Shopping options first-rate at new resort

Thursday, Sept. 2, 1999 | 10:13 a.m.

Muriel Stevens

Muriel Stevens' shopping column, Charge It, Please, regularly appears Wednesdays in the Accent section. Reach her at 259-4080 or muriel@vegas.com

Strolling through the shopping and dining promenade at Paris Las Vegas is part of the charm of this enchanting hotel.

The names over the shops may not all be recognizable, but the names on the merchandise they carry are first rate.

Paris Line showcases the fashions of six French designers. Most are exclusive to the shop -- the Encore line of Yves St. Laurent, not carried in the U.S.; designs by Nina Ricci also not found here; and Newman, a moderately priced French designer that is exclusive to Paris Line and will carry its label.

Christian La Croix and La Coste casual wear will also be represented. The spacious store will have something for everyone -- cosmetics, accessories and more. Immediately after the opening Line and Annee will fly to Paris to buy St. Laurent and Ricci designs for the upcoming season. With these two dynamos at the helm, Paris Line promises to be an exciting shopping experience.

French and American children's fashions, and all the things so dear to the hearts of kids and the people who shop for them, are found here.

Debra Jacobson, assistant director of retail at Paris Las Vegas, beamed when I told her how much I enjoyed window shopping at Paris Las Vegas. She spent quite a bit of time in Paris, France, seeking out many of the items now found in the Paris-owned shops.

Jacobson's background is as varied as the shops she oversees -- an arts education, time spent in the food industry, followed by years in retail. The shops reflect how well she made and used these transitions at Paris.

"This is the only gallery of its kind in the world," said Jack Solomon, who with his wife, Carolyn, owns the Re Society. Solomon says that what Smith does is a re-creation, not a reproduction. The 100-year-old French lithography press is a rare one. There are maybe five of its kind left. The Solomons own four of them.

A working on-site fine arts atelier is as rare as the press. The extraordinary 8-ton Marinoni Voirin editioning press is the same kind used by French studios to create works by Toulouse-Lautrec, Chagall, Cassandre and other noted artists. Every Re re-creation is hand-pulled, signed and numbered.

The re-creations are priced from $100 for a small poster. Prices for large posters start at $300; ceramic pieces, at $20.

Shopping at Paris Las Vegas is a fine amusement. Just learn to say combien (how much), and you're ready.