Joie to the World

Imagine that your best girlfriend -- who happens to be an exile from the South of France and is addicted to collecting vintage -- decided to open her closet to the public. Wouldn't you just gasp and run over to nab and grab? Located on a charming up-and-coming block in Williamsburg, Fille de Joie is decked with chandeliers, chinoiserie, lace, fringed lamp shades and drawings of naked girls -- an ambience that will surely put you in the mood for some good retail therapy. Store owner C.C. McGurr, who collaborated in the '90s on the clothing label Mini Girl with shoe designer Jacqueline Schnabel, knows a thing or two about fashion. Mademoiselle McGurr makes sure that her boudoir is bountifully stocked with trinkets and threads by style beacons such as Chanel, Dior, Vuitton, Ferragamo, Gucci and Sonia Rykiel, as well as with the off-the-beaten-path treasures she picks up from her travels to Paris, Saint-Tropez and Tokyo. As the name of the store not so subtly suggests (its literal translation is "girl of joy," but it really means "lady of leisure"), the theme here revolves around getting some -- pleasure, that is. If you are a clotheshorse, there is plenty of it. And who knows? There's a good chance that the bikini you might try on was once worn by Brigitte Bardot. Tres, tres jolie!

197 Grand St., Brooklyn, (718) 599-3525