As we all know, Paris is one of the most romantic, inspiring cities in the world. It is filled with arts, fashion, design, and beautiful architecture at every corner. I spent some time exploring Paris through the lens of fashion, and found some beautiful gems throughout the city. It would take more than a lifetime to see everything that Paris has to offer, but here are some recommendations I have from my visit!
Musée Yves Saint Laurent 5 Av. Marceau, 75116 Paris, France
An amazing opportunity to learn more about such a legend in fashion. The museum is located in the building where Yves Saint Laurent's office was for 30 years - you can stand in the same room where he created his works for 30 years!
Musée des Art Décoratifs 107 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France
This museum is filled with graphic design, decorative Arts, textiles, and other design-related artifacts. When I was there, they had an exhibition about the 1980s where they showed the film, fashion, and design which existed during this "funky" time. Definitely a must-see if you want to see the multi-faceted development of design in Paris!
Musée d'Orsay Esplanade Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, 75007 Paris, France
This museum, built in an old Parisian train station, houses many incredible impressionist/post-impressionist work - including works from Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and many other legends. I would even go just to see the incredible architecture of the building!
Louvre Museum 75001 Paris, France
If you choose to visit only one museum, let it be the Louvre - it is one of the most (if not the most) renowned museums in the world. This nearly two-mile long space houses some of the most prominent art pieces across the globe, including the Mona Lisa. Legend has it would take someone about 200 days to see every single piece in the museum, but I suggest doing some research before-hand of what specific pieces/collections you'd like to see on your visit!
Valois Vintage 8 Rue des Saussaies, 75008 Paris, France
An amazing spot to shop luxury vintage in Paris. They had everything from Chanel tweed jackets, to Hermès Birkin Bags, to Dior purses, and everything in between. Nothing was under $1000, but still a great place to window shop and see some vintage designer pieces!
KILIWATCH 64 Rue Tiquetonne, 75002 Paris, France
A very hip, second-hand store for both men and women! The place is huge - one side is all second-hand shopping and the other is for their private label brand of contemporary streetwear. A great place to find some unique pieces.
RETRO 20 R. de Turbigo, 75002 Paris, France
This was a great vintage shop for someone who is more into the current trends. They had a huge assortment of Levi's denim, leather jackets, and other things that you might see in ready-to-wear stores.
In any big city, it can be extremely difficult to find food that is authentic and good quality. My key tricks are:
1. If it says anything about WiFi, or there is a waiter outside recruiting customers, run!
2. If it's on trip advisor, that's a sign that it's a pretty decent restaurant (most of the time)
3. If you don't hear many people speaking English (both the customers and waiters), you might've just found a local hotspot! Yay!
4. Hole-in-the-wall places that aren't as glamorous are some of the best (but trust your judgement here)
Here are a few places that I was impressed with and even revisited a couple times!
Le Suffren 84 Av. de Suffren, 75015 Paris, France
Located near the Eiffel Tower, this was a great Parisian restaurant which offered great local cuisine, as well as some fresh seafood options. My mom and I went twice for the mussels and the onion soup was also incredible! My mom, who travels to Paris multiple times a year (and who is also a food snob) said that it was one of the best restaurants she's been to in Paris.
Merci Jérôme 66 Av. de la Motte-Picquet, 75015 Paris, France
This was a cute little bakery that we had coffee and croissants at every morning, and grabbed cakes from one evening when we were craving something sweet.
La Banquette 92 Rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris, France
A cute cafe in Marais that is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! We stopped for a quick coffee and croissant first thing in the morning, but I wish I would've been able to try more food. The owner was extremely friendly and had just recently opened up the place!
Come Prima 33 Rue Godot de Mauroy, 75009 Paris, France
My mom and I stubbled upon this little Italian restaurant that had great pizza and a burrata salad! A good option if you're in the mood for Italian food!
Paris in February is cold (seriously, I mean cooooold, and windy). Elevated basics will be your best friend - a pair of trousers, your favorite jeans, a couple of your warmest sweaters, a staple trench coat (I brought both leather and wool), a good blazer, a skirt, a scarf and gloves, thermal tights, comfortable boots, loafers, or sneakers were perfect items to bring to Paris in the winter. I highly recommend doing your best to layer as well – I brought a couple of long sleeve shirts to wear underneath my sweaters. On a couple of our evenings out, I wore a pair of long johns underneath my jeans to add extra warmth to my legs. I genuinely think layering with whatever you can (and hiding it) is the secret to looking effortless, fashionable, and staying warm (otherwise the Parisians are super-human if they can stand that wind with just one layer of clothes). But most importantly – have fun playing around with the layering! Don’t be afraid to try out something new to elevate your outfit to feel more ~chic~ because, after all, you are in Paris!
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