If You're Ever in Paris (part 3)

Image via Google

The final leg of the Parisian journey of awesome vintage clothing takes us to the 2nd arrondissement near Les Halles. There, one finds Killiwatch, essentially Urban Outfitters on crack. The store is insanely large and is packed with clothes and accessories, which you can see from the photos below.  

All images via espacekilliwatch.fr

While the store does carry a wide selection of contemporary brands, I was (naturally) drawn to its very large vintage department which contained an amazing array of bags, belts, boots, and more. The guys' section has an awesome selection of denim, leather jackets, and plaid button-ups (perfect for your hipster boyfriend), while the girls' section has colourful sundresses, cool leather purses, Levi denim cutoffs, and zillions of shoes. I bought the following three items, although I could have purchased much, much more. However, I found Killiwatch towards the end of my stay in Paris and at the that point, I was worried about how I was going to get all my Parisian purchases home so I had to restrain myself.

Turquoise dress

Brown leather shoulder bag

Elastic rose-patterned belt from the 1980's

The prices are pretty standard for non-label vintage clothing and their contemporary brands go for around the same prices as Urban Outfitters. So if you have a lot of stamina and any inclination to the hipster style, check out Killiwatch.



Killiwatch
64 rue Tiquetonne
75002 Paris
Metro Etienne Marcel, Les Halles
Monday 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Tuesday-Sunday 11:00 am - 7:00 pm

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.

If You're Ever in Paris (part 1)

Image via Google

If you're ever in Paris, there's a million things you need to do. Like eat Ladurée macaroons along the Seine. Or drink champagne in front of the Eiffel Tower and consequently almost get arrested (oops). But the one thing you must do if you're as vintage obsessed as I am is go to Come on Eileen. Situated on the Rue Taillandiers, about a five minute walk from the Bastille, this shop is stocked full of vintage goodies and it's probably my favourite vintage store in the world. In addition to a great selection of vintage pieces from the 70's and 80's, the store is packed with amazing designer vintage finds, such as Christian Lacroix jackets, Valention skirts, YSL shoes, Hermes scarves, Burberry trench coats (sadly only for men), and many more items from Lanvin, Chanel, Mugler, and Dior, that are all reasonably priced given the condition and quality. The store has a smaller street level floor (where most of the women's designer pieces are located, along with shoes, purses, and scarves) and the larger downstairs level houses women's sweaters, jeans, shorts, and dresses, and the men's section. Give yourself plenty of time to browse through both floors - all three of the times I went I spent at least two hours in the store. And all three of the times I went I left with great pieces, which you can see here: 

Céline silk shirt

Céline silk blouse

Christian Dior blouse

Please appreciate these buttons

Leather and suede high-waisted shorts

Marni sundress

Brocade A-line skirt

Givenchy jacket

All of the pieces that I bought were between 30 and 85 euros (so between $45 and $115) which can add up to a lot when you shop like I do. However, high-quality vintage pieces, and especially designer vintage, are always worthy investment pieces. 

So if you're ever in Paris, between the baguettes and the wine, check out Come on Eileen.

Come On Eileen
16 Rue des Taillandiers
75011 Paris

Metro Bastille

Monday-Thursday 11:30 am - 8:30 pm
Friday 11:30 am - 7:30 pm
Sunday 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm