Cordon Bleu: The renowned Cordon Bleu's Paris campus, way off the beaten tourist track in the 15th arrondissement, remains the heart of the cooking school that has taught some of the greatest French chefs their way around souffles and profiteroles. The school has a small boutique on the first floor that sells mustards, china, T-shirts, aprons and chef's hats bearing the Cordon Bleu logo. An excellent gift for someone planning a trip to Paris is a daylong "Cooking With Friends" practicum, generally scheduled on Saturday and costing about $150. (8 Rue Leon Delhomme, 15th arrondissement; 53-68-22-50, www.cordonbleu.edu.)
E. Dehillerin: Foodies far and wide know about this shop near Les Halles. It looks unpromising from the outside, more like a hardware store than a place where serious cooks would shop. But those who cross the threshold find themselves in a sacred culinary precinct, with all the gadgets and gizmos that help French chefs turn out perfect sauces and pastries: copper pots, madeleine molds, fish poachers and pepper shakers sized like Russian dolls from small to large. No more can be said than that Julia Child was addicted to E. Dehillerin. (18-20 Rue Coquilliere, 1st arrondissement; 42-36-53-13, www.e-dehillerin.fr.)
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Department stores
Galeries Lafayette and Printemps: These are the two big chains in Paris; their flagship stores near l'Opera have gala holiday windows. The top-floor brasserie at Printemps on Boulevard Haussmann has panoramic views. (Galeries Lafayette, 40 Boulevard Haussmann, 9th \o7arrondissement\f7; 42-82-34-56, www.galerieslafayette.com; Printemps, 64 Boulevard Haussmann, 9th \o7arrondissement\f7; 42-82-50-00, www.printemps.com.)
Le Bon Marche: This large, upscale store on the Left Bank near the Sevres-Babylone Metro station has men's clothing on the first floor and women's on the second, including a strikingly seductive lingerie department. A bridge over the Rue du Bac connects the central part of the store to La Grande Epicerie, a huge gourmet-food market. (24 Rue de Sevres, 7th \o7arrondissement\f7; 44-39-80-00, www.lebonmarche.fr.)
Franck et Fils: This store is a like a smaller, more select Bon Marche, carpeted and quiet, where moneyed matrons from the 16th \o7arrondissement \f7shop for Easter hats. Handbags and lingerie are on the first floor; a pleasing cafe, perfume and women's designer boutiques are on the second. (80 Rue de Passy, 16th \o7arrondissement\f7; 44-14-38-00.)
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Gifts
Le Medina: This market sells imported items from all over the Middle East: carpets, pottery, weavings, \o7tagine \f7 dishes, lamps and embroidery. It's the next best thing to a souk. After shopping, have the $10 meze sampler for lunch in the ground-floor restaurant at the institute. (At the Institut du Monde Arabe, 1 Rue des Fosses-St.-Bernard; 5th \o7arrondissement\f7, 40-51-38-38, www.imarabe.org.)
Deyrolle: I know of no store in the world like this. The first floor is a gardening shop with high-quality tools, aprons, panniers, books and prints. Upstairs is a sort of nature shop. If you have your heart set on it, you can buy a stuffed lion or gazelle. More portable and beautifully suited for framing are Deyrolle's preserved insects, butterflies and shells. (46 Rue du Bac, 7th \o7arrondissement\f7; 42-22-30-07, www.deyrolle.fr.)
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Linens
Le Rideau de Paris: This small shop specializes in quilted Provencal bedspreads and coverlets, available in 150 solid colors and 250 patterns. The store also sells classic toile de Jouy fabrics, usually cotton or linen printed with vignettes from old French copperplates. (32 Rue du Bac, 7th \o7arrondissement\f7; 42-61-18-56.)
D. Porthault: When Jackie Kennedy moved into the White House, she bought linen from this refined store. It's like a French linen museum, with prices for coverlets, cocktail napkins, tablecloths, sheets and nightgowns to match the tony address. Whenever I want to give someone a pretty Paris knickknack, I buy a Porthault handkerchief with the facade of Notre Dame Cathedral embroidered on it for about $20. (50 Avenue Montaigne, 8th \o7arrondissement\f7; 47-20-75-25, www.dporthault.fr.)
La Maison Ivre: This store sells table linen and crockery inspired by Provencal motifs but specially designed to make them unique. I once gave a friend a Maison Ivre tea towel that she decided was just too pretty to use in the kitchen. (38 Rue Jacob; 6th \o7arrondissement\f7, 42-60-01-85.)
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Perfume, cosmetics and toiletries
Fragonard: The company, founded in 1926 in the French scent capital of Grasse, makes perfumes, eau de toilette, soaps, creams and cosmetics. In Paris, two Fragonard boutiques also sell beguiling gift items such as perfumed candles and embroidered cotton sacks perfect for fine washables. (196 Boulevard St.-Germain, 7th \o7arrondissement\f7; 42-84-12-12, www.fragonard.com.)
