Shopping in Paris

I never thought I would use a personal shopper. I like to think I know what looks good on me. And I’m very decisive. I’ll know right away if I want something or not. But what a dream to shop in Paris. Knowing I only had an afternoon to myself on a work trip to the “La Ville-Lumière,” I didn’t want to waste my time going to stores where I wouldn’t buy anything. My friend Daniel MacKinnon, the man behind the blog Jet Legs, suggested I make it a mission to buy a dress like no other – a frock you could only find in France.

After a phone consultation with Laetitia Roukbi of The Paris Shopper, I sent her some of my pins of gowns. And after Googling her name, I found out that not only is she gorgeous with impeccable taste, she’s also frequently photographed for her street style fashions. I loved that she went to stores ahead of time, put cocktail dresses and gowns in my size on hold, actually kept within my budget and had a schedule of where we would go. It was like shopping with a friend but better. Honestly, without Laetitia I would have never tried on these amazing dresses.

First, we went to Collette to try on Dior black and white cocktail number, Christopher Kane blue dress with feather trim, and a shape-shifter Simone Rocha pink frock.

Then we went to Dries Van Noten to see two dresses that really excited Laetitia. One was a shift with jewelled feathers, and the other was a backless dress with a feathered skirt (shown with pants and a blazer on the runway).

The fanciest dress was a gown from Alberto Ferretti.

Our last stop was at the French boutique Paule Ka, where I tried on red carpet gowns and glam cocktail dresses.      

Sorry, but I’m not showing the dress I bought. You’ll have to wait for another post.