vintage + thrift clothing in PARIS < shopping : masterlist >
PARIS DEFINED MAGAZINE »»» STYLE »» SHOPPING » vintage clothing + flea markets
Bienvenue à Paris, global fashion hub, City of Love Binge Shopping. Land of the Chic, Home of the Swank. You get the idea. The Thrift Stores and Charity Shops must be a blast right? Non. Désolée, mes cheries. Pas de tout. There are a few reasons...
Reason Numero Un: Not only is Paris the World Capital of Luxury, but downstream there’s a whole ecosystem of Fashion Effluvia awaiting you. The throbbing biome of fashion students and recent fashion grads and burned out former fashion industry pros could fill all the skyscrapers that we don’t have, but envision that we do for just this metaphor. [La Defense doesn’t count — Paris is the only capital city with it’s financial district outside the city...] THEN add the dark side » the human trafficking rings that put crews on the street in hunt of the good stuff to sell behind the scenes to the vintage shops [!] Ohlalala — it’s a different game here.
[You can skip my < decode > and scroll down to the < edit > if you wanna. ]
These species know their Maje and their CoCo and their 80’s Balmain and they are not afraid to sharp-elbow their way through the Charity Shops and Thrift stores [Thrift shops DO exist: Emmaus, Croix Rouge, etc.] to pan for gold. Or, to survive, if we are to stick with this metaphor. So what’s left at a real, honest-to-goodness Thrift Store is more like questionable housewares [the Brocante [flea market] people, like the Pop-Up Vintage Sale people, got there before you will 9/10 times...], roughly handled baby gear, appliances that work but..., etc. OUI, there is clothing, but it’s not likely to be worth the weight in your checked bag.
The wilder, «you gotta dig a bit» shopping is most likely in the trendier/younger/hipster parts of Paris [Le Marais, Canal St. Martin/Republique,] or the areas well-trafficked for shopping [Les Halles, Bastille] whereas the ULTRALUXE secondhand clothing and accessories are more found in the 8th/15th/16th arrondissements.
So...read on as we < DECODE > how to snag the worth-it Vintage Clothing in Paris.
The same organized crime ring that picks your pockets at the Louvre and on the Metro, and whose seemingly non-threatening young ladies who harass you for signatures on petitions [and then cash...] used to, until recently, lower their children into the large metal used clothing collection bins we have in every neighborhood to fish out the bags of donations, which would then be picked apart on the street in the hunt for Dior, et al. The organizations that place these collection boxes had to redesign the deposit slots...to make them childproof. Like, «childproof». Sigh. The good finds would be hawked to the Dépôt Ventes and Vide-Greniers...There was one of the 1.0 versions of these collection bins on the corner near a place I lived in the Canal St. Martin neighborhood and I used to watch from my balcony as five year olds went into the box through the donation slot and started feeding bags out to their parents. Heartbreaking stuff. Oui, enjoy your shopping. Je suis une wet blanket...
A «friperie» is something similar to what the outside world thinks of as a Secondhand Clothing Shop. It’s not an actual, benevolent, Thrift Store or a Charity Shop — we do have those but they are not really worth the effort for clothing as ~Vintage~ is a SAVAGE industry here and those are picked CLEAN on the daily by PROFESSIONALS who then host pop-up vintage sales [see below for some good IG accounts to follow to find out the when/where] OR sell the curated, worthwhile pieces in their dépôts-ventes shops [also see below [well, fashion in general is a WHOLE THING in Paris, as you already likely suspected...]
A « friperie » is a far reach from the regular random jumble you might envision, however. The friperie experience in Paris is more like treasure hunting - it’s exciting and you’re all but guaranteed some gold by the end. It’s common knowledge in Paris that the best Friperie’s [Friperix? Fripereuax?] are found in Le Marais and Les Halles Areas, although there are a few around Republique. Bon frip!
Episode- 12-16 Rue Tiquetonne [2nd arr.]
Nice Piece- 76 Rue Charlot [3rd arr.]
