Thrift Parisian Style

My fabulous cousin Kris has a blog,  a thrifty LA life and early in March she challenged her readers to a March Madness Thrift Competition.   I thought it would be fun to try the challenge, Parisian style.

First I had to find where the consignment and thrift shops are in Paris.  

Much to my dismay, I discovered that there aren't many.  I researched the topic as best I could, and perhaps the language barrier prevented me from finding a treasure trove of thrift shops.  What I did find was information about flea markets (not the same thing), Designer Depots (definitely NOT the same thing!), and Charity shopping (now we're getting somewhere!).  There are also some "vintage" clothing shops, and I stumbled into one of them near the Pompidou, but there were only a few small racks of clothes and a lot of boots and hats.  Somewhere in my research, I read that thrift shops aren't a big hit here mostly because people wear their clothes until they are worn out.  I don't know if any of this is really true, but I did find that thrift shops are not plentiful here.  

If the challenge was to find never-worn designer clothing for less than half the original retail price, I probably would have had a lot of success shopping at the designer depots.  I wouldn't have been able to get anything for less than $20, that's for sure, but a new bag for 800€ instead of 1200€ is surely a bargain for someone! Definitely not me, and it definitely doesn't fit the parameters of this competition.

So I kept digging and finally I found Emmaus - it is an organization similar to Goodwill (bingo!).  They take donations of clothing and other household items and resell them in boutiques around Paris.  I found several locations, but the information I found on them was dated and I was a little bit worried that I would trek across Paris only to discover the shop was no longer there.  

The other research I needed to do for the challenge was to research runway looks and celebrities to find a look I wanted to mimic.  

Since it is spring in Paris, I thought maybe a review of the current Parisian fashion trends would be a good idea.  I found this video, and although it's a bit long, it was definitely worth watching!

 I learned a few things watching this video:

1. There are probably about 10 styles in that whole video that I could pull off
2. There are no styles in that video that I could afford! 
3. The models all look angry, I think I can pull that off
4. I would need to hang by my heels for about 6 months whilst ingesting only water and celery to obtain the shape of most of those models
5. The spring/summer fashions are SHINY!
6. The designers themselves didn't look nearly as spiffy as their models (yay! that's a look I can go for!)
7. I love Dany Atrache!

While I was definitely inspired by some of the fashions, especially those by Dany Atrache, I will reserve that inspiration for looking for a dress for an upcoming wedding.  I needed inspiration for something I can wear every day, casual sort of stuff that would be in reach of my wallet.  I looked all over the web and then finally, I just looked out my window.   I see French women every day, why not take my cues from them?  So I really started paying attention and what I saw on the warmer days when the overcoats came off was a really nice layered look; a tunic or long blouse topped with a light jacket or sweater; a blazer type jacket, a leather jacket, a trench-style jacket...  It almost doesn't seem to matter, as long as there are layers.  Most of the women wear pants and the pants are all over the map - jeans, skinny jeans, slacks, skinny slacks, with our without boots!  I don't see too many hats, but scarves are a must have accessory.  This is a style I am comfortable with!  And probably the most interesting thing about it is that it looks almost exactly like the style Kris mimicked from Nate Berkus! 

So, I've got a style to look for and a shop to find and I did both!  I found an Emmaus shop about 2 km from our apartment, on our way to meet friends for dinner in the 14eme.  How convenient!  The shop was small and it didn't have a lot to choose from, but here's what I found:

H&M Blazer & Etam Tunic - Emmaus

The blazer was 8€50 and the tunic was 6€50 for a total of 15€, and with the exchange rate that works out to $21.31.  I don't think these are great prices and certainly not as good as the prices folks are finding in the U.S.  Etam and H&M are not upscale stores and I suspect that I got these items at 50-75% off the original price and I have no idea how old they are style-wise.  The blazer and tunic are in good shape, and I do feel good about helping out a charity in the process.

It's kind of hard to take a picture of yourself with a hugemongous camera!

I like the look and think I will fit in with the Parisians this spring!

I am anxious to give thrift shopping a try when I return home, and in the meantime, I will be on the lookout for more and better thrift opportunities in Paris.