1st Day in Paris (Part II) - Rain and Galeries Lafayette

After the dreaded "canard" incident at the restaurant, the weather turned a bit nasty. Where earlier it was drizzling, the winds were steadily picking up and the droplets were getting heavier. Hubby had to split and take off for work, but not before highly recommending a visit to Galeries Lafayette for fancy boutique shopping. I had never heard of this "Lafayette" mall thing and honestly had no idea what I was about to see.

First, some facts. The gallery/ies was founded in 1894 (over 120 years ago!). It originally started with a small shop off of Rue de La Fayette, where it got its name. Over the years the surrounding buildings on Rue de La Fayette were also purchased, and after some remodeling and reconstruction the mall was finished in 1912. Galeries Lafayette is, in itself, a franchise with malls all over the world. Within its buildings are sold well-known (and mostly expensive) products from popular and luxury brands. There are three buildings in Paris: one for house and food products, one for men's fashion, and the last building (where we were!) which features women's fashion and cosmetics, their iconic dome (look at those legs and high heels!), and rooftop view. All in all, offering six floors for tourists to explore:

Level 1 - Cosmetics and Women's Fashion (smells HEAVILY of perfume)

Level 2 & 3 - Big Brand Clothes, Creative Clothing, and Jewelry

Level 4 - House, Bath, Lingerie

Level 5 - Children's Boutiques (Baby G's favorite)

Level 6 - Souvenirs, Treats, and Restaurants

Being cold and rainy outside, and it remained this way for the rest of the day, Baby G and I hung out at Galeries Lafayette until hubby finished working. Walking around I saw all the big brands: Parada, Levi's, Dior, Chanel, Gucci, Cartier, Celine, and more! Seeing items from 2000€ sweaters (Parada) to 14,000€ gold necklaces (Cartier). No joke, when I was checking out the clothes at Parada, I noticed the clothes sizes were different (i.e. 36, 40, 42...) than in the US so I asked the shop assistant what the sizes would translate to. She just kept telling me "Oh, that's a small... Oh that? That's an extra small". It wasn't until later when I researched European/US sizes that I found a size 40 and 42 were actually a Large. So yeah, this lady looked me up and down and knew I was full of s**t and wouldn't actually buy anything. Well played, madame...

Feeling in over my head (and wallet), and tired of brushing shoulders with elites and crazy rich Asians (it was SUPER crowded), I decided to head to the children's floor... And Baby G had never been happier! Toys, Toys, Toys (and cute baby clothes) galore! Now, I'm not a "boutique" kinda gal, as boutique items are usually very pricey and not always the best quality in my humble opinion, but when in Rome you do as the Romans (and tourists) do. I ended up buying a few limited edition clothes along with some toys for the baby, especially when I purposely packed light on both items. Her favorite pastime, aside from playing with all the toys, was hugging this giant bunny dressed in Victorian and vintage clothes. This was too adorable not to take a picture!

Did I get something for myself, you may ask? Certainly not! Well, at least not this time. After we wrapped up at Petite Bateau (love this brand!), I found an H&M across the street that I was perfectly content with. Something I realized though, I find clothes in general to be more expensive in Europe. So much so, I think I'll stick to my thrift shops for the time being. Maybe I'll find a rare gem, and finally own something Parada after all? One can dream.