Chic Parisian style-setters love treasure hunting at the centuries-old flea markets

Paris flea markets are crackling with energy at 7am on a Sunday morning.

You start at the Porte de Vanves, a rather tatty but lively flea market on the southern periphery of the city. Glancing over a jumble of impromptu stalls and tables cluttered with crystal decanters, the short-attention-span flea market shopper finds framed etchings, rickety chairs, artists' easels, gilded ceramic bowls, rare art books, African carved masks, terra cotta bowls, delicate porcelain cups, and dubious groupings of oxidized hardware and murky faux-Rembrandt paintings.

An array of crystal bowls, art school portraits, and curvy iron garden chairs comes into view. The spirit lifts. Perhaps there will be a treasure here after all.

The art of the Paris flea market is to know what you want - art books, white ironstone, watercolors, old Hermes handbags, or fine etchings, that can all handle being thrown in your luggage and will make the flight home to California without breaking.

When you know what you seriously desire, you can quickly search for your prey, and zero in on the perfect ceramics, candlesticks, dusty old volumes and prints, and monogrammed bed linens. A quick discussion with the alert dealer and polite bargaining gets the right price. The object of your desire is wrapped in old newspaper, and you head off in search of more loot and small luxuries.

With hands in pockets and serious determination, you stroll through hundreds of stalls, quickly by-passing tables piled with old cameras, bundles of dusty drapery fabrics, torn library books, broken shop fixtures, beyond-repair kitchen utensils, and mediocre Chinese porcelains. It's relaxing there beneath the sycamore trees.You're likely to bump into French film directors and actors, Miu Miu-wearing Japanese teenagers,pipe-smoking German professors, noted decorators, French students, London art dealers, famous Russian set designers, San Francisco couturiers, and a colorful band of rich and impecunious and very passionate collectors who will all sharply elbow you aside as they dig for treasures. It's wise to wear a backpack, so that hands can be free to scavenge.

Most of the merchandise at Porte de Vanves market comes each weekend from all over Europe. At this is informal market, vintaqe stuff is "in its juice", which means it has not been restored, sorted, cleaned, edited or repaired. It's straight from Granny's attic or an estate sale or a small-town antiques fair. Restoration may be needed, so it's all offered at the lowest possible prices with friendly haggling expected. Antiques dealers also roam this flea market, and once they've purchased the tables or chairs or chandeliers, they'll polish them up, fix the wonky leg or chipped seat. Their re-sale price will be considerably higher.

After two or three hours at Vanves, it's a quick Metro trip to Clignancourt on Paris's northern periperhy. This is the classic, centuries-old flea market and one of the largest in the world with around 2,500 permanent stalls. Knowledgeable flea-market fiends quickly traverse the teenager-trap sneaker shops and walk to the rue des Rosiers where antiques booths and covered markets are permanently set up. Wandering through the Marche Vernaison and Marche Biron, collectors lust after stalls of crystal flutes or antique toys, gold jewelry and Venetian mirrors, and shudder at the fake (i.e. made-in Egypt) Louis XV chairs and overly elaborate faux French Empire tables and benches.

After a fast coffee refuel, it is on to the indoor Marche Dauphine for old photographs and prints, Vallauris earthenware, blackened silverware, linen napkins, rustic chairs, tattered rugs and vividly colored runners. This is not the most stylish place, but many collectors prefer the junkier stalls. Dealer lore says that the worse the stall, the more likely a true bargain can be unesarthed beneath the dross.

The chic stalls, and the ones that attract discerning New York interior designers and artful dealers from San Francisco are those at the Marche Paul-Bert and Marche Serpette (with 130 dealers). These covered and open-air stalls offer superbly -edited furniture in all styles, Thirties mirrors jostle with rattan chairs, vintage alligator luggage, delicate watercolors, Art Deco glass, massive armoires, old radios, Scandinavian and Belgian garden furniture, fountain pens, and old terra cotta flower pots. Stalls are stacked with Aubusson tapestries, charming old postcards from the turn of the century, Baccarat crystal, Sevres porcelains, and the pseudo Jean-Michel Frank consoles and plaster lamps and chairs that are all the rage.

Old stone fireplaces, wire baskets, wine casks, hunting knives, grand gilded frames, sconces, Venetian footstools, lead planters, tin buckets, toy yachts, bundles of linens, copper pans, painted tricycles and fishing rods are staggered among Louis XVI-style chairs with worn silk upholstery.

On sunny days, dealers pile their tables and chairs and bronze lanterns and wine glasses out into the alleys. It's a friendly free-for-all where wrought iron gates and delicate Italian mirrors stand cheek-by-jowl with Dutch portraits of uncertain ancestry, trays of old soup spoons, vinyl records, fusty fabrics, and a king's ransom of gilded bibelots and gew-gaws.

At lunchtime, dealers bring out their salads and wine and sandwiches and gather to gossip and chat. That leaves serious collectors to wander at will, and pick through shelves of books and drawers full of bent old silver undisturbed.

Through the labyrinth of stalls, the collector roams in a pleasant haze. The visual feast of ormolu and silver gilt, stone columns, monumental vases, mercury glass, faience, church pews, telescopes, parasols, and haute-couture costume jewelry.

Fatigued, dazzled, and finally happy with a bag full of small finds, you make your way back to your Paris apartment. Tomorrow there's the Chatou country antiques market--and more treasures to find.

