Doing your part for the planet by reducing, recycling and reusing while vintage shopping in Paris isn’t just a good-for-the-planet activity — it’s an art, and one that demands a fair amount of trial and error. You can spend hours crawling around a loft full of scarves in search of that elusive Hermes logo, or you can stroll into a high-end shop where it’s already been hand-picked for you — for a price, of course.
Luckily, there’s a wide range of Paris thrift stores. There are the kilo shops (where, yes, you load up on heaps of clothes sold by the kilo — think knockoff-Harley Davidson T-shirts and denim cut-offs). Then there are friperies (thrift stores) which abound in France; the most ubiquitous being the playfully-named FREE’P’STAR, with stores studded around the city where you can treasure hunt for hours. But for those looking for a more curated experience, the gems below offer a range of luxury vintage shopping and bargain bin hunting.
Top Thrift and Vintage Stores in Paris
- Des Voyages
- Thanx God I’m a VIP
- La Garde Robe d’une Parisienne
- Sous Les Pavés Vintage
- Le Coffre
- Les Merveilles de Babellou
- Mam’zelle Swing
- Chez Sarah
- Ding Fring
- Vintage Inspiration Paris
- Violette Sauvage
- Nuovo
1. Des Voyages
Marche Serpette Stand 10, 110 Rue des Rosiers allée 3, 93400 Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine
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If you’re in the market for a Louis Vuitton suitcase, you’ve come to the right place. Another Paul Bert market find located a stone’s throw from Les Merveilles de Babellou, Des Voyages is your one-stop-shop for vintage luggage, with towers of LV luggage nestled beside other vintage trunks and handbags. Fashion and function combine in this luxury luggage and travel accessories shop, which has been operating for 25 years out of one of the many interior aisles of the labyrinthine market (allee 3, stand 110, to be precise). Bags from Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, ultra-chic French luggage giant Goyard and more await.
2. Thanx God I’m a VIP
12 Rue de Lancry, 10e
Infinitely chicer than Ali Baba’s cave, but a fashion treasure trove nonetheless, for a highly curated experience, look no further than Thanx God I’m a VIP. Located in the 10th arrondissement near Place de la République, this concept store has become a fashion institution offering up men’s and women’s pieces within a surprisingly unpretentious atmosphere. Complete with a small café serving coffee and cake, and occasional DJ sets, it’s worth going for the distinctly dust-free vintage vibe. While Thanx God features plenty of pricier designer labels to lust over, it also offers a huge range of carefully chosen budget-friendly pieces, making this the ideal one-stop shop. Ask about their alteration services.
3. La Garde Robe d’une Parisienne
28 rue du Château d’Eau, 75010
The consignment shop La Garde Robe d’une Parisienne is the place to go if you’re looking for true handmade vintage pieces with history. The store is organized by decade, and each section is stocked with exclusively handmade pieces of women’s fashion from quality Parisian brands of the past, many of which no longer exist. The owner can take one look at you and hand you a piece of clothing that will fit you like it was made for you. This place is definitely worth a stop if you’re looking for an investment piece with a story behind it, like a vintage handbag or a perfectly tailored pair of trousers. It’s very new and hard to find, but happens to be right next door to one of the best bakeries in Paris, Mamiche.
4. Sous Les Pavés Vintage
1 Rue Hautefeuille, 6e
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Tucked away in the ultra-chic Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood is perhaps the most aesthetically-appealing vintage store in Paris, Emma Moatti’s Sous Les Pavés (meaning ‘Under the Cobblestones’) Vintage shop, cleverly named for the store’s literally profound depth — it spirals four floors down, with vibrant Pucci tops, Céline coats, and sequin Missoni shirts ripe for the picking. Originally an online boutique where she sold her own line of made-in-Paris clothes and a vintage capsule collection, Moatti took her store to brick-and-mortar in 2020, and wallpapered the space herself in a funky ‘60s pattern. The store features a dazzling mosaic entranceway by the artist Stephanie Lechevallier, hand-painted murals, and other colorful curiosities. “Vintage is important to me because it’s a fashion legacy from past eras, it’s eco-friendly, and most of the time, unique,” Moatti told vintage blog and retailer Coulte in a November 2021 interview. “The fact that vintage is very fashionable these days makes people dress differently — they have independent-minded looks, and that’s terrific,” she added.
