soldes in Paris

The "soldes" in France last five weeks and are held twice a year, mid January and toward the end of June; literally everything is on sale, with deeper discounts as the sale progresses, so that by the end you can often get things at 70 - 80% off their original price.  By law, stores in France can't just have sales whenever they want to, although they can have "promotions" of items they want to move periodically but not within a couple of months of the official soldes period. They also can't bring in special merchandise just for the soldes and then mark it down like many American stores; it has to have been in the shop for at least a month before the sale period. Although every kind of merchandise from clothing to hardware is on sale, for our purposes we are going to focus on clothing and accessories which is what most French women go for.  In fact a lot of them manage a couple of days off just to shop the soldes.  There are a couple of reasons I love the soldes; as an American who comes to Paris frequently, the unfavorable exchange rate is a real challenge when shopping. Even as good a shopper as I am, I still am paying 25-35% more because of the value of the euro to the dollar.  With the soldes markdowns I am saving at least that percentage and often much more.  French women tend to shop the higher end items as they go for quality over quantity.  I like to aim for both as much as possible and have discovered some wonderful places to shop that will be even more fun during the soldes.  This year the winter soldes start January 11 and run for five weeks.  I will be in Paris for the first 12 days of the sale and will be sharing my finds with you.   Most shoppers will scope out items several days in advance so that they can scoop them up at the beginning of the sale.  Although they markdowns are bigger toward the end of the soldes, often the selection is narrowed; I will be hunting down bargains on everything from cashmere to lingerie, both for myself and resale at a few "trunk shows" in the states.   Stay tuned for more!

Bonjour, this is a test run of my new blog - be sure to follow me on my adventures to Paris and beyond - tips on fashion, flea markets, food and fun!  xoxox gwen