If You're Ever in Paris (part 2)

Part deux of the Parisian vintage exploration tour takes us over to le Marais, the gay and Jewish district in the 3rd and 4th arrondissements. The two vintage stores located here were my first vintage discoveries in Paris and while their selections are not as spectacular as that of Come On Eileen, they do offer great retro fashion at a low price point. 

Image via freepstar.com

The first store, Free 'P' Star, probably has the highest amount of vintage clothing per square foot that I've ever seen. The store is PACKED with shoes, bags, dresses, coats, scarves, and much more. I was particularly delighted by the 1-euro bin which held a ton of colourful silk scarves (great for bringing back as presents for friends). Also, the miniscule spiral staircase in the back left corner led to a small basement room filled with awesome leather jackets that were quite affordable. I left the store with a bunch of scarves and a beaded skirt for 10 euros.

The skirt was too big to sit around my waist. I didn't want to belt it because it had beautiful beading around the waistband so I added straps and turned it into a dress.

According to their website, Free 'P' Star now has three locations in le Marais. However, the original and the one I went to is located here:


Free 'P' Star
8 rue Sainte-croix de la Bretonnerie
75004 Paris
Metro Rambuteau, Hôtel de Ville, or Saint-Paul
Monday-Wednesday; Thursday-Friday 10:00 am - 11:00 pm
Tuesday 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Saturday-Sunday 12:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Image via Google

 Fripes Star is Free 'P' Star's sister store and is located just a couple of streets away. It seems to have a more specific focus, that being showcasing clothes from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s rather than a mishmash of varying vintage styles. While the dress and boot selection were pretty stellar, I found that it was a bit more expensive than its counterpart, so I didn't buy anything. It's still worth checking out though.


Fripes Star

1 Rue de la Verrerie

75004 Paris


After shopping, reward yourself for your patience and great finds by picking up a falafel at the nearby (and world-famous) L'as du Fallafel. That was one of my favourite Sunday Paris activities: vintage shopping followed by falafel in le Marais. Man, do I miss Paris.