supposed to be amazing!
Ines de la Fressange: One of our favorite boutiques in the 7th, founded by YSL’s muse and model. Traditional French preppy clothing, known for jean trousers, shirting, blazers, etc. Audrey and I bought the Martin shirt, a timeless cotton design, slightly fitted, featuring the signature blue, white, and red trim that runs underneath the buttons so it peeks out when you wear it.
LaVeste: This Spanish company recently hit the scene with wide striped pants in a variety of colors! We tried a bunch on and are going to wait for the velvet styles to launch this week. Audrey bought a great pair of wool trousers. We also liked this raincoat another customer was trying on.
Bellerose: I go in this store on every trip and usually find something: a scarf with a hood last year, a sweater the year before, and sadly nothing this year grabbed me (but I thought about the leopard boat shoes!). It’s always worth a look, and it’s across the street from Jerome Dreyfus (Isabel Marant’s husband’s store), which has great purses, belts, and other accessories. It’s also next door to Isabel Marant for beautiful women’s clothing.
