Feeling like a Parisian is about enjoying a highly sophisticated shopping experience. A varied one. Because in Paris, there are a number of ways to celebrate fashion and good taste. Each of them is absolutely essential for acquiring a full sense of French-style luxury.
Fashion: Quintessential luxury brands in the 7 th arrondissement of Paris
London, New York, Milan, the 7 th and 8 th arrondissements of Paris… You will of course find the usual luxury brands waiting for you in the French capital, one of the “big four” on the worldwide fashion scene.
Louis Vuitton in Saint-Germain-des-Prés
French national treasure Louis Vuitton, whose temporary window display is eagerly awaited each time, is close enough for customers of Café de Flore next door to see it. This is a highly Parisian spot on the boulevard Saint-Germain.
If you want it all to yourself, the boutique invites you to book a private shopping slot on the website. The store is open every day from 10.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.
To find out more about the history of Louis Vuitton, read our article on French luxury brands and their luxury boutiques in Paris.
Gucci: Italy in the 7 th arrondissement
Gucci opted for a site on the corner of boulevard Saint-Germain and rue du Dragon for its store in the 7th arrondissement. The Italian brand is at home in upscale Paris, and welcomes shoppers every day from 11a.m. to 7 p.m.
The Maison Margiela Paris Grenelle
Here, you’ll be delighted to find the collections of the skilfully eccentric John Galliano, who has been working his magic at the Margiela fashion house at 13 rue de Grenelle for some ten years. You can take a fresh look at the brand’s iconic Tabi shoes in a luxuriously non-conformist environment. Go round it like you would a museum, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day except Sundays.
The secret addresses of apartment boutiques in the 7 th arrondissement
The use of Parisian architecture is every bit as good as all the window dressing and lighting in the world. You get to see how Parisians really live, making your way into courtyards where the hustle and bustle of the capital comes to a standstill while the walls whisper their stories to you.
L’appartement Paris 7 by Sézane
The high-end brand has set up shop at 122 rue du bac. The brand family, which also has branches in San Francisco and London, is doing us the honour of opening L’appartement Paris 7, where you can recognise its expertise in the selection of men’s and women’s clothing lines, leather goods and jewellery.
Their French touch is about eclectic sophistication, enriched as it is by the classical dance scene. The show is on from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays.
Le Salon Septième – all woman
You can also try Salon Septième at 52 rue de Bourgogne. Housed in a Napoleonic-style courtyard, it is open (preferably) by appointment. Because you will be walked through the place and the collections alike. Both are timelessly classic, as is Paris, the City of Light. The pieces offered bear serial numbers, like works of art. It’s a real signature aimed at independent women, so we’re told.
Men’s shoe shops in the 7 th arrondissement: patina and bespoke craftsmanship
Gentlemen, you have boot- and shoemakers in the 7 th arrondissement at your feet, but in line with your expectations.
La maison septième largeur
La maison 7L brings you the services of Philippe, a patina master craftsman and 2023 world champion. You can be bold when it comes to the shade and gradation of your patina – he loves a challenge. He can even copy effects working from photos. Here, the best of the best are at work.
Georges et George
This bootmaker follows you around. You place your order, and the whole workshop goes wherever you are. Including the chair – the essential accessory to give you absolutely impeccable shoes when you’re out and about on business or at events in Paris.
Pop-up stores: a new trend in the 7 th arrondissement of Paris
Shopping streets are constantly changing thanks to the emergence of these shops that open for business for a week or a month.à l’image des terrasses éphémères parisiennes. This is how new designers get noticed, by coming face to face with shoppers in their neighbourhood of choice. And in the 7 th arrondissement the clientele is sizeable, but discerning. Those who decide to set up shop, even temporarily, have to be up to the mark.
You have to stroll around and see what you happen upon, without knowing what you’re going to find. But for a haul that’s more miraculous than laborious, we suggest rue Saint-Dominique, rue du Bac, the Saint Germain district and the Invalides district.
A shopping centre: the emblematic Bon Marché in rue de Sèvres
It would be unthinkable not to mention France’s very first department store, which opened in 1869 on the corner of rue de Sèvres and rue Velpeau.
The Bon Marché Rive Gauche should be listed as part of the intangible heritage of French history.
Now famous the world over, this success can be attributed solely to the incredible, forward-thinking vision of one couple, the Boucicauts, which revolutionised the shopping experience.
The art of revolution is so French!
These days, those luxury brands that don’t have a boutique in the 7 th arrondissement all have a section in the Bon Marché.
The department store’s mission is to find the most exclusive, groundbreaking items, and to offer shoppers a host of international products that are impossible to find elsewhere. So Le Bon Marché is a powerhouse for fashion and luxury brands.
Shopping for foodies in the 7 th arrondissement of Paris
A shopping experience in the 7 th arrondissement is only complete once you’ve ticked off the culinary highlights.
La Grande épicerie in rue de Sèvres
At La Grande Épicerie, brands are selected with care. Making the cut stands for instant success, because customers know that they are getting high quality. And fresh ideas, too. There is decent offering of traditional French produce.
The world’s best cheese shop
The “world’s best cheese place” is in the 7 th arrondissement of Paris, according to writer Harlan Coben. It is not a restaurant. It’s the cheese shop of Marie-Anne Cantin, at 12 rue du Champ de mars. This cheesemaker brings milk into its own as part of a creation, elevating cheese into an art form. This is where people from all over the world visiting Paris taste goat’s cheese or camembert for the first time. It’s the perfect way to top off a day’s shopping with some fine culinary tradition.
Gastronomy alley
Stroll through this alley dedicated exclusively to gastronomy and la dolce vita, devouring the storefronts with all your senses. Pierre Hermé, Yannick Alleno and Thierry Marx have all flocked to set up in what is no longer called Beaupassage, but simply Passage des Chefs.
Afficionados of the 7 th arrondissement of Paris
If you want to allow yourself some time to walk along the Champ de Mars, discover the secrets behind Paris’ most beautiful monuments or stroll along the Quai d’Orsay, ask for the services of a personal shopper and make the most of a moment in the fresh air of Paris’s 7 th arrondissement.
