Once the most celebrated avenue in Paris, the reputation of the Champs Elysees has been greatly tarnished in recent months by the violence and destruction the Gilet Jaunes have inflicted on it. Also, once the marker of retail luxury, the Champs Elysees in the past few years has given way to cheap food and retail chains such as Five Guys and H & M.
The tides are turning on the Champs Elysees by the opening of a new Galeries Lafayette. Housed in the former Virgin Megastore, the four-story, 700,000 square foot space is a breath of fresh air in the faltering times of big store retail. The building was constructed in the 1930s and some of the original Art Deco details have been restored thanks to Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, who respected the architecture and at the same time updated the design for the 21st century with innovation and style.
Interestingly enough, Théophile Bader, the founder of Galeries Lafayette, bought a hotel on the Champs Elysees in 1927 to open a branch of the store, but the crash of 1929 dashed his hopes. Today the new generation of the Galeries Lafayette family is fulfilling Bader’s dream.
I visited the store last week and was very impressed, considering I find most types of luxury stores like this much the same, featuring the same merchandise and brands. Yes, they sell the top luxury brands such as Chanel, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, and Gucci, but they also sell some cool, more under the radar labels such as Haider Ackermann, Sacai, JW Andersen, By Far, Thom Browne,Elie Top and an exclusive collection for the store by Rei Kawakubo for Commes des Garcons.
Going through a tunnel-like entrance on the main floor, facing left is a grand marble staircase and brass banisters, something you would find in a 1930s movie musical with dancers parading down the steps. There’s also a replica of the bottom half of the Eiffel Tower climbing up to the second floor atrium. The sleek cosmetics and beauty department is a glossy affair with mirrored walls and counters, rows of quirky color nail polishes and festive, white paper streamers hanging from the ceiling.
The second floor is a designer’s showcase, where the big bang brands are sparsely displayed on racks so that each piece stands out on its own. On the cutting edge of technology, the digital hangers have a touch screen that tells you the sizes the garment is available in and also directions to the nearest fitting room. Don’t want to wait on the queue to pay for your purchases? No worries, the 300 store stylists will ring you up straight away, in addition to assisting you with finding the best personal look for you. The men’s fashion department is equal in size with the women’s, which is rare, and also has cutting edge labels.
I frequently go to the movies on the Champs Elysees because the theaters are some of the best in Paris, but it’s always difficult to find well-priced, casual restaurants because there are either fast food joints or overpriced tourist traps. The Galeries Lafayette Champs Elysees has an excellent food court with a good selection of appealing food counters and communal tables to sit at. I had a swell, spicy Asian chicken salad at Little Zhao for lunch for 7€ and other offerings in the food court include paté at Maison Verot,vegan fare at Maisie Café, and seafood from Kaspia Deli. On the dessert side, there are branches of Pierre Marcolini and Alain Ducasse chocolate, plus the only outside branch of Stohrer, the oldest patisserie in Paris. Good news is the food court is open till 10PM every night and the store until 12AM.
Cult fashion designer Jacquemus, has partnered with Kaspia restaurant, to open a Citron, a Provence inspired restaurant that is the new chic boite to be seen at.
Galeries Lafayette Champs Elysees
60 Av. des Champs-Élysées, 75008
Metro: Franklin Roosevelt
https://www.galerieslafayettechampselysees.com/
Links Eye Prefer
Check out the article about inexpensive restaurants in Paris by Alec Lobrano for the NY Times
Many of you weren’t able to come to my photo exhibit at the Pont Royal Hotel in February and March and I am sorry you missed it.
I am now offering the selection of photos from the exhibition for sale by mail order. Since they are prints and not framed like they were at the exhibition, the cost is considerably less.
Photos come in three sizes
- 10 X 12 inches Price $60
- 12 X 15 inches Price $95
- 16 X 20 inches Price $125
- Shipping in the U. S. by U.S. Mail is $12 per order
- A 15% discount applies for orders of three or more photos
- Photos are printed Fuji Archival paper
Click here to view the full selection of photos
https://www.richardnahemphotography.com/eye-prefer-paris-exhibition
If you would like to order photos, please email me @ [email protected] and I will process shipping and payment.
Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more. In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.
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