Chinemachine- 100 Rue des Martyrs [18th arr.]
RAG Vintage- 81 Rue Saint-Honoré [1st arr.]
Love and Dress- 45 Rue d’Haute-ville [10th arr.]
Kiliwatch- 64 Rue Tiquetonne [2nd arr.]
MAD Vintage- 66 Rue Saint-Denis [1st arr.]/ 41 Rue de Rivoli [1st arr.]
Free’P’Star- 61 Rue de Verrerie and 20 Rue de Rivoli [4th arr.]
Hippy Market- 41 Rue du Temple [4th arr.]
Guerrisol - on the very low end, locations around East Paris
WEIGHT, what? Similar to friperies, kilo shops are all about maximizing what you can get with your spend. Regardless of label or look, the price of an item is based solely off its weight. Scattered around these relaxed 80s-vibe outlets are scales so you can take stock of exactly how late you gonna have to pay your rent, Bébé.
Paris has beaucoup of these shops, especially in the Les Halles, le Marais / le Haut-Marais, Republique neighborhoods. Kilo shops offer a different approach to second-hand shopping — kind of a « call of the wild » vibe. If your ride through this incarnation is blessed with ADHD — tread carefully, Les Kilo Shops can be fun and thrilling but a bit overwhelming, like a threesome [ nobody here says, « Manège à Trois » ]
The ability to purchase more for less helps environmentally too, with reduced unwanted clothing going in the trash instead of loving wardrobes. Style is completely subjective, which is why kilo shops are a great way to keep circulating fashion like the woke AF / decadent / little consumer you are.
Here are the ones que je me kiffer:
Kilo Shop- 69-71 Rue de la Verrerie [4th arr.]
Kilo Shop- 125 Rue Saint-Germain [6th arr.]
Kilo Shop Kawaii- 65 Rue de la Verrerie [4th arr.]
Kilo Shop- 10 Bd Montmartre [9th arr.]
Kilo Shop- 23 Rue du Faubourg du Temple [10th arr.]
Kilo Shop- 8 Bd de Magenta [10th arr.]
Kilo Shop BIS- 67 Rue de la Verrerie [4th arr.]
Kilo Shop- 25 Bd Saint-Michel [5th arr.]
March 29, 2023
The other wave of vintage shopping is through a more curated, exclusive experience — the Dépôt Vente. Sometimes these are Consignment Shops, sometimes not. Loved by Parisian fashionistas and plain Jane’s looking to up their game alike, these pricier hubs for vintage luxury are sure to return a delightful treat. If you looked hard enough, you can find Hermés scarves for under €100, Celine bags for under €500, and even Louboutins for under €50. And beaucoup OUTSIDE that price range. Here, les connoisseurs of fashion have carefully scoured for treasures, then styled and presented them for your dopamine-induced pleasure. Beautifully organized and aesthetically pleasing, these shops are extremely popular - no surprise! These are mostly found in les chic quartiers — the opposite of the Guerrisols...
[ you will notice that the 3rd and 4th arrondissements aka le Marais + Haut-Marais neighborhoods are hives of très miam-miam vintage for your gallivanting pleasure...]
en voiture simone // 6 rue du perche // 3rd arrondissement
plaisir palace // 3 rue paul dubois // 3rd arrondissement
malls concept store // 324 rue saint-martin // 3rd arrondissement
lapin boutique // 9 Rue Oberkampf // 11th arrondissement
planete 70 // 147 Rue Saint-Martin // 3rd arrondissement
open dressing // 63 rue de turenne // 3rd arrondissement
iregular // 16 rue victor massé // 9th arrondissement
palace callas // 16 rue du pont louis-philippe // 4th arrondissement
thanx god i’m a v.i.p. // 12 rue de lancry // 10th arrondissement
predilection // 112 rue de turenne // 3rd arrondissement
didier ludot // 24 gal de montpensier // 1st arrondissement
la frange à l’envers // 81 Rue Saint-Maur // 11th arrondissement
the parisian vintage // 20 rue saint-claude // 3rd arrondissement
skat vintage // 25 rue saint-paul // 4th arrondissement
bobby // 89 rue réaumur // 2nd arrondissement
takk paris // 11 rue oberkampf // 11th arrondissement
the room // 14 Rue des Ecouffes + 71 Rue de Turenne // 4th arrondissement
vintage paris // 97 Rue Vieille du Temple // 3rd arrondissement
Pretty Box // 46 rue Saintonge // 3rd arrondissement
Mood: appointment only, bébé, come back next time
Vintage Clothing Paris — 10 rue de Crussol
Editors’ pick
Dépôt Vintage- 14 Rue de la Tour (16th arr.)
