Figure 1.--This Au Bon Marché shows some of the hat and cap styles French boys were wearing in 1935. The straw hat at the top seems particularly popular in 1935. They look very similar except for the hat band.

Most historians claim the Magasin au Bon Marché in Paris was the world's first true department store (1852). Au bon Marché is still a large Paris department store. HBC has acquired some Au Bon Marché advertisments for boys clothing from the early 20th century. It is considered by some to be the oldest and the classiest department store in Paris. Gustave Eiffel had a hand in its design. Womenswear (first floor) carries avant-garde as well as classic designers and a sophisticated lingerie department. Elsewhere you'll find a glossy menswear department, kitchen and household items, bedlinens, curtain fabrics, furniture, stationery, a large bookshop, children's toys and clothes. Shop 2 contains an excellent food hall, bar and restaurant, as well as an antiques arcade. The term Au bon Marché had two meanings in French, 1) bargain store and 2) good spending spree (but without the pegorative English sence). [HBC note: I am not sure what pejorative term our French reader refers to.] The store was patronized by a wide-range of Parisians. It help set styles in france. It was not a bargain store, the merchandize was rather expensive, comparable to " Galeries Lafayette " or the " Samaritaine ".

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Created: September 11, 2002
Last updated: 4:59 AM 3/19/2005