Reuters writes about Boutique

It's been a great week for Boutique in the press. Today, we are featured in an article on personal shopping on Reuters Life!, the lifestyle service of Reuters news agency. Here is an extract from the story:

But many shoppers in Paris do not just lack the time to hunt after latest trends, they also have trouble finding hide-away fashion treasures, said personal shopper Joelle Diderich.

"A lot of tourists who come to Paris tend to stick to the shopping districts that feature in guide books, like the Champs Elysees and large department stores, and miss out on the beautiful little shops that sell typically French products," said Diderich, who takes clients on tailor-made shopping sprees.

"Most of the time, I take people on walking tours. Paris has fantastic flea markets full of vintage clothes, in addition to super-chic shopping districts like Saint-Germain-des-Pres."

Boutique featured in The Times

Boutique personal shopping was featured this weekend in The Times Saturday magazine. Read the article here. I gave the newspaper's fashion editor Lisa Armstrong a tour while she was in Paris to cover the couture shows in July. Highlights included a visit to Parfums Frédéric Malle, a tour of cutting-edge boutiques including Véronique Leroy and a visit to the hidden part of the Marais district. She shopped up a storm - I won't give away anything more! If you too would like to book a tour, you can find full details on my website. I hope to meet you soon!

Jelly mouse

These Marc Jacobs mouse flats in see-through plastic are cute enough to eat.

The jelly "Mouse" shoe, available in seven colors

Not recommended for city wear...if you don't want to have smelly feet! But they make a great option for the beach, at a relatively reasonable 110 euros per pair.

La Labo nose its scents

The fashion world is all abuzz with the perfume creations of Le Labo, not least because each bottle features a label printed with your own name.


It's all part of the craze for customization, but does packaging really qualify? A real custom-made fragrance can cost several thousand dollars. La Labo, which is based in New York, claims to formulate each of its fragrances "by hand, on demand." Does this mean they are mixed fresh in front on your eyes, or simply bottled? I don't know. The line is carried at Colette in Paris now, so I will check it out. La Labo is said to be developing a special fragrance for Colette that will go on sale in September, as part of the ongoing celebrations of the multi-brand store's 10th anniversary.

Tila March

One of the hottest handbag brands this spring is Tila March, creator of the Zelig, and instant classic made from leather-trimmed canvas that opens up at the sides to carry all your summer essentials.

The small version of the Zelig

Created last year by French fashion editor Tamara Taichman, the bags have been snapped up by Bergdorf Goodman in the United States. In France, they are carried at department stores Printemps and Le Bon Marché as well as trendy store Colette.

Vogue sails with Petit Bateau

Among the essentials for the summer holidays is a striped sailor top. French Vogue and cult brand Petit Bateau have teamed up to produce the cutest little striped T-shirt dress for summer. The mini, which features four gold buttons on one shoulder, retails for 50 euros on www.vogue.fr and www.petit-bateau.fr until April 24. I can only provide a tiny snapshot of it here, so go check it out for yourselves! Warning: toned thighs required.

The Vogue-Petit Bateau sailor dress