Retail Watch: Robert Normand's Eclectic Boutique

Despite Paris' rather saturated retail landscape, the recent arrival of Robert Normand's inaugural shop is making French fashionistas' hearts go pitter-patter. Situated between the Pierre Hardy and Acne stores in the stately Palais Royal at 149-150 Galerie de Valois, the boutique's interior design embraces the same brand of eclecticism seen in Normand's womenswear collections. Architect Anne Pezzoni and set designer Louis Benzoni outfitted the space with a mesmerizing Art Deco optical pattern, ocher carpet, swing mirrors and a XIX staircase. For years Robert Normand has been relatively unknown outside of the clued-in fashion set, but the new store and its tony location prove that the brand has finally arrived on the larger style scene.

—Robert Cordero