Visiting a Parisian department store is a great experience, even if you don’t buy anything. For an overview see www.linternaute.comsortirescapregionparisparisparis-monumentgrands-mag asins.shtml. Give students a shopping list and send them to www.lasamaritaine.com. They can click on venir - plan d’acc s to name six different ways of getting there and plan du magasin to identify the floors they must visit.

Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann is classified as an historic monument and offers the ultimate in chic. Under Mode, browse Robes de fete for evening dresses costing up to pound;4,900 or Conseils mode for less expensive items. Ask students to find specific garments and provide prices, sizes, colours, materials, and so on. They could also create a catalogue page for several articles of clothing, dress themselves from head to toe, noting prices and the total cost, or write a description of an imaginary visit to the store. www.galerieslafayette.com

KS5

An attractive illustrated history of Le Bon Marche, is at www.lebonmarche.frfrancaisindexbis.htm. The site is ideal for reading practice and raising awareness of social history. It also makes an interesting topic for an AS-level oral presentation covering fields such as leisure, fashion, world of work and more.