….you go shopping because to not shop in Paris would be silly and a waste of a good trip. I keep the shopping fairly under control and tend toward smaller, more reasonable items. No Hermes scarves for this girl! But I do have fun and indulge a little bit. And shopping in Paris, as you might expect, is special.

This is Galeries Layette, one of the large department stores. This is a favorite of mine. I always find some affordable items (in amongst the very very expensive ones!) and it’s so beautiful with their stained glass dome.

 
Le Bon Marche was a new one for me. They were the ones to come up with the concept of department stores in the first place. It’s also quite pricey; I’m surprised they let me in the door!

A very special stop was at Repetto. The company got into business making ballet shoes for the ballerinas at the nearby Opera Garnier. They still make ballet shoes (there are rows and rows of toe shoes in the store), but along the way they created the ballet flat for ordinary mortals. They have many styles of shoes now, but the classic ballet flat -available in a wide range of colors and materials – remains the most popular. Visiting (and buying at) the store was enormous fun.