Paris shops celebrated la rentrée — the normal back-to-school season — with per week filled with events.

La Samaritaine launched its “Paris en mode Arty” program, with a classy coctail at the shop’s ultra-modern Rivoli location.

Vibrant Pop Art decorated the floors with installations from young artists.

A graduate of Hermès crafts academy, Marion Flament took over the street-level windows with a vivid sunburst glass sculpture, while Ella Batts uses body parts blown out of proportion to create an enormous pastel wall. An interior walkway was painted by Cecilia Granara in sunny motifs inspired by Italian and Moroccan floor tiles. One other stairwell is dominated by the intense pink tapestries of Turkish artist Désiré Moheb-Zandi.

Bringing in art and merging it with commerce is “a part of our DNA,” said Nathalie Montaldier, vp of promoting for DFS Europe, which operates the shop. “We now have a distinct approach, to have brands which can be consistent with our storytelling and to present recent experiences linked to art.” Montaldier said she envisions the partitions of the department store “like a blank canvas” for artists to display their work, which changes quarterly.

The thought is to approach this section of the department store — closer to the principal shopping street of Rue de Rivoli — as an idea store, Montaldier said. It attracts younger customers and mixes fashion, lifestyle, accessories and art including curated events corresponding to inviting customers to customize Cahu tote bags.

It has brought in pop-ups and special items, including a limited-edition Ruinart bottle painted in pastels by Claude Viallat. The bottle is just available at Samaritaine and the Champagne house’s headquarters in Reims.

The installations will last through October.

The next night, Le Bon Marché celebrated its a hundred and seventieth anniversary with a splashy party with a carnival atmosphere. There was popcorn and colourful cotton candy machines and a large maze for guests to wander away in.

CEO Patrice Wagner held court as guests filled up the inside floors, before pop star Mika took to the stage — and atop a grand piano — to sing his hits just ahead of the kickoff of his European tour.

The shop shall be featuring its own pop-up “La vie en orange,” with vintage luxury accessories including 40 Hermès bags and pieces from artists including sculptor Alexander Calder.