New Years' Resolution, the sequel

Wow, week 2 and I am still going strong! The second part of my resolution has to do with ol' ma earth. She has really been taking a beating the past few centuries, and although it is not all my fault, I would like to participate in the solution. That means many things in our household; flourescent light bulbs, canvas shopping bags, a worm compostor and buying USED!!!

The idea comes from a group of families in San Francisco. One New Years Eve they were sitting around the table discussing the environment, materialism and our consumer society. They came up with the idea to buy nothing (except food and articles of hygiene) new for an entire year. Something breaks? Fix it. Or borrow, or find another solution. The project was a success. By the end of the year, they were getting ready for year two and many others had climbed o board. It is now a full-fledge movement and they have named it The Compact.

My 10 year old was shocked and disgusted with the idea of buying used clothing for back to school this year. The horror abated a bit when she realized that she could get five pairs of jeans at the Montreal Salvation Army for the price of one pant leg at the GAP. Even better, we found GAP, Diesel and other really cool designers. She began to come around, but still made me promise a "real" shopping trip upon or return to Paris.

Trying to stick to my environmental principles without drowning a kid in dogma, I kept my promise for a a trip, but guided my innocent lamb to the local depôt-vente (consignment shop) Chercheminippes. A Burberry skirt (20E) with the tag still attached, a DKNY trench (40E) and a few comic books later, she was sold. Buying previously owned is the way to go.

Chercheminippes is a great resource for fashion conscious shoppers looking for a bargain, or to save the planet. They have five shops along the 100 block of the rue du Cherche-Midi in the 6th arrondisement and yesterday I saw that they are adding a sixth. There is a shop for men, children, housewares and two for women . I have found some major bargains there over the years. For example, an antique Ikat (Balinese textile) for 1/10th its value, sterling serving pieces, ski gear for the girls, and countless scarves and handbags, including the striking red purse pictured above.

If I strike out there, or if I am looking for something the very high end designer items, like LV, YSL, Chanel, Hermes or DIOR. I head up to number 4, rue Mayet to FanFan where the Japanese owners seem to have an in with all the Japanese saleswomen in the fashion world. These women make use of their employee discounts to turn the goods into cash. This consignment shop has more "new with tag" articles than any other I have ever visited. But to be true to my resolution, I must avoid those items and stick to the rest of the stock. I don't mind and I almost feel guilty with the wealth of choices before me. Never had a resolution that was this much FUN!

The handbag other items described are for sale if you'd like to make one of them part of your Paris wardrobe, contact Mme Sylvie, shoplikeaparisian@yahoo.com