WHERE TO FIND FLEAS

It is fast and easy to take the Metro to all of these flea markets. A taxi is also speedy and direct. Note that the merchandise, dealers, and quality change dramatically from day to day and season to season at all flea markets. One day at the Porte de Vanves or Clignancourt can be brilliant, with one stall after another stacked with superb and sparkling objet s'art and quality furniture. The following day can be dull and uninspiring, with churlish dealers, junky offerings, and grabby and crabby collectors. Head out early, with optimism and a goal. Chat to the dealers, learn about their wares, and in the process learn to love the French heritage, decorative arts, and Gallic culture. Stop for coffee or lunch at one of the cafes and bakeries near the flea markets. Salad, a croque-monsieur, an apple tart and a glass of Evian taste superb when you've been wandering through flea markets since dawn!

Marche aux Puces de St-Ouen-Clignancourt

The oldest and greatest of the classic Parisian flea markets. Style pilgrims dodge the hideous blocks of booths selling shiny leather jackets and fake Nikes and head down the rue des Rosiers to the Marche Paul-Bert ( 96 rue des Rosiers), Marche Serpette, and the serpentine Marche Vernaison. All of the stalls are indoors, and most of the antiques dealers stack and pile their fresh wares out into the winding alleys and pathways. Every weekend is different, and collectors expect surprises. Among the best stalls at Paul-Bert and Serpette are long-term dealers selling antique Louis Vuitton steamer trunks, Hermes scarves (vintage), rusty kitchenware, delicate watercolors, Provencal ceramics, crystal, Art Deco dressing tables, ancient games, cane chairs, cameos, rare books, turn-of-the-century postcards, dingy-but-charming oil paintings, stout garden furniture, vintage couture dresses and jewelry, and venerable white embroidered table linens. When you discover something you love, buy it on the spot. It won't be there in an hour.

Open Saturday, Sunday, Monday 8am-7pm. (However, if you are a dealer or decorator or supremely confident and serious about collecting, you can venture here on Friday, dealers' day. Be low-key, ask prices only, and act like a professional and you can find treasures before they're picked over.)

Avenue J-H. Fabre and Avenue Michelet, and rue des Rosiers, St-Ouen.

Metro: Porte de Clignancourt.

Marche aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves

One of the oldest street markets...and a fine place to spend hours poking through antiques you can probably afford! Crystal, old chairs, prints, textiles, paintings, Hermes scarves, mirrors, gilded frames, all tumble from the backs of dealers' trucks and vans from as far away as Rome and Brussels. Some (most!) of the furniture,oil portraits, cabinets, garden chairs, decanters, vases and other household goods are probably not as old as the dealers claim. Everthing, in dealer parlance, is always "late 18th-century" but just how many chairs and tables and mirrors could Louis XVI and friends have sat on? Be very sceptical about "documented' dates, and judge what you like, the style, the rarity, and your own tastes. Go early for best pickings and bargain in a friendly manner--this is a very low-key place and prices are extremely fair. Dealers want to sell. Sunday is often best, because on Saturdays, dealers have been out in the countryside picking over estate sales and fairs.

Open Saturday and Sunday, and Monday 7am-1pm.

Porte de Vanves, Porte Didot, 14th arrondissment.

Avenue Georges Labenestre and rue Marc Sangnier.

Metro: Porte de Vanves.

Marche aux Puces, Ile de Chatou

This is one of the country fairs dealers and decorators love. It's huge, so wear comfortable, easy clothing, prepare for showers, and bring cash. Dealers offer wares from all over Europe, and Chatou is known for excellent prices and selections. This is serious antique hunting, and it's probably best to come with a rental car--or a van if your're planning big purchases. Look for old armoires, knives, mezzotints, lighting fixtures, ceramics, old Life magazines, ironstone platters, farmhouse tables, fabrics, Moroccan tiles, Spanish furniture, chandeliers, sideboards, mirrors.

Ten-day fairs in March and late September.

Ile aux Impressionistes, Chatou.

RER train line 1, Station Chatou-Croissy.

Marche aux Puces de la Place d'Aligre

This is a small, neighborhood flea market of varying quality but great charm. It's near the Viaduc des Arts, a fine place to find chic decorative accessories and paintings. About 80- stalls selling bric-a-brac, vintage cooking utensils, odd lots of furniture, vintage clothing, accessories of all kinds, textiles, rugs--depending on the day and the season. After pocketing some antiques, head (on Sundays) to the rest of the marketplace, which is more like an African souk, scented with coriander and mint. Taste Portuguese ham, wines, breads, and Spanish products.

Daily, except Wednesday 8.30am - 1pm.

Place d'Aligre, 112th arrondissement.

Metro: Ledru-Rollin or Gare de Lyon.

Marche aux Puces de Montreuil

A noisy place for a quick browse, and perhaps some really good luck. A few stalls of antiques, and lots of stalls of clothing (fripes) and household goods. Look for small antique accessories, glassware, housewares, antique furniture, vintage clothing, postcards, etchings, quirky porcelains, of varying quality but low prices. Hit and miss here.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday 7am-1pm or perhaps later, depending on the season.

Porte de Montreuil, 20th arrondissement.

Metro: Porte de Montreuil

RESOURCES:

Diane Dorrans Saeks stayed at an apartment on the rue Dauphine, in the heart of the Left Bank, arranged through Chez Vous, 1001 Bridgeway, Ste 245, Sausalito, 94965, CA. Phone 415-331-2535, or Fax 415-331-5296. Or visit www.chezvous.com.

Apartment tariffs range from $1,100 per week- $3,800 per week for 1-3 bedroom apartments, which will sleep from 4-10 persons. Apartments decorated by Healdsburg designer Myra Hoefer, include garden courtyard apartments at 12 rue Jacob, apartments on the rue du Bac. Chez Vous has apartments in all the chicest parts of the Left Bank, and several apartments near the Place des Vosges (4th arrondissement) in the Marais.

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Photographs by DIANE DORRANS SAEKS
Treasures and junk jostle at the Marché aux Puces at Clignancourt.