there are plenty of shops, patisseries, and museums that need to be stormed this month. it is not all about the bastille.


take that, louvre.
the new pierre cardin museum is in an old garage, next to cardin's theater. he has filled it with his trend-setting creations through the years - from his oldest styles designed for christain dior through his controversial ready to wear designs. musée pierre cardin. 35 boulevard victor hugo. saint-ouen. 33.01.40.11.60.62. www.pierrecardin.com


light show.
architect christian biecher created la boulangerie fauchon bakery and snack bar in a kaleidoscope of light. sample fresh baked bread, croissants, brioches, and of course, madeleines. the treats, however, are anything but light. 24/26 place de la madeleine. 33.01.70.39.38.00.
www.fauchon.fr


pinch me.
wear a chanel handbag for a friday night cocktail party, carry a chloe bag all day saturday as you shop the boutiques, and then switch to louis vitton for the business trip the following week. a dream come true? nope, you can change designer bags as you wish when you rent by the day, week, or longer from societe SDJ. 2760 route du colonel aurice bellec. aix en provence. 33.04.42.28.02.81. www.sacdunjour.com


safety shopping.
want to do some antique shopping, but afraid of getting ripped off? marché paul-bert and marché serpette offer consulting services, take you to the best shops, negotiate prices, and even arrange shipping. fear no more. 110 rue des rosiers. saint-ouen . 33.01.40.11.54.14.
www.parispuces.com 1 boulevard bineau. levallois perret. 33.01. 56.6.60.69. www.antiquesparis.com


busy guy.
cardin is now 85 years old and you'd think with a museum full of his immortal designs he'd sit back on his laurels. but no, he continues to be active, not only in fashion and the arts but also in other businesses such as the restaurant maxim's. it is housed in a former brothel, not hard to imagine, when you visit the art nouveau museum upstairs. maxim's. 3, rue royale. 33.01.42.65.27.94. www.maxims-de-paris.com


roller girl.
roll but don't rock on friday nights. join about 10,000 other skaters on inline or regular roller skates, for a 3-hour, 25 kilometer glide through paris with pari rollers. friday nights (except in rain) at the place raoul dautry on the esplanade between the tour montparnasse and the gare montparnasse for a 10 p.m. departure. www.pari-roller.com