As some of you may know, I have a borderline *healthy* obsession with all things French. So, when I heard about a lady by the name of Catherine B. who owned two vintage Chanel and Hermes boutiques in France, I immediately wanted to know more.
If you ever go to Paris, make sure to stop by Catherine’s store!
Bisous, Winy
Catherine, tell our readers about your boutique…
My Boutique « Les 3 Marches de Catherine B »is situated in the historical St Germain des près neighbourhood in Paris. I took over ownership of the boutique in 1994 and wanted to keep the authentic feel of an old Parisian boutique.
Since the opening of the boutique in 1994, I’ve exclusively sold Chanel and Hermes items. My role as the boutique owner and curator is to buy vintage or out of stock articles that I love from those two exclusive lines and, sell them to our local and international clientele.
Where do you find these Chanel and Hermes items?
Contrary to warehouses, I buy the items that I’m interested in, in cash from clients who visit my boutique. Over the years, our reputation has been built by establishing relationships with famous and everyday clients. Because my items are of very high quality, we’ve built a strong reputation; most of our references are word to mouth.
People who own Chanel or Hermes items trust the authenticity of the products we sell and buy.
How did you become so passionate about Chanel and Hermes?
Passion kind of just comes to you before you realize it. I’ve always loved the luxurious feel and touch of a Hermes scarf. To me, the most beautiful bag ever created for women is the Kelly bag by Hermes.
The chic and luxury craftsmanship of Chanel, combined with Karl Lagerfeld’s genius is astonishing. I just really love beautiful, well-made pieces.
How can one tell between a fake and a real Chanel or Hermes item?
I’ve been doing this for over twenty years and I’m able to recognize the difference because of my extensive knowledge. You can tell a fake by the way it is made, the year of fabrication and the fabrication codes. The problem with fakes is that they always reproduce the most well-known pieces but they forget that you can tell the difference with the quality. You can’t duplicate hours and hours of hard work and the French “savoir faire” and talent are impossible to reproduce.
What kind of items are found in your online boutique?
We are re-vamping our online boutique. We want it to become more user friendly and showcase a more elaborate version of the actual stock available in our physical store. The online store will resemble our actual physical store.
We have an international clientele, so, our deliveries are worldwide.
Boutiques:
Les 3 Marches de Catherine B
1 rue Guisarde 75006 Paris
+33 143 54 74 18
Boutique Catherine B
3 rue Guisarde 75006 Paris
+33 143 25 64 92
Website : www.catherine-b.com
