Paris Fashion Week is for many the epitome of high fashion. One of the “big four” of fashion events along with Fashion Weeks in New York City, London, and Milan, Paris Fashion week occurs twice a year. During Fashion Week, designers preview their upcoming collections while fashion insiders wait to see what the next big trends are. If you’re traveling to Paris during Fashion Week, you won’t want to miss these must-visit fashion houses.
Chanel
Chanel lead designer Karl Lagerfeld has dominated haute couture for decades. He has served as the creative director of Chanel for 35 years and his current collections promise more of the same bold fashion he is known for. While there are many Chanel boutiques in Paris, for a special experience, visit the boutique on Rue Cambon which was Coco Chanel’s first boutique.
Visiting 31, Rue Cambon is like stepping inside a fashion museum. Here you’ll find all things Chanel, from clothing and shoes to sunglasses and fine jewelry. Cap your shopping with a sip of Champagne. -TripAdvisor
It would be a crime for a fashion lover to miss visiting Chanel when in Paris for Fashion Week.
Dior
For eighty years Paris fashion has been led by the House of Dior. Currently head by Maria Grazia Churi, recent Dior collections have featured graceful, feminine designs that transcend time. They are a stark contrast to the boldly feminist designs Churi presented in years past.
In addition to visiting the Dior flagship Paris locations at 30 Avenue Montaigne near the Champs Elyseés, extend your trip to Fashion Week to visit the Galeries Lafayette. There you’ll find a limited time exhibition celebrating 70 years of Dior design.
Yves Saint Laurent
No visit to Paris Fashion Week would be complete without a stop at Yves Saint Laurent, an iconic Parisian Fashion house. Founded in 1961, it has dominated haute couture over the past half-century. With 13 boutiques across Paris, you’re bound to come across one as you explore the arrondissements. To dive even deeper into this fashion legend’s story, visit the Musée Yves Saint Laurent. The museum is located at 5 Avenue Marceau in the designer’s former home, a second Empire mansion across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower.
It’s an extraordinary visual narrative, and one which Saint Laurent himself had anticipated. He meticulously catalogued all his work, and from the Eighties onwards began marking pieces with “M” for “museum”. As a result, the curators are spoiled for choice, with a vast collection of 5,000 garments and 15,000 accessories to select from for the main exhibition spaces. -The Telegraph
Givenchy
Givenchy head designer Claire Waight Keller made mainstream news earlier this year as the designer of Megan Markle’s wedding dress at her marriage to Prince Harry. Keller is the first female head of Givenchy and is one of the biggest and most anticipated designers at this year’s fashion week. Recent shows have leaned heavily on influence from Hubert Givenchy’s original designs inspired by his muse Audrey Hepburn. The timeless styles show no slowing down of Givenchy’s almost 70 year reign as a top haute couture design house.
You’ll find Givenchy’s flagship womenswear store also on Rue Montaigne in a historic building. Be sure to look up at the ceiling for signs of the bakery the building housed for hundreds of years. For menswear as well as women’s fashion, visit the boutique either 40 or 64 Boulevard Haussmann.
These four iconic fashion houses are must-visits for style lovers in Paris for Fashion Week. If you are looking for more Paris vacation ideas, explore Our Favorite Restaurants in the Eiffel Tower.
