The first l’Eclaireur boutique opened in 1980 in the 28m² basement of the Galerie Marchande at number 84 on the Champs-Elysées. Upon its launch, Martine and Armand Hadida, showed a taste for discovery and decoration. They showcased young designers and, in particular, introduced Marithé and François Girbaud to their clients. They sold the first Timberlands (favoured by Canadian trappers), along with Hogans and Tod’s (Italian driving shoes).

1990 is an important step in their story: they open a second store, which was much larger (300m²), at the Rue des Rosiers (at the heart of the Marais which had barely become fashionable at the time). It was the first time a store married fashion, furniture, decoration and design. It was a great success. L’Eclaireur became an Internationally-known name, and a real stepping stone for stylists and designers.

In 2000, they opened another boutique right on its doorstep, totally dedicated to men. This was followed a year later by the opening of a 4^th store at 10 rue Hérold (Paris 1st district), and a 5^th in 2006 at 10 Rue Boissy d’Anglas (8^th district), for women’s fashion, decoration and a bar restaurant.

L’Eclaireur offers a range of designers such as Ann Demeulemeester, Comme des Garçons, Giorgio Brato, Martin Margiela, Dries van Noten, CP Company/Stone Island etc… You can find incredible pieces there such as Laura B. silver, copper and crocodile belts, or Tobias Wistingen crocodile-skin wallet chains. In the range of waxed jeans, you can find the Kohzo brand, that will not be part of our selection, because of the exceptional price.

As you may have realised, L’Eclaireur is an exclusive, top-of-the-range store, which won’t suit all budgets, but it’s definitely worth going to have a look, a treat for your senses and your sense of adventure. And who knows, you may just go there and splash out! (see our Fashion Guide in Paris)

The opening of the April 77 did happen, as we said it would, and I decided to go and have a look. It’s at 49 rue de Saintonge, at the top of the Rue de Turenne, on the corner of a fairly quiet crossroads (Nearest métro station: filles du calvaires)

From the outside: The slim angle of the seven-storey red-brick building draws the eye, as do the white and green marble slabs above the windows.

Inside: Steven Thomas’s design works really well.

A few neon lights, furniture with beautful curves, a few old magazines, some vintage vinyl, a turntable…You wind your way through the world of April 77 like through a museum. Or maybe, you might say, like through a dressing room! This is perhaps because of the confined feel to the place, the shelves and the open wardrobes.

However, the design, impressive as it may be, is not all. This summer’s collection gives a real feeling of depth. On one hand, the influence of rock from, say, the 50s to the 80s is more noticeable than ever. It’s far from basic polo shirts with plectrum pockets on the chest and skinny jeans, which are undeniably popular, but are not really different from other brands. On the other hand the materials and details have been worked on, and some of it is really beautiful.

• Great looking, light, very soft, black-and-off-white cardigans with gold edging.
• Short-sleeved shirts and polo shirts with breast plates and/or black-and-white tuxedo shirts with unusual buttons.
• Some blazers, a silver Perfecto motorcycle jacket, and some very straight-cut trousers, that you might call well-cut, according to taste.
• Very retro “Supra” sunglasses in all colours.

All this work and investment comes at a price and the beautiful styles are as expensive as they are numerous, unfortunately. Even so, not all April 77 garb is to be praised, and you’d probably have trouble decking yourself out from head to toe in the store. All the assistants are very friendly except, perhaps, the store’s manager. Dont’ forget April 77 is also available from Printemps de l’Homme and Noir Kennedy. Even so, I recommend you go and visit their store. All the items are there (will be) and the ambiance makes the trip worthwhile!

The latest news from the brand is that a new online store, April 77 Market, will open soon. Along with a music label: April 77 Records! (see our Fashion Guide in Paris)

Le 66 is a 1200m² multi-concession store, split over 4 floors, that opened last September at 66 avenue des Champs Elysées.

The first section is a sort of display area presenting the 66 best products du jour. The second section is devoted to trainers and accessories. Puma is showing the whole of their Sport Fashion shoes range: Alexander McQueen PUMA, 96 Hours, PUMA by Mihara Yasuhiro and Rudolf Dassler Shuhfabrik. You can also find brands like Obey, Spy Optics and Urban Mobility.

Further on, you find the 3^rd main space, split over 2 levels. For us men, it’s straight down! There’s no fancy decor: the floor is grey, the walls are black, and a 15-metre-high white wave promotes a selection of the latest clothes. A carefully-chosen selection is on the menu, with brands like El Ganso, Junk de Luxe, Hannes Roether, Moritz Rogosky, The Generic Man, Thomas Burberry, WeSC, Won Hundred, You Must Create etc. And a Kiliwatch corner.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to visit this new store, I invite you to discover Le 66, it’s a nice setting and you will doubtless discover some new things. An address which puts a little something back into Champs Elysées shopping.

Note: This article is the first in a series of articles about a range of stores, which will also fill out our Paris Shopping Guide that you may already know. And, of course, we’re planning on travelling outside of Paris ;-)) (see our Fashion Guide in Paris)