Never again will I complain about the choice of clothes available on the British High Street. I'm just back from a week just outside Paris staying next to the enormous Val d'Europe shopping centre where I could barely find anything for wearing to buy.
The Shopping Centre itself is amazing. Over 200 shops including a huge Auchan hypermarket which had gorgeous food. Fantastic children's stores and great make-up places like the wonderful Sephora. There was also boutique after boutique including familiar names like H&M and Zara but the real draw for me was the plenty that I did not know. Here are a few:
Bershka,
Dorotennis,
Un Jour Ailleurs. I was also excited to see a branch of
Etam which was a great source of cheap clothes before it departed from UK stores about 10 years ago. However none of these places sold anything about what seemed to be a size 12. It was actually really noticeable that the shoppers there were overall smaller and slimmer than you see in comparision in the UK so I guess the demand is not there, but it was tres frustrating nonetheless to be stuck in fashion paradise without being able to buy anything. Such was the source of my frustration I for a moment seriously considered a cashmere sweater with a Minnie Mouse beaded front on sale in Disneyland Paris for only E138 up to size xxxl.
Not that I came home empty handed mind. I also visited the La Vallee Outlet Shopping Village connected to the Centre which has a truly mind-boggling range of discount stores including Missoni, Givenchy and Christian Lacroix. This is shopping as you actually dream about it. In the end I got a gorgeous Furla bag, though I also nearly splurged on a Marina Rinaldi dress from the MaxMara store.
Oh and Disneyland Paris was great too.
