Paris at Half Price

Alas, bargain hunters—the biannual soldes, or sales, are coming to a close this Tuesday, February 14. The state-regulated sales are a six-week-long event in which the entire country unites to discount this season's merchandise and clear out what's left. This shopping opportunity brings women out to the streets of Paris to brave all sorts of weather, including the unseasonably cold temperatures we've been having lately.

For students like me, this is the time of year when shopping in Paris becomes something feasible (if still potentially pricey). My favorite part of this season is the deuxième démarque, or second markdown. This means that the strategic bargain hunter won't hit the stores on day one of the sales—at least not with a loaded wallet. A good merchandise-scouting mission is in order for the first weekend, after which bets are hedged and fingers crossed in the hopes that the size you want will not sell out before said deuxième démarque. No matter how tempting the initial discounts, the prices always drop again—sometimes more than once—before the six weeks of sales are done.

For me, this season's victories included a pair of sweater dresses. I was bested, however, by shoe shoppers—all my favorite styles were consistently sold out in my size. It looks like I'll be sticking with last season's winter boots for now. There will be the occasional sale in the off-season, but nothing compares to the soldes. For now, it's time to retreat to the warmer indoors, reassess my remaining wardrobe vacancies, and start a clean page in my mental notebook of potentially interesting shops in preparation for the next time the doors of Parisian stores open to shoppers with smaller wallets.