I Love Paris, Part 2

As you might have gathered from last week's post, there are many reasons why I love Paris. Among them is one that I haven't yet mentioned: the fresh, new shops. No matter where you go in the U.S., you're mostly faced with the same selection. I suppose that's what happens when department stores take over the world? Of course, while you can usually find charming independent boutiques scattered throughout our great cities and towns, there's often repetition with the lines they carry. So what's a girl to do?--Go to Paris!

Shopping in Paris is like starting over. With the exception of the big designers (the blessing and the curse of that pesky fashion monopoly I mentioned earlier), there are countless lines that (a) I have never heard of, (b) are unavailable in the States, and/or (c) both. There are the fabulously infamous concept stores like Merci and Colette (to be discussed in more detail by Miss Sarah when she returns from Egypt--did I mention how jealous I am of my jet-setting friend?), as well as the smaller--yet equally edgy--independent shops as well. And somewhere along this fashionable spectrum is Swildens.

Anne Sophie, the enchanting and bubbly shop girl (as a fellow shop girl, I mean that as a term of endearment--just to be clear) who was part British and part French, might have had a liiiittle something to do with my new found love for Swildens. With the size and appearance of a pixie and the energy level of Mary Poppins, she went above and beyond--going so far as to swap music recommendations with Sarah and telling me that I looked like the model in a music video her ex-boyfriend produced (yes, she actually proceeded to show us the video). Definitely one of my more unique shopping experiences, shall we say? But I digress... The point, dearest fashionista friends, is this: Swildens offers a stunning array of boho chic apparel--made of luxurious fabrics in a variety of solids and prints, always with a flattering cut. And you can't really argue with that.

I, for one, totally fell for a long hippie-esque maxi dress with bell sleeves, which miraculously filled a void in my closet: a maxi dress with sleeves. Anne Sophie helpfully offered some style advice about how to effectively work the dress: wear my hair loose with just a few strands pulled back from my face (the ultimate flower child 'do), with an assortment of long, delicate chains at my neck. While I don't really go for long necklaces--with the obvious exception of pearls--I could definitely agree to the hair style, seeing that it's not all that different from my daily look.

So, if you haven't already guessed, I bought the dress--which is now waiting patiently in my closet for its summer debut. Clearly, Anne Sophie is one fabulous sales person--and with that bit about me looking like a model? Please, she had me at bonjour.

Images, in order of appearance: (1) Paris street scene, photo thanks to the uber-talented, jet-setting fashionista, Miss Sarah Barton; (2) Merci, store homepage (online at http://www.merci-merci.com/); (3) Swildens, shop window, photo thanks to Little Style Box (http://www.littlestylebox.com/); (4) Swildens, summer 2010 dress selection (online at http://www.swildens.fr/).