5. Le Coffre
20 Rue des Dames, 17e; 62 Rue Marguerite de Rochechouart, 9e; 26 Rue de Ménilmontant, 20e
Packed with cool, one-of-a-kind women’s and men’s items as well as a massive assortment of jeans, Le Coffre owner and stylist Jacky sources everything from sportswear to designer labels across Europe. Founded on the principle that quality can be found at a low price, you won’t find factory seconds with uneven seams or broken zippers here. Just an affordable slice of vintage heaven. Each garment is pre-washed, pressed, and priced according to a simple color-coded system ranging between 2€ and 10€. Choose from their three boutique locations.
6. Les Merveilles de Babellou
10 Rue Paul Bert, 93400 Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine
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True to its name, Les Merveilles de Babellou inside the Marché Paul Bert (the largest of the Saint-Ouen flea markets just outside the Paris city limits) is a marvel of jaw-dropping couture pieces from every high-end designer you can think of. Mannequins model slinky Paco Rabbane chainmail dresses, chunky Chanel jewelry, creamsicle-colored Chantal Thomas sets; the experience is as much a runway show or museum retrospective as it is window shopping (lèche-vitrine, as the French say — “window licking”). The extensive Paco Rabbane collection is particularly notable, with dozens of see-through chainmail, beaded and bedazzled dresses around the bright and airy space (which is decorated with a vintage jukebox, pink chaise lounge, Picasso-style side table and other eclectic goodies). While a good number of the pieces skew more old-fashioned — think oversized ‘80s YSL jewelry and navy blue Dior pumps — there’s plenty here to catch your eye. Just mind the price tags while shopping — most pieces here are rare finds and all are curated to an incredibly high standard, and the prices reflect it.
7. Mam’zelle Swing
35bis Rue du Roi de Sicile, 4e
If your idea of vintage is more retro chic than streetwear sleek, then you’ll love Mamz’elle Swing in the 4th arrondissement. First opened in 1995, Mamz’elle Swing specializes in all things 1920s to 1960s. Shop for skirts and pants starting at 20€, or go all out on an event-ready 1950s prom dress for that next formal invite. Step back in time and let owner Bérenice direct you towards a complete look, or take home one of Mamz’elle’s timeless purses or pieces of jewelry.
8. Chez Sarah
18 Rue Jules Vallès, 93400 Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine
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Making your way down the long, fluorescently-lit hall of Chez Sarah is as close to a time machine as you can get. You pass through the decades: running your hand along beaded flapper-style sheaths of the ‘20s, ruched nightgowns and smart mink-sleeved coats of the ‘50s, the shoulder-padded, brightly-colored dresses of the ‘80s and everything in between, many of them wrapped in protective plastic. While there wasn’t a single piece whose price tag didn’t make my jaw drop (and I heard similarly disappointed gasps from everyone else in the store), this Marché Paul Bert boutique is a veritable mecca of funky finds and high-end vintage pieces. Thinking of it like a tactile museum made the experience more enjoyable, since the prices were out of my range. One thing I would consider splurging on, though, is their delightful selection of vintage bathing suits — there’s a wide range of one and two-pieces that are sure to bring out your inner pin-up. And, all the way down, at the back, there are endless drawers of vintage ribbon, lace, buttons, bras, and, as a bonus, there are some fabulous Dior collector’s Barbies in the display case.
