On a recent visit to Nantucket, Your Survival Guy tagged along with Your Survival Gal and a friend while they shopped. It reminded me of our many trips to Paris, where one works up an appetite shuttling from one fashion house to another. What I observed on island time was how busy Ralph Lauren was on Main Street, packed with well-heeled, or sandal-clad, clientele seeking out its high-end Purple Label and Ralph Lauren Collection. What an American success story.

As a side note, Your Survival Guy and family drove by Lauren’s Colorado ranch on a ski trip to Telluride. You could tell it was his ranch by the fence that went on for miles. At dinner with a client last week, whose cousin is from Germany and works in Dubai, he told me the first place they went in New York City was Ralph Lauren for the Purple Label.

Your Survival Guy is gearing up for another research trip to Paris in October. As you read about the problems in France: the record debt, the dysfunctional government with comparisons to Italy (which is now the one in better fiscal shape), you have to wonder how big government in France digs out of this one. What’s clear is Paris will always be Paris, but it is shrinking. Venturing beyond the core arrondissements of the 8^th (Le Bristol), the 1^st (Ritz), and the 16^th (Four Seasons George V) on the Right Bank and the 6^th, 7^th, and perhaps the 5^th on the Left will become less desirable as the money to keep them beautiful dries up.

Action Line: Get out there and see Paris while you can because if you don’t do it this year, you’ll be a year older when you do, and be sure to visit Ralph Lauren’s flagship store on St. Germain on the Left Bank. I want to hear about your trip, or better yet, let’s talk before you go, and I’ll tell you about my favorite spots in Paris. Email me at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com.

Originally posted on Your Survival Guy.