Monday, February 6, 2012

Some Paris vintage shops

Paris! I didn't take as many pictures as I anticipated, but I do have some recommendations for you. First up: vintage shops. Paris is the very best city for vintage. You'll find everything: cheap piles of clothes, mid range vintage, consignment stores selling recent second hand from the more costly French brands, vintage paradises stocked with mignon hats and purses and a few high end am-I-allowed-to-touch-this? shops. I want to tell you about three stores in particular.

The first was Chez Mamie in the Rue de Rochechouart. The website is for two seperate shops: Mamie and Mamie Blue, located right next to one another.

The first, Mamie, is a three floor treasury. You'll find some amazing things here, but overall, we found the prices were much too steep. 100+ euros for a tiny purses with ripped sewing on the inside? Pass. The couple keeping shop looked amazing, dressed up in full rodeo mode, but weren't very sympathetic. Maybe it was us, maybe they were hungry, we'll never know. In any case, if you like rummaging and don't mind paying for what you find, you'll have a lot of fun here.







Next to Mamie is Mamie Blue. I thought it more conveniently arranged, better priced and overall more pleasant. The hat selection was particularly nice, as was the man behind the counter. He reminded me of a dandy shoemaker, all buoyant and tongue in cheeck.







I'm a little sad I couldn't get a clear shot out of that last one. On the photo is the shopkeeper and a baffling old lady, trying on all kinds of hats and accessories. She almost made a scene when she no longer found the ostrich purse she had intended to buy - turned out one of my friends had been admiring it and put it somewhere else. What's the fun in old ladies if you can't fool them once in a while, right? But seriously, if I were a rich senior citizen, this is exactly how I would spend my days. Advanced Style-ing the shit out of Paris!


Now, the last shop, Boutique Odetta at 76 rue des Tournelles, was in a different league. First of all, this is a kind of vintage concept store. A tiny vintage concept store. It sells vintage furniture, clothes, accessories and a new line of leather goods. The selection is wonderful (special edition Chanel purses, labels à la Dries Van Noten on the racks) and beautifully curated. Sadly, all of this comes with a hefty price tag attached. Also, the owner scared the bejesus out of me. I was afraid to touch anything, let alone ask if I could take pictures. I didn't even dare take pictures outside, which explains the weird angle in the following photograph. But don't let that scare you: I'm just a big fat wuss. I recommend taking a look at the excellent website before you go, that way you get an overview of what they have in stock.

10 comments:

  1. Haha, I'm a wuss too! I can get very intimidated by people, so I don't usually go into shops where I don't think I'll be able to afford anything. If I ever go to Paris, I think I'll feel self-conscious the whole time (especially since I'm American).

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    1. I used to be the same way, but now I usually don't care anymore. Unless it really is exceptionally expensive - you won't see me walking into Hermès any time soon!

      I mentioned in a previous post that the shop assistants in Paris aren't exactly known for their friendliness (although we did meet a few very kind ones), but this is in no way related to nationality, don't worry. They won't be unkind because you're American, they'll be unkind because that's just the way they behave to people. I've had a lot of American visitors here and they were all surprised at how nice Europeans were to them - they were expecting a lot of anti-American snubbery. If you're a sensible traveller and kind to locals, I don't think you have anything to fear. :)

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  2. Great article ! I never dare doing like you, asking to take photos, can I ask you what's your trick for this ? I like more the description of the second, the last one is not my favorite, I am not an all concept store.

    Shug'A'Very from Incognito

    http://www.thinkincognito-eng.blogspot.com

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    1. Oh, it depends. I don't always ask. In my experience, asking before you chatted a bit with the owner is a bad idea. They'll usually be somewhat suspicious and inclined to say no. If I buy something, I talk to the owner after I paid and then ask if he or she is okay with me taking a few pictures (I usually add 'without flash', especially in vintage stores). I've never been refused this way. When I don't intend on buying anything, and I don't really have the opportunity to chat away, I simply don't ask and try to be discreet. If they notice and they make an objection (like they did in the first shop I mentioned here), I immediately put aside my camera.

      The second one was my favorite as well. :)

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  3. Leuke post! Heel handig als ik nog eens naar Parijs ga :).

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  4. I have so much to learn from you in terms of vintage shops! And Mamie Blue will be added to my list for the next trip to Paris...Thanks for the inspiration!

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  5. Love your description of the last shop! It sounds a little fearsome in there. I long to visit PAris again. How lovely for you to spend time lingering in Parisien vintage shops.

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  6. I love Mamie Blue! Bought a hat there the other day. Advanced Style, here I come! Hahaha!
    As for the couple not being very sympathetic... Ach... Yeah, this is how a lot of Parisians greet foreign visitors. It's what a true French experience is about. :s
    Hope you had a great time anyway!

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  7. Sounds amazing. I would really love to visit Paris and of course its vintage shops.

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  8. Oh thank you for putting this together! Odetta looks especially lovely but all three look beautiful. Thank you for the photos.

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