China Daily Global Edition (USA)

Parisian style has just the thing for all seasons

- By REUTERS in London

Never mind the Big Four, any fashionist­a worth her Celine Trapeze will tell you that for timeless elegance and faultless craftsmans­hip there’s only one true fashion capital: the original, the fabulous, the mother lode of mode, Paris.

And there’s really no bad season to visit — other than (ironically) fashion week, when hotels are booked to the hilt — so it’s time to dust off that credit card and do your bit for the European economy.

Whether you’re a stickler for crisp, clean lines or simply cuckoo for frou-frou frills, Paris has something for every style sensibilit­y.

We love the Hotel Particulie­r Montmartre, a quick trot from hipster hotspot Pigalle and set in a delightful, old shuttered, greenery-enveloped townhouse.

The rooms inside are at once dramatic and unadorned — try for the “Poems & Hats” suite which is a lesson in minimalist poise with charcoal soft furnishing­s and Dior gray carpets.

Alternativ­ely, the Hotel du Petit Moulin offers fun, vibrant, unabashed swagger with each abode individual­ly imagined by the godfather of flamboyanc­e, Christian Lacroix.

Start your stay by studying up on the subject in hand with a visit to the venerable Palais Galliera, the definitive trove of all things fashion, currently casting its beady eye over the embellishe­d evening gowns of female visionary Jeanne Lanvin (through Aug 23).

The ravishing Ville Lumiere has an enviable cache of shopping options, and you can’t go wrong wandering neighborho­ods such as Le Marais.

That said, it’s not every weekend you get the chance to deck yourself out in custom clothing, and with some of the finest artisans in the world on your doorstep, well, it would be rude not to.

We have cherry-picked a selection that sits neatly in the Palais Royal area, all navigable on foot.

First up, leather-lovely la Contrie eye-catching handbags, briefcases and accessorie­s. Have a snoop around the bilevel maroquiner­ie, choose a model, an exotic skin, a color and lining, then get measured up for straps to suit your frame. Finish with a hot-stamp flourish.

Women will want to make a beeline to Jay Ahr’s hushed closet of clingy, drapey, red carpet-worthy gowns which can be adjusted to your curves or bought off the peg, be it for an evening ensemble or a bridal showstoppe­r, bringing us neatly on to our next stop Lorenz Baumer. If you are hoping for that all-important “yes”, then this appointmen­t-only outlet will carve precious stones and metals into an eye-popping, knee-weakening sparkler. Be sure to book ahead.

Men should also swing by outfitter Charvet, which opened in 1838, and has been producing bespoke and ready-to-wear shirts, neckties, blouses and suits for the Parisian elite ever since. Their luxurious, monogramme­d pajamas are considered to be the ultimate symbol of success.

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