Tila March

As an editor and stylist at French Elle magazine, Tamara Taichman had a pretty good idea of what women on the go need in a handbag. But when she went looking for it, it was nowhere to be found. So she designed one herself. Voilà, the Zelig bag: a chic, ultralight leather tote that expands and contracts according to its contents and looks just as good stuffed to the brim as it does with only a lipstick and a wallet. Zelig was an instant success, leading Taichman to create her own label, Tila March. Her first Paris boutique opened last winter, tucked in among the tiny boutiques around the church of Saint Sulpice.

The current collection features smart little bags in supple lamb or brushed suede that are a handsome mix of classic and contemporary. Among the luxe models: a matte-black python day bag and a superb mini-tote in tasteful taupe crocodile. Colors, in suede or leather, range from a deep indigo and aubergine to a more neutral bone and brick. Along with her expanded line of bags, the boutique carries a great line of coordinated shoes that have all the panache of a high-end designer shoe, while still mindful of the designer’s days running off to fashion shoots—well-made, super stylish and totally wearable shoes.

24 rue Saint Sulpice, 6th, 01.43.26.69.20

Originally published in the September 2011 issue of France Today