Throughout high school I had an addiction to fashion magazines (never rehabbed). The day when my mother finally forced me to clean out the closet, I grudgingly hauled them off to the trash– but not before tearing off every cover as a souvenir. The hundred or so covers made it into my college dorm room, creating a rather chic crown molding on the ceiling. Among them were Laetitia Casta’s first American cover (Seventeen Magazine), and some of Christy Turlington’s best covers for Elle. Ahhh, the 90′s….
Now I have discovered the best place to revisit all of those magazines I thought were lost forever. The best of them made it to Les Archives de La Presse, the famed bookstore that is a favorite of fashionistas and artists, and located in the Marais.
Piled to the hilt in dusty tupperware bins, and overflowing from the carpenter’s tables, you will find a treasure trove of vintage fashion magazines– from Vogue, to Marie Claire, to Officiel. It is a massive archive, that even extends into entertainment mags, architecture, and history. Little books of French plays and poetry are 3 for 3 euros, and make a great bus ride diversion. The prices are so reasonable, you will be tempted to start your own archive chez vous!
51 rue des Archives, 75003 (Metro: Hotel de Ville)
