118/ 10 Vintage Shops Worth Visiting In Bordeaux, Chamonix, and Around Pays Basque
+ online selects if you can't make it in person + new (to me) French brands I discovered along the way + a trip to the Cristobal Balenciaga museum in Getaria
Dear readers,
After a brief detour around the Alps, I’m back to regularly scheduled fashion programming!
What you can expect in this edition:
All of the resale shops in France I visited this summer and liked. I popped into many more, but for one reason or another, didn’t think them worthy to be added.
If you don’t plan on visiting anytime soon, a round-up of online selects from said shops.
New (to me) French brands and places to visit that I think you’ll like too.
This is a long newsletter and I really could have made it into three. But, I have so many posts in the pipeline that I’ve consolidated all of this information into a single piece.
In a recent chat with Rachel of
, I mentioned that I tend not to shop when I’m travelling:Shopping used to be on all my travel itineraries, but now – unless it’s for work – I actually try to keep it off my itinerary so I can explore other aspects of where I am. A part of the reason is that I’m shopping every other day of the year so my vacation is break from that. But another part of it is that, these days, so many of the shopping experiences around the world are actually very similar. You’re seeing the same stores, same brands, and often, it’s available to view and order online. If I’m shopping while away from home, I try to only visit places I can’t otherwise access from home.
“Otherwise can’t access from home”: at the top of the list are local vintage shops, usually run by a hard-working, fashion-loving, small business owners.
We moved around a lot this summer, so I managed to drop into shops around Pays Basque, Bordeaux, and Chamonix, as I did when I was in Paris two years ago, and Tokyo last summer.
Pays Basque — Bayonne
My first stop was the medieval city of Bayonne. I knew nothing about the city, but I was immediately enchanted by the tall, narrow, typically Basque buildings throughout the old Grand Bayonne district.
1) Bizitza
13 Rue de Luc, website, Instagram
Bizitza was the first store on my itinerary. The Basque region encompasses bustling beach spots along the Atlantic, tranquil towns in the interior, and villages nestled into the Pyrenees. Many of the resale shops I visited reflected the region’s more casual, relaxed way of life. Far from the solemnity of many Parisian boutiques, Basque shops were brimming with cheerful prints, colourful sundresses and beachy, boho accessories.
Walking into Bizitza, I knew right away that the shop’s aesthetic wasn’t my own. But at the same time, I remembered my words in my interview with Rachel; that lately, shopping has been less about buying and more about curiosity, and that vintage shops are great for this. And, as it turns out, I did unearth a few gems!
Online Find: This faux fur leopard jacket is available on Bizitza’s website for €65. Leopard print made a resurgence on FW24 runways and is already trickling onto the racks of more accessible retailers. If there’s any print that you should have no problem finding secondhand, it’s leopard print! Expect a Resale Round-up in the coming weeks.
2) Ainsi de Suite
9 Rue Lormand, website, Instagram
Overall, the curation of this consignment store was much closer to my everyday style, and I even walked away with this dress by Italian designer, Erika Cavallini. I was pleased because the brand isn’t easy to access in Canada, and the prices at Ainsi were quite reasonable for a luxury consignment shop (the dress was €150).
