Got a thing for vintage or Japanese-style jewellery and accessories? At Culotte, you’ll fit right in. Here, homage is paid to ornamental flora and fauna-themed patterns, seemingly lifted straight out of the ’70s and largely inspired by art nouveau. You’ll also find a host of Asian products that stand out thanks to their eye-catching originality and casual jumbling of styles. As regards material, classic enamelled pieces clink against natural pearls, silver and gold-plated items.
Minako, a designer and self-proclaimed ‘jewellery DIYer’, created this boutique in 2000 after working in second-hand exports to her native Japan.Having got hold of a location for the shop, she found a pile of little culottes (underwear) left in a back room, which gave her the idea for a ‘cute and quirky’ name for her fledgling business. It was full steam ahead for Culotte from then on. Originally focused on selling her own ready-to-wear creations, Minako then set her sights on jewellery. Ever since, she’s been rotating her eminently buyable assortment of dinky pieces every month, as though the shop itself is evolving with her own constantly shifting tastes and day-to-day encounters. The tourist influence is never far away in the Marais, so it’s no surprise postcards, umbrellas and scarves also get a look-in.
Japanese Tabi socks, created by one of her designer pals (and of course, wearable with flip-flops), are priced at €25 and the small leather purses are €8. Earrings range from €5 to €45; pendants from €15 to €50. Several bizarre objects, such as stray doll legs, feathers and belt buckles liven up the necklaces crafted on site by Minako. Chez Culotte, imagination is key.