Paris is good at concept stores. Now, with the opening of the Ralph Lauren boutique in St Germain, it just got a whole lot better at them. But then this is Paris and exciting retail spaces are nothing less than you might expect. What I didn't count on, however, was that America's chief tastemaker would take, so completely, French style so readily to heart.
The minute you step through the building's cobbled entrance, you feel as though you are about to experience something new. And, that, I must say, is not quite what I ever expect from a Ralph Lauren store. New England-luxury? Yes. Classic tailoring? Indeed. A sense of being happily marooned in a five-star luxury lodge in Aspen? Natch. But never, ever something new.
And yet, this is exactly what Ralph's brilliantly conceived new venture offers: a totally fresh take on the 'col'concept store. With its intriguing mix of luxury curios – think vintage Rolexes placed next to current-collection leather goods – cabinets of pastel-coloured folded shirts, Versaille parquet flooring, marble fireplaces and Tiffany vases, luxury is too short a word. This is exquisitely art-directed opulence.
And that's just the retail sections. The ground floor offers sumptous respite in the form of a snug bar which, with its ox-blood leather seats and French oak beams, feels like the kind of exclusive gentleman's club you'd cut your left arm off to gain membership to.
Along the adjoining passageway is the lodge-style restaurant with a giant rustic-oak fireplace at its heart. And, of course, Ralph has sought to accommodate that all-important post-dinner cigar moment, and fashioned in a beautiful garden courtyard to suit.
Just off the store entrance, meanwhile, is the first Ralph Lauren watch boutique. This is the perfect environment for the smart Parisian gentlemen to ponder which one of Ralph's elegant timepieces would best fit his wrist. My bet is that he will settle on the delectably elegant Slim Classique. For Ralph Lauren Paris is a very elegant concept indeed.
Ralph Lauren, 173 Boulevard St Germain, 75006 Paris. (+ 33 (1) 44.77.77.00; ralphlauren.com)
