Unique Boutique: Shopping near Boulevard St. Germain, Paris
Welcome to “Unique Boutique”, Divento’s hand-picked selection of original shops in our favourite arrondissement of Paris: le sixième.
Turn off the bustling Boulevard Saint Germain and take a wander through the narrow winding streets of the quartier to a veritable feast of original clothes, gifts, accessories, restaurants and watering holes.
If you’re looking for Prada, Gucci or Chanel, this won’t be your stomping ground, but if you want to come home with something that you won’t find in every big city and airport, this is the area for you.
This is just a brief selection: It took us just over half an hour to pick out our favourites. But there are heaps of other fabulous addresses, so set aside stacks of time (and money) to make the most of it.
Head to Rue Princesse, where you should nip into Nadine Delépine for Imaginatively designed jewellry, bags and scarves and other bits and pieces. All designed and made by the lady herself, who will probably be sur place.
Once you've snapped up a few accessories, head over to Anne Elisabeth on Rue Mabillon to marvel at an inspired collection of original designs. Bright colours and bold prints set this boutique apart from the rest.
The next shop to hit is Carven on the neighbouring Rue de Grenelle. This fashion maison dates back to 1945, and was relaunched five years ago. It is now, once again, producing very original clothes, but at fantastically reasonably prices, designed by 36-year old Guillaume Henry, ex Givenchy and Paula Ka.
Next stop, head over to Pierre Marcolini for your made to measure mind-boggling chocolate box. Boxes range from €20 to €140, dependent on size (...and also on will power).
It's time for candle sniffing. In 1643, salesman Claude Trudon arrived in Paris and became the owner of a store in Rue Saint-Honoré. The Trudon line has survived throughout France’s rich history, continuing with high-quality wax production. In 2007, Ramdane Touhami revived the prestige of Trudon with new ranges of candles aiming to make the scented history known. Check Cire Trudon out at 78 Rue de Seine.
No shopping excursion could be complete without a face cream or two so pop into Oh My Cream! to pick up something very special there.
A five-minute walk will take you to a simply amazing flower shop: Au Nom de la Rose. If you want to make a statement to somebody very special: order a custom-made bouquet, some are even sold in hat boxes!
Calling all jewellry lovers out there... pop into Au fil des Perles to escape into a world of classic-but-imaginative designs guarantee timeless jewels that will become the perfect complement to any outfit.
Finish your shopping in a designer's dream: David Hicks is an original store where you can buy or simply admire the original bold and geometric designs which are applied to almost everything from furniture, rugs, wallpaper, tableware...