Courtesy of Fadwebsite.com and Freedomrecord

How many times have you wandered around a department store, and with every identical rack and bored attendant felt your eyes glaze over and the thrill of shopping fade perceptibly? In my earlier post I wrote about the annoying pretense of many so-called concept stores; that post withstanding, this type of boutique does offer a refreshing alternative to mass-market retail when you’re looking for something a little more… creative.

On a recent afternoon I had the privilege of wandering through Paris with the grandiose objective of visiting and analyzing The Concept Store. As my esteemed colleague Tory had already entertained this blog with her witty rendition of Merci, I was left with a couple must-sees, Colette and Kiliwatch, and the new kid on the block, Suite 114.

Courtesy of Paris.Unlike and Visual Advice

Colette, the mother of all concept stores, houses a rotating selection of streetwear (mostly men), sneakers, sunglasses, cameras and other cool gadgets on the ground floor amongst coffee table books starring models and their friends, various tales of decadent-lifestyles-turned-decadent-careers, and a decent selection of serious magazines. The second floor is a rotating selection of haute-fashion, displayed on mannequins placed strategically throughout the room. None of the labels are displayed, so visitors are left to admire and wonder fruitlessly who/what/where these pieces came from, like a museum without the no-touching rule. There is also a gallery space at the back of the second floor, often home to (you guessed it) collaborations between designers, artists, musicians, etc. The music pumping throughout the space is most likely the product of a Colette-commissioned collaboration between an up-and-coming indie rocker/DJ and a hip-hop star-turned-record-label-exec-turned-fashion-mogul. In fact, most everything you will find here is the product of some sort of collaboration; the fact that it can only be found here, in limited numbers for a limited amount of time places the mythical Colette as a sometimes cringe-worthy patron of  “what’s next?” in edgy-kitschy-pop.

Courtesy of Paris.Unlike

Another store that would call itself “concept” but, refreshingly, lacks the heavy-handed pop-culture ego of Colette is the relatively new Suite 114. Incongruously located in the heart of the un-trendy 7th, this peaceful and unassuming boutique, meant to feel like a luxurious hotel suite, carries a lovely and carefully selected collection of items from designers such as Phillip Lim, Veronique Branquinho, AF Vandevorst and Michel Perry. Clearly intended for the more in-touch ladies of the 7th, the intimate and friendly boutique also (in requisite concept store fashion) featured furniture from a German gallery and photography by Philippe Terrier-Hermann the last time I stopped in. The price-point unfortunately makes this boutique generally inaccessible for actual shopping, but otherwise fulfills the (conceptual) inspiration requirement with flying colors.

Courtesy of MPDclik

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum stands Kiliwatch, the ultimate vintage emporium located in the bustling Montorgueil neighborhood. If the indie music, even-more-indie sales assistants and racks upon racks of items your mother wouldn’t be caught dead in back in the 60s didn’t clue you in, this is where the cool kids shop these days. If you can manage to not be put off by the pervading “this is where it’s at!” air, Kiliwatch actually is an incredible warehouse of gems of decades past – if you have the patience to wade through the slightly overpriced racks. From the fashion-centric hardcovers and special edition glossies in the front of the store, all the way to the extensive menswear section in the back, Kiliwatch makes vintage reassuringly accessible to wannabe fashionistas and hipsters alike. Just watch the neo-retro-punk cashier doesn’t talk you into reconsidering that Madonna-style corset top you had picked up as a joke.

Colette: 213 rue Saint-Honoré, Paris, 75001, 01 55 35 33 90

Suite 114: 114 rue du Bac, Paris, 75007, 01 42 84 07 56

Espace Kiliwatch: 64 rue Tiquetonne, Paris, 75002, 01 42 21 17 37

Ah, the concept store.  Prescriptive, arrogant, attractive, alternately kitschy-cheap and prohibitively expensive; it’s hard to avoid mixed feelings when dealing with these store-size display cases of “cool”. Except, that is, if you wander up the Rue Vieuville in Montmartre and stop by Spree on a lazy, sunny afternoon.

This gallery/boutique was started 8 years ago by low-key creative couple Roberta Oprandi and Bruno Hadjadj, she a designer, he an artist, with the unambiguous purpose of allowing their inspirations to mingle and match.

Whereas fad-meccas like Colette inevitably make you feel like you’re walking into a museum where the docents are the judges and executors of trendy, Spree manages to elusively walk the line of cozy, intriguing and unpretentious. Perhaps it’s the easy smile and friendly manner of the salespeople and owners, or the effortless blending of art and clothes throughout the store, but visitors are refreshingly not made to feel as if they do or don’t belong, and are finally free to be as curious or unimpressed as any shopper should.

On my last visit, artist Bernat Sanso’s work anchored the front of the boutique – from the centerpiece sculpture with a distinct nod to Giacommetti, to the “contemporary cave paintings drawing on archaic pictograms” that filled the walls, nudging an Isabel Marant coat and Marc Jacobs handbags placed just so on Pagholz chairs. The display case contained clothes and was color coordinated with the artwork hanging behind it, in a playfully literal mimic of the store’s founding theme. Bruno Hadjadj’s pieces can also be found throughout the store permanently, and in the past the duo has featured the likes of Damien Peyret, Patrick Messina and Ward Yoshimoto.

Down the central spine of the store, Helmut Lang jeans are matched with straw fedoras and fringed boots under the benevolent eye of Suzie Smith dolls. Kuhn Keramik tableware (“I hate everything”) and Martin Margiela selections populate a tabletop lined by Friso Kramer chairs that are, of course, also for sale. As you finally emerge into the racks that fill the back of the store, the idea of feast after famine comes to mind when faced with row after row of thoughtfully matched pieces. Find a complete list of the designers they carry here.

After emerging from Spree, I marveled at the fact that instead of feeling cluttered and overwhelmed by brands and price tags, sensorial imprints of fabrics, colors, shapes and textures entertained me for the rest of the day. Spree, mission accomplished!

Spree, 16 rue de la Vieuville, Paris, 75018, 01 42 23 41 40

Colette, 213 rue Saint-Honoré, Paris 75001, 01 55 35 33 90