Men’s Style Revival

I have been fortunate enough to have a work obligation that has taken me to Paris for about three days, and it has been quite a fun adventure being here for the first time by myself. Looking to fill a couple of days, and having done most of the touristy things in previous trips, I decided to explore the options for affordable shopping for men – something that is not always easy in a city of severe haute couture such as Paris. But, seeing how one of the main goals of this blog is to provide men with quality, affordable style solutions, I am happy to take on the Paris challenge – for my own interest as well as yours.

As with many things, location played a huge part in what I was able to find and what was accessible. I stayed this time at the Hotel de L’Arcade on Rue de L’Arcade near Place de Madeleine and Place de la Concorde. I have stayed here once before, but was not quite able to grasp the epicenter of shopping I was in.

Two streets near my hotel that are typically known for the quality and quantity of shopping are Rue Tronchet and Boulevard Haussman. Most places mentioned today will be on one of those two streets or just off of Place de Madeleine.

Timing was the second factor in my successful trip. I was in Paris from July 9-11 – right in the middle of when EVERY retail store in town has massive end-of-season sales before they bring out the “nouvelle collection” – the new stuff. Every shop has some sign in the window or marquis proclaiming “SOLDES!” or Sale!, and most range from the last week of June to the third week of July.

Most places run anything from 20-50% off items in the store, so some good deals can be found, despite the fact that most shops are unaffordable for the average buyer to begin with.

The first thing you notice on the intersections of Tronchet and Haussman is that French department stores dominate. All of your Diors, Chanels, Guccis and Burberrys are there as well, but the majority of property is taken up by the multi-floor mammoth stores.

We’ll start with the most famous, Galleries Lafayette. Typically known as a purveyor of high fashion, especially for women, there were deep discounts and plenty to consider on the men’s side.

There are separate stores for men, women and home with Lafayette, and the women’s store features the classic artistic dome – worth going in to shop just to view that masterpiece. The store for men (homme) features its own line of business wear, much like a Nordstrom does, and all of those items were on sale. I found (and by “found” I mean bought) ties for about 13 Euros, or $20 – they were regularly 40 Euros or more. Their dress shirts ranged from sale prices of about 19 Euros to 40-50 Euros. I spotted other designers such as Alain Figaret, Kenzo and Armani at 50% off as well.

Most of the top designers featured many items on sale, but even 50% off is sometimes not enough to make a dent in a 600 Euro suit. But, with about five floors featuring things like accessories, urban wear, business and shoes, there were still many deals to be found.

A Galleries Lafayette clone down the street is Printemps L’Homme. Much like Lafayette, Printemps showcases separate men’s and women’s stores, and also like Lafayette, features all the expensive items you want.

Printemps had things laid out a bit differently, however. Many of their best sale items where featured when you walk in the front door, so you don’t have to look very far to find deals on Lacoste or Thomas Pink. Beyond that, I did not find may discernible differences between Printemps and Lafayette – both feature similar fashion with similar floors and similar deals. Still, a few more affordable items could be found by digging deep at Printemps, in my opinion.

Next up are a couple of lower priced department stores, akin to a Macy’s, for a local comparison. C&A is a much more affordable alternative to the previous stores mentioned. You are not going to find Hermes and Dolce & Gabbana at C&A, but plenty of lower-end European manufacturers who have quality clothing (especially in the way they fit) are sold there.

C&A was started over 100 years ago by two brothers, and although it has had some rough times financially lately, it is still a staple all over Europe. I was able to find a belt I had been looking for from this store for about 15 Euro. Probably the best overall prices were at C&A when considering the sales in each store.

A retail outlet I had never heard of before caught my eye as my day was almost over – a store called Madelios. The slogan for this one was most interesting.

Basically, “Le Grand Magasin Pour Hommes” means The Big Store For Men. Madelios seemed to be like a large conglomeration of many men’s stores all in one place – with the prices and quality falling somewhere in the middle of Lafayette and C&A – but everything seemed to be disjointed here. No real rhyme or reason in how it was laid out. I didn’t find anything here I couldn’t live without.

Speaking of low-priced men’s stores, I would be remiss to not mention one of my favorites, H&M.

I know there is nothing earth-shattering about H&M, and that everyone knows about it, but since there is STILL not one in the city where I live – only the third-largest city in America – I continue to have to visit them when I travel to other locations.

This one on Boulevard Haussman is not the best one for men (there is a bigger one in another part of town), but I did find a great purple tie on super-sale for 5 Euro.

On my way back to the hotel, I actually ran across a store I have grown to love – Salamander shoes. If you remember, I discussed Salamander when I wrote a post about wingtips and how I loved the ones I bought there in 2007. Fond memories, I guess, but it was good to discover how close it was to where I was staying.

Shoes are always fun to browse in a city like Paris. There is something about the way they are displayed and how they all look lined up next to each other in the window that just makes you want to purchase them.

And yes, those shoes are all on sale – you may notice some of the “Super Prix,” or Super Price signs on shoes thay say 119 Euro or 129 Euro. Yes, that’s more than $150, but it’s just what you are going to pay in Paris for dress shoes. Be prepared. But also notice how narrow these shoes are and how you can’t find a bulky or clunky one in the bunch – I love it.

One disappointing part of the exploration came when I ran across this on a street corner:

Uniqlo is a Japanese clothing line that I was recently turned onto when GQ highlighted some of their suits that were very reasonably priced. You can’t find them at all in the U.S. (although you can order Uniqlo online), and it looks like I missed the Paris store on Haussman by a few months, as the signs all say that the shop will open fall of 2009.

Otherwise, however, I would have to call my two-day excursion a success. I found some stores I am sure to frequent when I come back, and found deals that would not otherwise had been offered had I been there at a different time of the year.

If you’re ever in Paris and can’t seem to find anything but the out-of-this-world boutiques, try Tronchet and Haussman – you’ll do much better.