Rediscovering Paris As a Solo Shopper

My weeklong spree in the city that started it all.

Going freelance last year reaffirmed something I’ve always known about myself, which is that there are just some things I prefer to do alone, specifically shopping. It’s been over ten years since I traveled to Paris by myself—I studied abroad there for a semester in college—so I figured it was about time I made a solo pilgrimage back to the place that basically invented department stores. (And where I started my first blog. Time is a flat and relentlessly embarrassing circle…)

I scheduled my trip so that it coincided with Men’s Fashion Week, which is much more chill than the women’s equivalent. That way, I could do a little work and get dinner with friends if I wanted to. It was the perfect way to be alone but not lonely.

My goal was to start from the beginning again: Paris Shopping 101. I wanted to visit the foundational institutions that made the city what it is today to remind myself how it’s done. What ensued was both exhilarating and expensive…