What To Do On A Haute Trip to Paris -- France, Not Hilton

A haute shopping trip to Paris is just what every fashionista needs. For the girl or woman who covets Yves Saint Laurent, slip on this cuff and either dream you are shopping in Paris or book a flight and shop the world's rag-trade capital.

What woman wouldn't want to be delivered to Yves Saint Laurent, Avenue George V, Paris. A haute trip to Paris to shop like a Parisian woman might include browsing through bijou boutiques, vibrant markets, or historic arcades. Its haute couture offers the ultimate in style and elegance. If you get there via airplane or cuff, here is a list of places you must include on your shopping list:

The Triangle d'Or - the neighbourhood consisting of Avenue Montaigne, Avenue George V, and Rue Francois 1er near the Champs Elysées - puts you in the heart of Parisian luxury fashion shops, filled with top brandname stores like Dior, Chanel, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Lancome, Givenchy, Cartier and Yves Saint Laurent.

The big-name designers also dominate the shops on Avenue George V.

Galeries Lafayette and Au Printemps, two of the city's top department stores
on the Right Bank of the Seine. Paris' graceful and historic arcades combine
shopping and sightseeing.

The Palais-Royal is unmissable, with a superb selection of antique shops and
perfumeries.

The various districts of Paris tend to specialise in different goods. For
art and antiques, prime areas include the rue de Seine, rue Jacob and rue du Bac near the Saint-Germain des Près church, and the Carré Rive Gauche near the Orsay museum.

Behind the Palais Royal, one will find the Garment District (also called Sentier), and the sophisticated Place des Victoires. The modern retro boutiques and Asian-themed shops are the highlights of this district.

Rue de Rivoli, rue St Antoine, Samaritaine, BHV, Les Halles and the Beaubourg feature several shopping malls, with global brands such as Marks & Spencer and Gap catering to the masses, but who would want to shop Gap in Paris.

However you might find yourself in Paris -- whether it be via an airplane, a dream, or the YSL cuff, watch out for the falling dollar. The dollar isn't very haute right now -- the exchange rate is 1 Euro equals 1.51300 U.S. dollars -- but c'est la vie.