I Recently Moved to Paris—5 Brands I've Fallen In Love With

To help you find your je nais sais quoi.

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In recent years, things have gotten a little blahhh, no? While I’m as big of a Matthieu Blazy stan as anyone else (I mean...that couture show!), there is a quiet triumph in buying something not everyone else has seen. Vintage is, of course, the best way to achieve that novelty—and it’s sustainable. But if that’s less your thing, there are a plethora of beautiful, smallish brands to get lost in. You can read about some of my favorites here, here, and here.

When I moved to Paris, and receiving packages became its own adventure, I stopped scrolling (well, mostly) and started shopping in person much more. A soul-stirring retail experience or multi-brand boutique—and they still exist—is a work of art. It makes you feel what fashion is supposed to evoke: the fantasy, the possibility, the air of reinvention.

Noora Raj Brown posing in front of a mirror

(Image credit: Noora Raj Brown)

While there are some precious stalwarts without ecommerce, like Rubirosa’s in Saint-Germain, who makes gorgeous loafers and crisp button-downs, most of the boutiques I’ve started frequenting also sell online (this is 2026, after all). Below, five brands that quickly found their way into my rotation when I moved to help you find your je nais sais quoi. Side note, they’re all founded by women—unsurprisingly.

Soeur

Sort of the Parisian Toteme, Soeur is also rooted in Scandinavian design. Wearable, but tailored with enough edge to be interesting, I’ve found many of my uniform staples there, including these patent black flats that I wear three times a week and this trench (the shape is so cool on).

Loulou de Saison

Whenever friends come to visit me in Paris and want to shop, I take them down 61 rue des Saints-Pères, stopping at Souer and Loulou de Saison. Charlotte’s boutique, conveniently, is also just around the corner (my full Left Bank guide here). Loulou de Saison is the brainchild of its impossibly cool founder, Chloe Harrouche, and the aesthetic borrows from her idiosyncratic blend of masculine and feminine codes. A friend recently bought this silk dress to wear with this strong-shouldered blazer for a fancy work party, while I’ve been eyeing this drapey silk top reminiscent of '90s YSL.

Charlotte Chesnais

Charlotte’s sculptural jewelry should be enough; but then you meet her, and you really swoon. She is cool in every sense of the word. Interesting, layered, creative. Her jewelry is a study in contradictions, elegant and lithe yet strong. Sculptural yet whimsical. Her alphabet collection, swirly like festive cursive, hangs loosely on the necks of many women at my fashionable Left Bank yoga studio. Next, I’m craving one of her thicker cuffs, to wear over a crisp white button-down and layer with vintage bracelets.

Rohe

Is there anything Róhe doesn’t do well? In addition to their cult frog closure coats, their collections are full of staples that are wearable but never boring. A high-waisted cream pant, a textured leather jacket, a checked wool coat with contrast collar…uniform-worthy staples.

Sézane

In Paris, Sézane’s romantic take on Parisian style is a uniform for many. Founder Morgane Sézalory started the brand by doing vintage drops, and they pay homage to that model by often releasing limited-edition pieces, which sell out quickly. So do many of their collaborations, like their recent one with Sea. Which means that owning a limited-edition Sézane piece has its own clout. I’ve also seen some of them go for more than their original sales price on resale sites.

Noora Raj Brown
Noora Raj Brown
Writer & Founder, NRB Creative

Noora Raj Brown is a luxury brand consultant, writer, and cofounder of La Chute, a cabinet of vintage furniture curiosities. She was formerly the EVP of Brand at goop and a magazine writer. She is the author of the popular Substack Objects of Desire.