10 french brands you should be thrifting (and might not know)
for haute-couture, high quality prêt-à-porter and 80s/90s/2000s vibes
Hi everyone! It’s been a minute. In true French fashion, I’ve been taking August real slow. But happy to be back to my regular posting schedule :)
Speaking of French fashion, I’m excited to share some favorite French brands to shop secondhand.
I focused on brands that:
might not immediately come to mind when you think about la France
were created before the 2000s — we’re talking real vintage here!
will land you some real hidden gems on eBay/Vinted/Etsy/Depop/Poshmark
I love discovering highly-thriftable-brands™ and sharing them here is always so fun — alors c’est parti 💎
Quick recap
I’m sharing fun facts and curated finds for each of these brands but for those who just can’t wait, here’s your quick TL;DR (but plz read 🥹):
Guy Laroche — for affordable haute-couture
Sonia Rykiel — for the iconic colorful stripes
Carven — for high quality jackets and bags
Plein Sud — for 80s/90s finds
La City — for pants/suits/blazers at ridiculously low prices
Georges Rech — for Armani quality tailoring, French style
Cacharel — for Courrèges vibes without the price tag
New Man — for sporty aesthetics
Pimkie — for authentic y2k energy
Naf Naf — for great quality basics
Parisian luxury veterans
Let’s begin with these less-thought-about Parisian masters who once ruled the runway from the 1960s to the 1980s.
They’re no longer headlining Paris Fashion Week, but their impact on fashion is still felt today and they’re a treasure trove for interesting vintage pieces (the fabric, the color, the cuts 🤌)…if you just think to look.
1. Guy Laroche
We don’t talk about this Guy enough (sorry, had to)!
He influenced 20th century fashion in 3 big ways. 1. He introduced much-needed bright colors to fashion in the post-war era. 2. He was one of the first Parisian haute-couture designers to launch a ready-to-wear line. 3. And to expand his clientele to the US.
This red wool jacket is a marvel:
And this colorful marble pattern silk dress for under 50€ is such a find:
2. Sonia Rykiel
The “Queen of Knits” started her brand in the 1960s when she couldn’t find comfortable pregnancy clothing and decided to make her own.
She embodied the Parisian feminist of the 1960s, breaking standards by creating "liberating clothes" for busy, sophisticated women. Rykiel was also the first to design knits with inside-out stitchings.
Her most classic knits are striped with pops of colors that you can instantly recognize as Sonia Rykiel:
Secondhand websites are filled with her iconic knits, like this cashmere number:
And fun striped tanks — exhibit A:
3. Carven
Carmen “Madame Carven” de Tommaso founded her haute-couture brand in 1945. She made modern dresses for petite women (she was 1.55m herself!) at a time when haute-couture focused on taller women and more sophisticated, over-the-top designs.
She even designed uniforms for Air France hostesses, Olympic teams, and the Vatican Guards (!). And lived to be 105 (!!!!).
I’m loving this secondhand navy trench:
Discontinued gems
Brands that are no longer on the market but given a second life through thrifting.
Finding great discontinued brands/sub-brands/lines is one of my favorite thrifting hacks. Especially those that were popular in the 80-90s: the clothes still feel so contemporary.
4. Plein Sud
Before starting his brand in the 1980s, Fayçal Amor was an engineer and taught himself how to design clothes.
By 1993, his leather pencil skirt was picked up by Vogue and three years later, Claudia Schiffer was opening the Plein Sud fashion show in Paris.
The brand failed to maintain their momentum in the 2010s but there’s incredible Plein Sud to be scored secondhand.
Like this purple shirt:
Or this cute wool sweater vest:
5. La City
Launched in 1989 with the goal of selling modern workwear for women at affordable prices. They reached their peak in the early 2000s until losing momentum in 2016 and having to close their doors after a few unsuccessful reboots.
I ran into this brand on Vinted when I scored La City beige linen pants. I’ve worn them a million times (including for my city hall wedding).
Secondhand La City is a treasure trove of well-cut basics at ridiculously low prices.
Like this beige dress:
And these chic black trousers:
6. Georges Rech
The brand was launched in the 60s when Georges Rech design women ready-to-wear heavily inspired by men’s traditional tailoring. By 1980, their pantsuits and camel coats were the Parisian working women’s uniform.
In the mid-90s, the company was sold, and officially discontinued in recent years.
Looking for vintage Georges Rech will get you cute shirts like this pink wrap number:
Or this brown faux-fur winter coat:
Ready-to-wear OGs
The best and worst thing to happen to fashion: “ready-to-wear” brands.
Best because they made fashion accessible. Worst because, well, we’ve taken it too far. But once upon a time, the production was more local, the collections less frequent, and the quality better.
Some of my best finds are vintage ready-to-wear. France has a gazillion of these to browse through but here are 4 that are always in my saved searches.
7. Cacharel
The 1960s was the rise and boom of ready-to-wear brands, including Cacharel. The designs by Corinne Sarrut gained popularity quickly and were adopted by icons Jane Birkin and Brigitte Bardot.
Type in the search term “cacharel vintage” to thrift some wonderful pieces like this set:
If you’re into raw silk like this skirt, vintage Cacharel is an incredible place to look:
8. New Man
One of the first French brands to blend American sportswear with the European ready-to-wear fashion. The brand was started in 1967 but gained momentum in the 80s.
The logo was modern for its time and was actually sketched in just 30 minutes on a café napkin. It’s now shown in MoMA’s design archive!
My mom shopped there regularly in the 1990s when the brand reached its peak. And although it’s not actually discontinued, it’s no longer selling a women’s line.
The logo on the corner of their shirts’ pocket was instantly recognizable, like on this shirt:
I love this red sweater:
9. Pimkie
The brand was started in 1971 with the goal of selling affordable knits and denim to teenage girls. It rose in popularity in the 90s-00s, so if you’re looking for authentic y2k pieces (think halter neck tops, pleated skirts, bustier top) look no further.
Plus, it’s easy to spot their old logo on the labels.
Just type “pimkie vintage” and you’ll find pieces like this dress:
Or this purple halter neck top that’s practically Paloma Wool (minus the price tag):
10. Naf Naf
Launched in 1973, Naf Naf only really took off a decade later when they came out with the classic striped men’s shirt redesigned for women.
The brand’s name is actually inspired by the three little piggies (Nif, Naf and Nouf in French). Hence their famous campaign in the 80s called Le grand méchant look (The big bad look).
Secondhand Naf Naf leads to great finds like this metallic brown/green number:
And these impeccable corduroy beige pants:
So? Any of those familiar to you? Which would you add?
I’d love to create more of these country-specific round-ups (looking at you, Italy). It’s a fun way to nerd out on a nation’s fashion history.
For example, I knew the 1960s was a turning point for French fashion, but I didn’t realize just how many brands come from that decade. (I mentioned a date from that decade 8 times in this post!)
As always, thanks for reading this far and I’ll see you next week :)
— Laure
cop. copine
vintage Kenzo
rodier
Wonderful post as always. I love that Cacharel striped set, and I gasped at those stunning 1980s Air France uniforms. Beautiful!!