Paris' hottest shopping area

Everyone knows that designer labels pepper the streets around avenue Montaigne and Saint-Germain-des-Près, but where can you find today’s most exciting emerging French designers?  There are a handful of up-and-coming labels along rue Keller and rue de Charonne in the 11th; but for a full blown shopping jaunt amid fresh designer boutiques coveted by in-the-know fashionistas, you can’t beat the rue Charlot area in the Haut Marais (3rd).  In this predominantly 17th-century part of town, discreet facades reveal next-generation French labels, hidden vintage boutiques and jewellery makers – the lot interspersed with avant-garde art galleries and cool cafés. This also where you’ll find the Marché des Enfants Rouge (38 rue de Bretagne 75003. Closed Mon) – a luscious food market selling everything from fresh sashimi and Caribbean curries to organic crêpes.

START: At the northern end of rue Charlot your spending opportunities begin at N° 60(Tue-Sat 10am-7pm), where you can pick up edgy fashion by a mix of Parisian and International brands. Designers to look out for here include Lou de Beauregard who does a lovely semi-transparent take of the little black dress; and U-NI-TY for elegant men’s waistcoats and casual jackets. Across the road, at N°55, créateurs Yves Andrieux & Vincent Jalbert (Mon-Sat 10am-1pm, 2pm-7pm) use recycled army fabrics, bold vintage material and antique embroideries to create satchels, cushion covers and clothes quite unlike anywhere else in Paris. While next-door, at N° 53 Nadia Azoug's unisex jewellery sparkles in her jewellery workshop, Monsieur (Tue-Sat 11am-7pm). Prices start at around 80 euros; and at certain times of the day you can watch the jewellery being made. From here, walk past the art galleries (and over rue de Bretagne) to ladies’ shoe heaven, Pring (at N° 29; daily 10.30am-7.30pm) where Thai-American designer Pring Pichayanund Chindahporn sells her rainbow-coloured shoe creations and matching bags. If you’re looking for presents, Les Fées at N° 19, is an Ali Baba’s den for knick-knacks and crockery by up-and-coming French household designers. That’s rue Charlot done and dusted, so head back to rue du Pont-aux-Choux (towards St-Sébastien Froissart métro) and visit the designer vintage boutique Studio W(6 rue du Pont-aux-Choux; Tue-Sat 2-7.30pm) where aesthete William Moricet (alongside his gorgeous golden retriever) sells everything from vintage Yves Saint Laurent couture to jewellery and patent 80s leather shoes. Then wrap up your shopping trip at Merci (111 bd Beaumarchais; Mon-Sat 10m-7pm), Paris’ first ‘charitable’ concept store, where a percentage of profits go to charity. You’ll find everything from gadgets and jewellery, to designer clothes and books.