Flea Market Shopping in Paris

Most people would not think of flea markets when they think of an elegant city like Paris. But, like everything else in Paris, the French do even flea market shopping with style & class. Les Puces de Saint-Ouen is the largest antique market in the world and one of the largest overall flea markets in the world. It was also a 10-minute walk from my apartment on the outskirts of the city.

Les Puces (the fleas), as it is known to locals, is comprised of 3,000 vendors and covers 30 acres. It is actually 15 markets all clustered together. Each market is slightly different but they all make for great window shopping.

There are indoor stalls that look more like miniature showrooms and there are traditional store fronts, open stalls and tents. Mixed in on the maze of streets are cafes where you can take a break and get something to eat.

Flea Market Shopping for Furniture

There is furniture from every era and it all makes you want to buy a new house or apartment just so you can decorate.

Paris Fashion: The Real Deal

For me, the holy grail of this field trip was finding two vintage clothing stores. The two atmospheres were a little different but, in both stores it was hard not to gasp at the merchandise. I touched a REAL Chanel dress, people!

By far, the most extraordinary experience was my visit to Chez Sarah Vintage. Let me be clear: This is NOT a thrift store. This is something else entirely. I imagine that if you are a stylist for a celebrity and they want to wear vintage on the red carpet or to some other type of event, this is the type of store you would shop in.

When I walked in, without a word, the woman handed me white cotton gloves. The message was clear: You don’t handle the clothes without gloves on. Every item was hanging on a padded, satin hanger. There is no photography permitted in the store, so I had to be content with pictures of what was on display in their front window. You’ll get the idea of why I kept gasping once I got inside.

An haute couture dress by a big name designer was typically around 1,200 euros ($1300) and many of the blouses were about 300 euros ($325). For clothing from such famous designers these are bargain prices. Many of the dresses were probably sold for more than three times that when they were new.

Chez Sarah is like a museum of clothing. Every era from 1900 to the 1970’s is represented. You can picture old movie stars in every item. Better yet, you can dream of wearing them yourself. For simple blouses, pants and day dresses to evening wear and outer wear, they sell it all.

The French are famous for their sense of style and at Les Puces de Saint-Ouen you can see an entire range of furniture, clothes, kitchenware and more with that special French je ne sais quoi (I don’t know what).

If supporting artists is more your thing, for unique pieces I suggest you visit this massive collection of artist studios in Huntsville, Alabama.