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SÉPHORA Map Cosmetics & Perfume

01 53 93 22 50; www.sephora.com; 70-72 av des Champs-Élysées, 8e; 10am-midnight; Franklin D Roosevelt

Séphora’s flagship store features over 12,000 fragrances and cosmetics for your sampling pleasure. You can spend hours in here and will invariably come out with bags of stuff (and maybe a headache from all the scent in the air).

BOUTIQUE MAILLE Map Food & Drink

01 40 15 06 00; www.maille.com; 6 place de la Madeleine, 8e; 10am-7pm Mon-Sat; Madeleine

The mustard specialist has premade items, but can also prepare an unimaginable 30 different varieties for you, designed to accompany your cuisine, such as the type with chestnuts and pink bay to accompany game or poultry, or garlic and lemon to go with fowl. There is a range of exclusive vinegars too, and the cruets to hold them.

FAUCHON Map Food & Drink

01 70 39 38 00; www.fauchon.fr, in French; 26 & 30 place de la Madeleine, 8e; 8.30am-7pm Mon-Sat; Madeleine

Paris’ most famous caterer has a half-dozen departments in two buildings selling the most incredibly mouthwatering delicacies, from pâté de foie gras and truffles to confitures (jams).

FROMAGERIE ALLÉOSSE Map–5 Food & Drink

01 46 22 50 45; www.alleosse.com; 13 rue Poncelet, 17e; 9.30am-1pm & 4-7pm Tue-Thu, 9am-1pm & 3.30-7pm Fri & Sat, 9am-1pm Sun; Ternes

To our minds, this is the best cheese shop in Paris and worth a trip across town. Cheeses are sold as they should be – grouped in five main categories: fromage de chèvre (goat’s milk cheese), fromage à pâte persillée (veined or blue cheese), fromage à pâte molle (soft cheese), fromage à pâte demi-dure (semi-hard cheese) and fromage à pâte dure (hard cheese). Ask for advice.

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HISTORIC HAUTE COUTURE

A stroll around the legendary Triangle d’Or (av Montaigne and av Georges V) and along rue du Faubourg St-Honoré, all in the 8e, constitutes the walk of fame of top French fashion. Rubbing shoulders with the world’s top international designers are Paris’ most influential French fashion houses (Map; Georges V):

Chanel (Map; 01 47 23 74 12; www.chanel.com; 42 av Montaigne, 8e) Box jackets and little black dresses, chic ever since their first appearance in the 1920s.

Christian Dior (Map; 01 40 73 73 73; www.dior.com; 30 av Montaigne, 8e) Post-WWII, Dior’s creations dictated style, re-establishing Paris as the world fashion capital.

Christian Lacroix (Map; 01 42 68 79 04; www.christianlacroix.com; 73 rue Faubourg St-Honoré, 8e) Taffeta and lace flirt with denim and knits in this designer’s theatrical combinations.

Givenchy (Map; 01 44 31 51 09; www.givenchy.com; 3 av Georges V, 8e) The first to present a luxurious collection of women’s prêt a porter (ready to wear).

Hermès (Map; 01 40 17 47 17; www.hermes.com; 24 rue du Faubourg St-Honoré, 8e) Founded in 1837 by a saddle-maker, Hermès’ famous scarves are the fashion accessory.

Jean-Paul Gaultier (Map; 01 44 43 00 44; www.jeanpaulgaultier.com; 44 av George V, 8e) A shy kid from the Paris suburbs, JPG morphed into the enfant terrible of the fashion world with his granny’s corsets, men dressed in skirts and Madonna’s conical bra.

Louis Vuitton (Map; 01 53 57 52 00; www.vuitton.com; 101 av des Champs-Élysées, 8e) Take home a Real McCoy canvas bag with the ‘LV’ monogram.

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HÉDIARD Map Food & Drink

01 43 12 88 88; www.hediard.fr; 21 place de la Madeleine, 8e; 9am-9pm Mon-Sat; Madeleine

This famous luxury food shop established in 1854 consists of two adjacent sections selling prepared dishes, teas, coffees, jams, wines, pastries, fruits, vegetables and so on, as well as a popular restaurant ( 01 43 12 88 99; 8.30am-9pm Mon-Fri, to 10pm Sat), where tea is served from 3pm to 6pm. There’s a George V branch (Map; 01 47 20 44 44; 31 av George V, 8e; George V) open Sundays.

LA MAISON DE LA TRUFFE Map Food & Drink

01 42 65 53 22; www.maison-de-la-truffe.com, in French; 19 place de la Madeleine, 8e; 10am-10pm Mon-Sat; Madeleine

‘The House of Truffles’ is the