From Lanvin's collaboration with Acne to H&M's tribute to Marimekko, the reverence for Scandanavian design is thriving. When you step into stores like Norden, a new shop in the Marais that boasts ‘selected Scandanavian designs' - chosen exclusively from salons around Denmark and Sweden - you'll understand the hype. The concept of ‘selected' is no exaggeration - each piece indeed feels carefully chosen. Collectively, the garments are characterised by flattering cuts and winsome details. Be it a wide royal-purple coat by Wood Wood for the ladies or a doodled Rickard Lindqvist tee for the gents, these are the kind of impeccably sleek yet pared-down pieces so often spotlighted in trendy street fashion photography taken in, say, Stockholm. SM

Another addition to NoMa (Northern Marais), this dense new multibrand store proposes a cutting-edge selection of labels including Citizens of Humanity, By Malene Birger, Sass & Bide, jewellery by Louise Gos and shoes from Les Tropéziennes or Miami designers Alejandra Ingelmo. The store has an ecological bent, too: the fit-out was designed using only ecological materials, and the store encourages its clients to participate in a reforestation project by donating 50c to Planète Urgence. More proof of their generosity, one of the 5 store windows is dedicated to local creative projects - painting, video, writing - under the banner ‘Windows of Life'. We like it.

Diptyque has just opened its second Parisian address in le Marais, a stone's throw from L'Occitane and Kiehl's. The quaint new boutique reflects the brand's clean minimalist packaging with a stark white interior. Though not as spacious as the St-Germain HQ, there's the complete range of the cult Parisian brand: stimulating scents in the form of candles and room sprays and, bien sûr, eaux de toilette. MM

Un audacieux projet de John Armleder spécifiquement conçu pour le Centre qui donne forme à un souhait d’exposition qu’Armleder n’avait jamais encore pu concrétiser. Celui-ci articule les notions de décor, d’appropriation et fait appel à l’ornement en tant que dispositif conceptuel. John Armleder délégue totalement la réalisation de ce projet au décorateur français de renommée internationale Jacques Garcia dont le registre créatif s’étend du minimalisme zen à la surcharge néo-gothique, de l’exotisme du retour d’Egypte à la folie Napoléon III. Il conçoit pour l’artiste un véritable appartement néo-bourgeois dans ses moindres détails, de l’entrée à la salle à manger en passant par la chambre et le salon. Dans cet espace, par essence privé, mais rendu ici public, des laques chinoises et autres savonneries côtoient des oeuvres de John Armleder, Georges Condo et Helmut Newton. Attaché à l’idée ‘qu’une pièce est terminée conceptuellement avant qu’elle ne soit produite’, l’oeuvre de John Armleder est bel et bien ici la réalisation de cette installation de Jacques Garcia selon le principe de la délégation, cher à l’artiste.

The store rocks as much as the skinny jeans. Designed by Steven Thomas (legendary designer of 1970’s London Big BIBA concept store), April 77s first ever flagship is designed with art deco in mind and is entirely custom-made. The almost maze-like space makes you feel like you’re in a time warp, with old-school record players and original rocker magazines displayed alongside studded faux leather (the maison is vegetarian) jackets, acid wash jeans, a great selection of shirts and perfect cashmere. MM

The team behind the Canal Saint Martin’s popular Italian restaurants, La Maddonina and their more recent pizzeria, Maria Luisa, have opened another annex in the upper Marais’ rue Charlot, offering a similar menu and quality to Maria Luisa but for a more upscale clientele. Surrounded by the art galleries and trendy boutiques of Paris’s NoMa (Northern Marais) district, this cozy eatery pulls in the crowds for easy Italian eats: copious platters of charcuterie, quality pizzas, a small selection of daily changing pasta and salad, served with homemade bread and washed down with a limited but good selection of vinos, by glass, pitcher or bottle. Go for a biano and finish with the excellent caramel panacotta. Starters from 7-9€, pizzas from 9-15€. AM

Yukiko is the name of a Marais shop, its friendly owner, and her luxury house brand. The store has been in the same Marais location for seven years, and from her storefront Yukiko has watched the neighborhood morph from an obscure destination for gallery-goers to a fashion hot-spot. Yukiko specialises in haute costume jewellery. It’s, in a word, gilded: chunky and thin necklaces abound, thick cuffs sit alongside dainty brooches. The store also boasts Yukiko’s own silky floaty pieces, plus a small selection of furs, Chanel handbags, and vintage Hermès blouses. It’s the perfect place for the girl who always loved borrowing from mum’s jewellery box (and possibly still does). SM

Long gone are the days when sex toys were hidden inside dark and dodgy establishments; Lieu Commun proudly displays Matali Crasset’s new generation of sex toy in the window. Along with Andrea Knecht and Sara Szyber, via the company Exquise Design, Crasset has taken a by-women-for-women approach to sexual pleasure and come up with a ‘love toy’, products aimed at redefining codes in line with women’s lives today. The first design in the series, by Crasset, is called 8ème Ciel (8th heaven), as much for its figure-eight, explicitly non-phallus form, as for the enhanced sensuality it offers. Following the natural curves of your hand, the eight metal balls inserted in the silicon create a unique organic motion. You can chose from four pastel-shades and the packaging is sweet too. JL

Indie Paris fashion dude Christophe Lemaire has never been shy about declaring his love for music. One of the rooms in his Paris boutique is set up like a recording studio and he also pays tribute to the bands he loves with exclusive fashion collaborations. First up is LOVE…ESG, a direct collab with the all-female post-punk/neo-hip-hop band from the South Bronx. ESG has been around for almost thirty years and have supported such legendary bands as the Clash, or Public Image. Lemaire plans to get them out from under the radar with this cool range of ‘high fidelity fashion’. MM

This cluttered boutique showcases fine-quality vintage, the highlight being the dangerously covetable selection of heels and boots. Whatever pair you walk out with will make you want to run to your record player and continue the pursuit of your own ‘esprit vinyle’. Otherwise messy-haired dolls and even a donkey-on-wheels preside over accessories by Stella Cadente, prim dresses by Ysasu, patterned dresses by Gaelle Barré, and dangly jewellery by Julie Schouvey. All the contemporary brands are inspired by ‘40s glam and its flattering attention to the feminine silhouette. SM