9. Ding Fring
340 Rue des Pyrénées, 20e; 46 Rue du Surmelin, 20e
For the pure excitement of unearthing your own fashion find, head to a Ding Fring, France’s socially conscious secondhand chain of friperie thrift stores. Sure, you won’t find magazine-ready pulled together looks or high fashion merchandise displays, but you’ll still find rack upon rack of men’s, women’s, and children’s clothes ripe for your discovery. Better yet, with 73 locations dotted across the country, you can guarantee choice. Pick up a customer loyalty card to get the very best deals.
10. Vintage Inspiration Paris
40 Rue des Dames, 17e
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A flash of lime green in the shop window at Vintage Inspiration Paris catches the eye. Upon closer inspection of the statement piece, you can see a lucite handle and the word ‘Lagerfeld’ in small silver letters embossed on the nylon purse. At 185 euro, it’s a reasonable price for such a unique designer piece. Nadia, the exuberant owner and unabashed lover of luxury, has a contagious enthusiasm for her pieces and for the transformative properties of la mode. With over thirty years in the business under her belt and five years helming her store in Batignolles, Paris’ hip 17th arrondissement, Nadia’s enthusiasm for every customer who walked in shone with megawatt brightness. In English and in French she insists that everyone try things on, waltzing around the shop and flinging pieces towards eager customers while sifting through her reasonably-priced collection of famous French and Italian designers: butter yellow Courrèges sets, oversized YSL menswear coats and blazers, paper thin Mugler dresses in pink and green hues that screamed of summer, Céline bags and more. Nadia’s motto, “Vintage, but fashion,” is inscribed above the door of the shop, and gets at the heart of her vibe: her collection is never vintage for vintage’s sake, but rather a selection of timeless designer pieces that are toujours stylish and unique, much like herself.
11. Violette Sauvage
Various locations
When it comes to selection, there is no competing with Violette Sauvage, whose pop-up fashion events regularly feature up to 400 vendors. Taking inspiration from the fashion flea markets of Brooklyn and London’s Portobello Road, Violette Sauvage hosts resale pros and individual sellers alike, meaning you’ll find everything from vintage items, to designer labels and recent picks from French favorites like Maje, Sandro, and Claudie Pierlot. There’s something for every budget and because you pay the vendor directly, plenty of opportunity to negotiate on price. While you’re there, enjoy other features including food trucks and beauty treatments. Entry costs 2€ at the door. Check the Violette Sauvage web page for dates and locations.
12. Nuovo
130 Rue de Turenne, 3e
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Dubbed Paris’ most “babetastic” vintage store by Vogue, Nuovo dishes up Jean Paul Gaultier and Versace dresses, label-less mesh tops, metallic pink Gucci bags, upcycled clothes made in-house and more, all priced affordably or reasonably. The pieces are modeled by the incredibly stylish shopgirls who are all friends of the owner, Lisa Lingenti, who picks out new pieces for the shop with her staffs’ individual styles in mind. “Nuovo is first and foremost a women’s affair,” Lingenti told Vogue of her shop’s origin story, noting that the shop “represents all women: Chic, sexy, classy, sometimes extravagant, but always free and independent.” The shop, located in the vintage epicenter of the Marais, is refreshingly laid out like a typical boutique, with a few racks of clothes spaced out around the room, making the browsing experience a bit less chaotic without taking away any of the thrill of the hunt.
Frequently Asked Questions – Thrifting in Paris
Is Paris good for thrifting?
Paris has some of the best thrift stores and vintage shops at a range of price points.
What do they call thrift stores in France?
The French term for a thrift store is a friperie.
What is the most famous vintage shop in Paris?
Thanx God I’m a VIP and Nuovo are some of the most well-known thrift stores in Paris, alongside chains like FREE’P’STAR.
Where is the best place to buy vintage bags in Paris?
Des Voyages in Paris has an amazing selection of vintage bags.
What is the French version of Goodwill?
The French have many Goodwill-esque thrift stores, like FREE’P’STAR and Kilo Shop.
