Ladies and gentlemen, get your running shoes out and your boxing gloves on. C’est les soldes! Today marks the beginning of the fabled twice-annual deep-discount French sales. Fabled, you might ask? Let’s just say that even Cendrillion can find a dress to go with those glass stilettos as prices fall to rock-bottom over the 5-week sales period. And why the boxing gloves? If it’s anything like last year’s Zadig and Voltaire’s markdowns, you’ll need ‘em. Normally prim and proper 16th arondissement demoiselles morphed into banshees as they duked it out over cashmere sweaters – even resorted to slugging each other with their Hermès Birkin bags to get at the last ELVIS-logo pullover. Trust me, those sapphire-and-diamond rings can do some damage. Better come with a game plan.

>Here are La Mom’s tips for making the most of the summer soldes.