Shopping: Louis Vuitton is cheapest in Paris. If you must buy, buy it in Paris. If you do any shopping in Europe over 175 EURO, bring your passport, since you are allowed to get some of the VAT (tax) back when you leave the EU. I've mainly shopped at the flagship store. I go to Paris every year or so with my husband (it's my favorite place). The flagship store is crowded. It is sometimes hard to get a hold of a SA. It seems like everyone just likes to try on every bag in the store, so the wait can be 30+ minutes. Unless you have a VIC appointment, steer clear of this store if you want some valuable time with a SA. There is a store on Montaigne Ave. It is smaller, but minimal traffic. The stock was good (I stopped by this summer as well) and I was greeted and helped immediately. I think you would enjoy a more personable experience here.
If you're looking to buy
Gucci or
Prada/Miu Miu, best to buy these brands in Italy. Since you are visiting Florence, take a bus (it costs 10 euro) to THE MALL (that's really the name of the outlet). There are lots of big designer name brands there and everything is relatively cheap. I purchased 5 pairs of Gucci and 4 pairs of Prada heels from there. After getting my tax back, each pair was equivalent to $130 all taxes included. IT WAS A PHENOMENAL DEAL.
Customs Declaration: BE HONEST. They say the limit on tax free things brought into the US is about $800. Anything above that, you pay something like 3-5% of the amount that's over. This past summer I rang DH's CC up to the 25K mark (yes, I know, it's embarrassing). I debated over and over again on whether or not I should declare everything. I did some research and found another member who had posted about this in the Hermes forum. She said that when you go and claim your VAT back, the customs agents in the EU do have some contact with the customs agents in the US (they scan your tax form and take your passport information). How this information is passed between the two countries, I do not know. But being a frequent flyer, I definitely did not want to be on a flying black list so I declared everything. Upon arriving home, my husband and I went through customs together. I handed the agent our filled out form and his eyes literally widened. My husband saw it as well and commented "she had a really nice time". The agent laughed, stamped our paperwork, and off we went. I took a chance knowing that I could have been taxed on the (large) remainder amount, but I took the honesty route and it paid off. I could have been taxed but no where near what the fine with be if I had lied and they found out. Just be honest, that would be my best advice about bringing luxury goods home.
