Onze

When I first moved to Paris I used to live around the corner from Onze, where I would stand in the window drooling over the slightly-mad jazz shoes they seemed to always stock. These days, not much has changed.

Onze is the kind of shop where if the staff weren't so lovely, you might be intimidated to go in. But don't be: inside awaits a treasure trove of goodies, plucked from some of the most interesting contemporary designers from around the world. Belgian, Italian, Japanese, French... The feel of the collection is a little bit Berlin and a little bit Tokyo, yet somehow distinctly Parisian (without drowning in all that black). Dresses and separates dominate, but the accessories lines (the shoes! the shoes!!) are just gorgeous: there are even designer socks if your feet are that way inclined.

With a great amount of foresight, the lovely Chantel Fortin opened Onze in the newly-popular Oberkampf region about 8 years ago. Just a stone's throw from either the Marais or Canal Saint Martin, the streets around rue Oberkampf and rue Amelot are today literally buzzing with lively and often eccentric activity. The area is so "new" (ie newly cool) that it doesn't even feature in most guides to Paris (to the collective relief of locals).

Chantel and her staff appear to have heralded something of an Enlightenment of the Oberkampf area, for now it's almost impossible to walk 5 metres without being lured into some inviting bar, bistro or boutique. Onze is a great place to start - whether you are window shopping for the hell of it, or looking for something chicly offbeat to face the Parisian summer, Onze offers a decisive and well-edited view of what to expect from the season ahead.


Onze / 11 rue Oberkampf / 75011 Paris / Ph: (+33) 01.43.55.32.11 / Metro: Oberkampf or Filles du Calvaire / Hours: 2:30pm - 7pm Monday / 11am - 1:30pm then 2:30pm - 7pm Tuesday to Friday / 11am - 7pm Saturday / http://onzedesign.com/