Shopper Knows Her Way Around Paris

Susan Sutherland, chic in pearls and a French frock, holds out her hand. The exquisite ring on her finger “has a Bulgari look, don’t you think?” she asks. Before anyone can answer, the price is out. “Ten dollars,” says the tall, tan woman who is part flight attendant, part Paris-bargain sleuth.

Eight days each month, Sutherland flies with Pan American World Airways on international flights. The rest of the month, she turns tough shopper--for profit.

Two Years Ago

Sutherland, a former California native ensconced in Paris for 20 years, started passing on inside bargain information to American tourists two years ago. She now operates a company called Style out of her Paris apartment, she explained on a recent visit to Los Angeles.

For $350 a day, she leads visitors to local treasures that include copies of Hermes handbags and Chanel shoes, fake jewels, the works of a little-known custom tailor, classy baby and children’s clothing, antiques, linens and unusual home items (like perfume applied to light bulbs that make the whole house smell nice).

Perfumes for people “are a good deal, but I think they’re a waste of time. They’re not very interesting or exciting.” Sutherland prefers chasing after something like a black cashmere stole for $350; a Hermes look-alike bag for $200 or a red gabardine jacket with hand stitching, for all of $120.

Dressed in heels, a suit and jewelry, she takes one client (two, if there’s a spouse) out in her Innocenti: “It’s like the British Mini Cooper. It’s considered the chic little car by everyone.” Or she’ll take just the shopping list: “I have a skill for buying--for a man, a wife, a mistress, a child. Whatever. And I deliver it all to the hotel. People tend to think this service is for women, but it really isn’t. Women like shopping. Men don’t.”

Her strategy is to avoid tourist areas, such as Rue du Faubourg St. Honore, and go where the French go “to get discounts or knockoffs at a third of the price.” Her top buys include made-to-measure suits and French accessories like the Hermes Kelly-style handbag (named years ago for Grace Kelly). “It has lost its grandmother image,” according to Sutherland, who explains “young women are carrying them. I just saw Ines de la Fressange, the Chanel model, with one.

A Finished Look

“American women don’t bother to put on the extra details. But those are what make all the difference. They give a finished look. A French woman always has a belt, a hair bow, a necklace, a bracelet, earrings.”

In fact, all the things Sutherland is wearing as she speaks. But “nothing is real, except the necklace and watch.” Her necklace is gold, her timepiece a Rolex. “It comes from one of my better addresses for real jewelry,” where 20% “is taken off the top” and another 25% is discounted because the item is going out of the country.

Bargain-conscious Sutherland manages to look like several million francs “by putting everything together with a few $10 bracelets and the Rolex watch.” The formula inspired the name of her service: “What’s important to me is style, not money. A lot of people have tons of money but no style.”

Sutherland can be reached locally at (213) 582-2289, or in Paris at 45-53-21-04.