Fashionable Etienne Marcel

Etienne Marcel is a middle-length street, but a major road for a wild and trendy shopping spree. Start at the eponymous tube station and walk up: you'll find Kabuki, a famous boutique dedicated to upscale designers (Barbara Bui, who owns it, but also Prada and others). There's a Women's shop (at n°21) but a Menswear dedicated space at n°25. A few steps away, you can also check Visitor. The innovative French designers Marithé & François Girbaud are at n°44, and Bill Tornade - a French affordable label - is at 44. Britons won't feel lost at seeing All Saints - supposed to open very soon at n°49.

When you arrive to rue du Louvre and Place des Victoires, enjoy the flagship stores of Yohji Yamamoto, Kenzo or Thierry Mugler. Yamamoto is really good for a twisted yet upscale style, Mugler will seduce Femmes fatales, and the magnificent colours of Kenzo outfits are always very convincing. If it's time for a coffee, take a break at the Lézard Café, a quiet but trendy place. Its terrace is set on a small tree-lined piazza. If you like the art works exhibited inside, you will even be able buy them.
The near rue Tiquetonne is well-known of the young alternative Parisian crowd for its tattoo and piercing shops, and the discussed Kiliwatch (at n°64) which sells a mix of second-hand clothes and up-to-date sneakers.

On place Goldoni (about half-way on rue Tiquetonne), you'll find the longest glass-roofed Parisian arcade linking Boho Montorgueil to low-key Saint-Denis: the historical Passage du Grand Cerf (1825) offers three levels of workshops dedicated to homeware and fashion. Enjoy the poetic and shiny designs of Labo (at n°4), or visit Pachyderme (at n°6), which mixes vintage furniture and contemporary objects. You'll just have to walk a few more steps to reach Rue Montorgueil. Don't miss its famous Stohrer bakery: it dates back from the XVIII th century and keeps a strong tradition of butter-based cakes (try a puits d'amour, a kind of cream puff). You can also taste the famous sweet breads at Le Paradis du Chocolat.

The area is very good for its restaurants too. At 6, rue Mandar, enjoy the Thai cuisine of Silk & Spice and its beautiful orchids in bloom. Les Petits Carreaux (at n°17 on the eponymous street) offers traditional French cooking. But if you prefer a touch of eccentricity, check Le Loup Blanc: it serves delicious pikeperches marinated in savory and piri-piri chicken (a Portuguese recipe) and is also good for a drink in its half-lighted atmosphere. If you miss Napa Valley wines, give a try to Wine and Bubbles (3 rue Française). Its dozens of references should please you!