All Good Things Must Come to an End: The Closing of Colette, a Paris Fashion Institution

Colette, which has been described by Forbes as ‘The Trendiest Store In The World’, is a Paris institution. Chanel designer Karl Lagerfield famously declared that it’s the only shop he visits “because they have things no one else has”. But Colette is not only for the rich and famous; tourists, locals, young and old, trendy and not-so-trendy, everyone can find something that amuses or inspires at Colette.

Located on the fashionable Rue Saint-Honore, Colette opened in 1997, founded by name-sake Colette Rousseaux. The three level shop, which is largely credited as inventing the concept store, contains a range of products, from designer clothing to street-wear, art books, jewelry, beauty products, electronics and toys. The downstairs ‘Water Bar’ is a popular lunch spot with over 100 different types of bottled water.

Colette is famous for its collaborations, ranging from H&M to Balenciaga. It frequently host events such as product launches, book signings and art exhibitions in its dedicated gallery space making this famous address a popular hangout spot for celebrities and the fashion crowd, from rappers to supermodels and actors. A quick scroll through Colette’s Instagram feed shows recent visitors include Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer. 

But Colette must come to an end, a shocking realization that the world learned with the surprising announcement that after 20 years, the store will permanently close its doors on the 20th of December. A statement released by Colette’s daughter Sarah Andelman explains that Rousseaux would like to retire and ‘Colette cannot exist without Colette’.

Colette, unsurprisingly, plans on going out with a bang. Just recently, in collaboration with Paris burger store Blend, they created an Instagram-worthy blue bun ‘farewell’ cheeseburger which was served in the Water Bar. In the coming months, we can expect many more special farewell festivities.

Colette’s final collaborator – Saint Laurent – is in talks to take over the space from 2018, but for now until closing, Colette will continue to renew itself each week with exclusive collaborations and offerings. So if you find yourself in Paris before December 20th, stop in to say goodbye to this iconic store.

Colette – 213 rue Saint Honoré, 75001 Paris. Open Monday – Saturday 11am – 7pm. 01 55 35 33 90. Metro: Tuileries (ligne 1).

Related Links

• Wish you could get that French chic look? We decode the secrets of French fashion.
• The New York Times, The Guardian and Vogue cover the closing of Colette.
• For Paris’ best fashion stores, head over to The Telegraph and Refinery29.

Written by Ali Postma for HiP Paris. All photos courtesy of Colette. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, London, Provence, Tuscany, Umbria or Liguria? Check out Haven In.