Making the most of Les Soldes in Paris

Paris is a classy place. The women are fashionable, the men are fashionable, even the babies and dogs are fashionable.

But how do you afford to keep up with les Joneses when you’re on a budget (because let’s say, for example, you’ve recently blown all your money traveling around Asia for a year)?

Les Soldes.

Literally just meaning “the sales”, the Soldes are the best time to shop in Paris, because they are the two — yes, only two — times a year when all of Paris goes on sale.

(Seriously, take a moment to think about that. As an American, that almost made my head explode. Sales only twice a year.)

The entire event is regulated by the government. They set the start and end dates — the Soldes always last for five weeks — and have rules on what store merchandise can be declared on sale (so you know you’re getting the good stuff, not some junk that’s masquerading as marked-down good stuff).

It’s not just clothing stores either — it’s all of Paris. You’ll fill discounts everywhere: on suitcases, kitchenware, lamps shaped like cows. Even the big fancy brands like Hermès, Chanel, and Dior get in on the action (though in a smaller capacity).

My move to Paris was well-timed, as I arrived a week before the start of Les Soldes. Having spent the last 18 months in perpetual summer (Singapore, followed by Australia), I was not at all equipped for a European winter. Les Soldes let me restock my wardrobe in a fashionable Parisian way — without the Parisian prices.

If you happen to find yourself in Paris during this period, here are some tips for getting your shop on:

1. Mark your target

If you have time, go to the stores a couple days before the sales start. Do a little recon: look at your options, try on what you like, mentally note what you want to purchase. When the soldes actually begin the stores will be packed with people, and if you already know what you want to buy, you can be in and out in a dash.

2. Avoid peak hours

Again, this is if you have the luxury of time. The stores are busiest on the weekends, during lunch hours, and in the evening. Go while everyone else is at work (suckers!) and you’ll find the stores looking gloriously empty, leaving you to browse the racks stress-free, like so:

3. Dress for success

Wear simple on/off clothing. Don’t rock up in an outfit that requires buttons and zippers and other such time-wasters — clothes that are easy to take on and off allow for quick dressing room changes, and saves you the annoyance of trying to wriggle out of your skinny jeans for the fourth time in an hour.

4. Buy before you try

Check the store’s return policy — some will let you buy first, try it at home, and then return it later when you realize it doesn’t make you look like that pretty actress in that movie you like. Some, like H&M, actually encourage the buy-before-you-try method, as it makes life easier for everyone in the dressing room queue.

5. Get off the main streets

Forget the Champs Elysees and Galeries Lafayette. Walk around Montmarte, the Latin Quarter, the Marais; anywhere that’s not the main shopping area. You might be surprised at what fantastic — and more unique — finds you can snag at the little boutique shops. I wish I’d realized this earlier.

5. Keep going…

Take advantage of the fact that there’s five weeks of sales. Stores are continuously replenishing stock. Even if your favorite store doesn’t have any winners in week one, going back during week three or four might prove quite fruitful. There’s also the deuxième and troisième dèmarques — the second and third markdowns. After a couple weeks, the discounts get even deeper.

5b. …But don’t wait too long.

If you like something, get it. If you wait too long for an item to get to the markdowns, by the time they roll around the object of your desires may either be sold out, or no longer available in your preferred size/color/etc.

You have to balance selection vs. price: Go early and you’ll have a better selection, but you may pay a little more. Go later and you’ll pay less, but you might not have much to choose from.

Case in point: Above are two of my favorite finds from Les Soldes. I came across the dress on the left during the first week; it was already the last one in stock, and wasn’t my size — but it happened to fit and I happily bought it. I found the dress on the right during the last week, at a higher-end shop I normally wouldn’t be able to afford. Because it was the end of the sales, I got the dress for only 37% of its original price.

If I’d waited for discounts on the first dress, it wouldn’t have been in stock anymore; and if I’d bought the other dress any earlier, I probably would have paid much more — or it might not have even been on the racks yet.

There you have it: how to make the most of the best five weeks of shopping in Paris. Thanks to Les Soldes, I was able to restock my wardrobe with enough €7 sweaters and €20 coats that I can not only last the winter, but feel like I actually blend in with the Parisians, and have enough money left over to feed my growing macaron habit.

The winter sales begin on the second Wednesday of January (unless it falls after the 12th). The 2012 summer sales will run from June 27 to July 31.