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The most famous avenue in the world is discreetly undergoing a face lift. After decades of being overrun with fast food chains, movie houses and airline offices, luxury brands, trendy stores and fancy eateries are putting the luster back on the Champs-Elysées image. Last February marked a giant step forward for an area best known as a tourist trap. Louis Vuitton reopened on the corner of avenue George V, not only raising the property values but also the hopes of the business community to attract other prestigious companies to the area. Add to that last year's opening of Ladurée, a remake of the prestigious rue Royale tea room; Sephora, Europe's largest and most modern perfumery; the Paris Mariott Hotel-Champs Elysées, the newest palace in the neighborhood; as well as the anticipated arrival of Gap and Zara's new store and you have all the trappings for an exciting new shopping center. Of course, the Champs still has a long way to go before it regains its early century prestige. Fast food restaurants, airline offices and boutiques hawking tacky garb, jean-clad tourists, gypsies and motorcycles still abound. There also exists the curious pop culture mix of Disney, mega-record stores and Planet Hollywood commingled with bleak shopping malls, gaudy movie houses and nondescript brasseries, all gawking at the luxury stores across the way. Stretching a mile and a half, the avenue opens with Marly's horses (erected in 1795) and terminates at the Arc de Triomphe (1836). The Champs-Elysées (Elysian fields), which begins at the Obelisk of Luxor, was once an open field on the side of a hill, dotted with dairy farms and cottages and plagued with crime. In 1616, Marie de Médicis had the southern portion planted as a promenade for herself, naming it the Cours de la Reine (Queen's Way). Famed landscape architect André Le Nôtre planted double rows of chestnut trees in 1670 and gave it its current name. During the Second Empire, architect Jacques Soufflot leveled it to make it more accessible for the parade of stylish carriages that contributed to the prestige of the area. The Rond-Point intersection at avenue Montaigne separates the commercial half of the boulevard from the gardens which used to be Marcel Proust's "playground" and which are now frequented for their puppet theaters and landmark restaurants. The first businesses to hit the Champs were British harness makers and carriage merchants, appearing as early as 1822. The advent of the automobile age saw these merchants replaced by car dealers like Peugeot, Rolls Royce, Mercedes and Renault who set up prestigious showrooms just before World War I throughout the 1930s. Renault, formerly at #51 then #53, has maintained a permanent presence at #63 and has the distinction of being the first to set up a "pub" in France (in 1963). The earliest luxury firms appeared at the turn of the century. Guerlain perfumes, which still stands in its original marble, mirror and crystal chandelier grandeur, moved from rue de Rivoli to the Champs in 1913 and marked the event with a perfume honoring the illustrious avenue. (A second edition of "Champs-Elysées" was launched in 1996. Worth noting: Guerlain concessions are the only places where you can purchase their fragrances.) A modern counterbalance to this old world haven of refinement is Sephora two doors down. Within a spacious, deep locale decorated in black, white and red with mirrors animated by product commercials, every imaginable fragrance, beauty product and cosmetic is available. At the entrance, there is a bookshop with fashion magazines and books on style and beauty. Inside, testers allow you to try every scent and makeup in the store without having to ask for help, even though plenty of sales assistants dressed in long, black suits and one felt glove are ready to step in and lend a hand. Coincidently, Sephora occupies the building where Louis Vuitton first set up shop in 1914. Today Vuitton is back on the Champs at #101 with a clean, modern superstore selling its famous line of bags as well as a collection of women's and men's clothing and accessories designed by American-born Marc Jacobs. The street's first resident fashion designer, Anabel Couture, arrived in 1935 and staged a fashion show set to music which was simultaneously broadcasted over the radio. Le Bon Marché department store opened near rue Washington in 1927 (but moved in 1950). Prisunic followed in 1932 and continues to sell popular priced items, foodstuffs and clothing. (It is the only store of its kind in Paris open Monday through Saturdays until midnight.) JM Weston, the shoe store to the presidents, opened in 1932. Today they continue to sell both ready-to-wear and made-to-order footwear as well as a line of women's shoes. That same year, the first scandal hit the Champs; a store called Rosemonde sold dresses for 150F which caused as much ruckus at that time as the arrival of the fast food palaces did in the early 1980s. In 1945 Madame Carven, a high fashion designer catering to petite women, provided the avenue with its first haute couture address. In all, by 1950, over 250 merchants populated the boulevard. The Champs, with its arcades and galleries that were erected from 1926 through the late '80s, are magnets for tourists new to the French capital. Most of them are of no interest to Parisians, particularly since their products are usually over-priced, but there are a few exceptions. Galerie Elysées 26 is the best of the lot, with chic stores like Agatha (costume jewelry), L'Eclaireur men's boutique (featuring Comme des Garçons, Ann Demeulemeester and Jil Sander), Stephane Kelian (shoes) and a pleasant looking Bistro Romain hidden in the back, with outdoor dining set against a modest waterfall. The Claridge, named after the prestigious palace hotel, has some multi-brand shops on the ground level, but most folks head directly downstairs to FNAC for CDs, computer supplies, cameras and stereo equipment. Virgin, however, has a much bigger selection of everything, though you might want to avoid the weekends and the occasions when the store organizes a visit from some rock star. At Galerie des Champs (84) there's "La Pelucherie" a veritable stuffed animal kingdom populated by ostriches, polar bears, black panthers, giraffes and kid-size ponies. Downstairs is bleak however, there's Quarterback for sports fans in search of baseball caps from around the world, high-tech in-line skates and sneakers. Other recommendations for shopping on the strip include Zara at #44. This Spanish version of the Gap sells affordable clothing for young men, women and children in clean, stylish lines. The day I passed by, I found dresses for 459F, pants: 379F, men's jackets priced between 699-799F and trousers at 329-359F. Light (#102) is a multi-brand store selling kicky, young labels like Kookai and Morgan along with Calvin Klein accessories. While you're in the area, stop and have an ice cream at Haagen-Dazs (#144) or take in the Tinsel Town experience at Planet Hollywood. The restaurant is downstairs, and upstairs there's a good-size boutique for collectors of Planet's worldwide t-shirts. At #97, there's old-established Fouquets where the rich and famous have met since it opened in 1899. At first it featured an "American Bar," then later in 1910 added a chic restaurant upstairs. After World War II, it became a meeting place for movie stars. Today it continues to attract the international "jet-set." |
