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The American clothing brand opened its flagship Paris store - its first in France - on Wednesday at a launch party that attracted some of France's biggest celebrities.

Among those attending the glittering opening were actress Melanie Thierry and television presenter and actor Antoine de Caunes, who mingled while models displayed the classic Banana fashions on podiums at the store on the Avenue des Champs Elysees.

People who've shopped at Banana Republic on trips to the US or here in the UK will know what to expect, and they may well be inspired to take a trip to France to see the flagship store themselves. However, first on the agenda should be arranging some Paris apartments for the duration of their stay.

President of Gap's international division Stephen Sunnucks was also in attendance at the store opening in an area, which Tommy Hilfiger and Abercrombie & Fitch also call home.

The Wall Street Journal suggested that people who have worked for Gap were among those hired to get the new store up and running. Customers will also be able to get some quality customer service following the news that the staff have been trained as personal shoppers.

It is thought the personal shopper move could be a major bonus when the store competes with Kookai and Inditex's Massimo Dutti chain.

Sunnucks said: 'We are thrilled to open our first Banana Republic store in France - a brand-building flagship in Paris - and reach yet another important milestone for our international growth strategy.

'With a growing base of loyal customers across Europe, both in our stores and online, we're confident that shoppers in Paris will have a strong appetite for Banana Republic's proposition of affordable luxury, as we open at this special time in the lead up to the holiday shopping period.'

Shane Gladstone