Mood: Big bang for your buck
Celia Darling Vintage // 5 rue Henry Monnier // pigalle
Opulence Vintage- 107 Rue Reaumur (2nd arr.)/ 3 Rue Jean du Bellay (4th arr.)
Mood: vintage designer handbags
Monogram Paris- 6 Rue de la Tremoille (8th arr.)
Mood: if you get stressed out by the crowded rails, visit Monogram for an organised closet feel.
La Marelle Paris- 25 Gal Vivienne (2nd arr.)
Mood: without a big online presence, you can grab something uniquely French that no one else has.
Cornerluxe Paris- 45 Avenue Bosquet (7th arr.)/ 6 Place Moro-Giafferi (14th arr.)/ 84 Avenue Mozart (16th arr.)
Mood: affordable Hermès...
Vintage System Shop- 17 rue Barbette (3rd Arr.)
Mood: Freaky and chic family affair
En Voiture Simone- 43 Rue Charlot [3rd arr.]
Mood: everyday chic
Les Merveilles de Babellou- 18 Rue Paul Bert, Saint-Ouen
Mood: a treasure box of Gucci, Lagerfeld, Dior
Retro Chic- 57 Rue de Condorcet [9th arr.]
Mood: pristine condition Chanel bags
Valois Vintage- 8 Rue de Saussaies [8th arr.]
Mood: rare, collectors pieces
Studio W — 21 Rue du Pont aux Choux [le marais]
MOOD: in the know, on the downlow
Chez Sara Vintage — 18 RUE JULES VALLÈS Saint Ouen
MOOD: friends with benefits
These live online, until they don’t — run by eagle-eyed fashion collectives who quite literally pop up a shop from time to time, welcoming you into the ephemeral world they have thrown together in some community center, friend’s warehouse, or empty storefront. To get a feel for the taste of the curators/hunters/clothes hounds [I’ve lost track of metaphors here...] follow them on Insta. This style of shopping creates excitement [it’s like a clothes rave minus the nitrous] and attaches a sense of worth to clothing that good ol’ on-demand, high street stores ~wish~ they could generate. By waiting for the announced pop-up to search for new goodies, you’re probably going to make more meaningful purchases. That means actually buying stuff you need, rather than just want. [Although a shiny new thing isn’t all bad every once in a while]. Find them on Instagram, where you can track their moves. Also, you can see who we follow on Instagram to get a sense of who/what/where to do. [We only follow places [except some friends] we rec so it’s a shortcut for what to do in Paris...]
Et voilà. So many ways to shop and tell yourself it’s an act of ecological resistance. Let me and les filles know what you snagged n’ bagged in the comments s.v.p.
À bientôt !
KissKiss from P A R I S ,
Kat Walker, Editor-in-Mischief
and the team: Elizabeth, India, Kennidy, Maya, Alyssa
PARIS > D E F I N E D MAGAZINE
@parisdefinedmag on the ‘gram
PS: get a « friends + family » reduction on booking any paris tours from now until the end of June with our « sœurs » at The Curiosity Collective Paris by clicking here and using the code « lesAMIS10 »
MERCI <3 for reading PARIS RIGHT NOW dispatch by PARIS > DEFINED MAGAZINE. Share l’amour with those you know who want to be fashionable yet sustainable and/or woke. Being eco-friendly is the new cool mes chéries…
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