Vintage: Marchand d’habits

The vintage market in Paris is spread out across the city, but I find that my favorite vintage boutiques are in Montmartre. This particular vintage boutique, Marchand d’habits is a small, cozy shop located away from the busy Pigalle traffic of the Moulin Rouge. The owner speaks English and is very welcoming as he sits in the rear of the shop chatting with his friends who are often there.  By any means, don’t be shy as they offer information on various items in the shop and are happy to give their opinion if you care to try anything on.

I’ve found a beautiful assortment of vintage parasols, gloves, hats, suits, handbags, coats, shoes, accessories, jewelry, and more in this shop all in good condition.   Surprisingly, there are a notable amount of men’s clothes in this collection as well. The prices increased sometime after 2014, but still an excellent selection with fair market pricing, and (in my experience) the owner is often willing to negotiate when you are making a sizeable purchase.

On my last visit to Marchand d’habits I found a cute 60’s yellow dress (how perfect!) as well as a pair of blue polyester slacks and a (somewhat) matching top.  It’s easy to find these pieces, but not so easy to find something I adore in  the right size (or larger where I can make needed alterations).  I have those long legs that my shorter friends wish for, but unlike them my long pants, jeans, and slacks aren’t as abundant in these shops.  If I was 5’2″ I could easily shorten the hem on most anything in my size.  But at 5’10”, I often find myself checking the hem to see if there’s a couple of inches to let out. 

The yellow dress was 30€, pants 25€, and top 15€.  The colorful heels are not vintage.  They were purchased brand new a few blocks away at Meli Shop for 29€ which is located at 50 Boulevard de Rochechouart, 75018 Paris, France.  I was looking for something specifically to match this outfit, and out of the hundreds of shoes in Meli shop, these caught my eye.

I also purchased the brown boots and blue embroidered wool jacket on another visit.  The boots were 30€ and the wool jacket was a great deal at 10€.

Overall, I give Marchand d’habits 5 stars for excellent service, huge selection, fair pricing, and good quality!