32. Little Paris

The newest styles and trends are always ready to wear, right off the rack or made to order in Little Paris’s boutiques and ateliers. In fact, Newcastle has evolved a quirky new subculture that parallels that of Japan’s plaza-fashion fads, in which the city’s fashionistas congregate in very visible places for no reason other than to be seen in the moment’s couture. Little Paris is actually a fairly antiquated name that nonetheless persists, since French fashions aren’t the only ones in neighborhood stores or even a majority. It’s a weird, hyperkinetic neighborhood where outrageous costumes that set the tone for more mass-market street clothes are on almost constant display.

Background

As its name suggests, Little Paris was once the city’s locus for Parisian fashions. Over time, in the global marketplace, designers of all cultures and nationalities established clothing brands, some of which opened storefronts in Newcastle. The old-money, traditional element of local society points to the circus that Little Paris has become as an indicator of the world’s slide into moral decay — but their parents surely said the same thing, and their own children are the ones paying the neighborhood’s exorbitant asking prices.

Alternative Name(s)

Fashion Circuit

Type

District

Location under

New Castle