Teenage boy in Paris-what to wear?

Bonjour Mauitammy,

Teenage boys of the world all dress the same. So jeans will be fine in Paris. I do known that hoodies have a bad reputation and are link to banlieusards but besides that anything goes. Enjoy Paris.

Jeans, absolutely yes.
Anything hip-hop, probably not, as LuckyLuc notes.

The HRC is near the Opera [!], and there are many easy bus and Metro routes from the Latin Quarter to the Opera.

Google their website.

Thanks for the information. He has more of the preppy look type of jeans, although the style is for the jeans to look old even though they are new. He always looks nice, but he says he hates dressing up. It was hard to get him into the gorgeous black suit I bought him for a Homecoming dance that a girl invited him to last fall. He looked so handsome and secretly I think he liked how he looked in the suit, but he would NEVER admit it. I think he hated the dance more than the suit though.

Sorry! I don't know how that posted before I hit post my reply! Weird!

Anyway, thanks for the information. I feel better now. I keep reading how prople dress up in Paris, so was a little concerned.

Hi Mauitammy- You will have a wonderful time in Paris!! For the HRC, if you have a AAA card (not sure if you're from the US?), bring it with you. You can get a 15% discount at the gift shop at the HRC. I don't know if you have spend a certain amount (I didn't buy anything this time around when I was there), but it's worth a shot. Also, the salesperson mentioned military discounts (I imagine it's the same 15%), but every little bit counts... Have fun!

Thank you for the information freeman0819. I appreciate the AAA tip. I always forget about that. I wasn't sure if they gave that discount outside the US as we tried to use our AAA card at Grand Cayman HRC and they said they did not give a discount. I don't think we even tried in Rome because of that. I will definitely give it a try in Paris and Munich though. You are right every little bit helps!

"Hoodies" are considered hip-hop or bandit-like in Paris? Oh brother, we're in trouble! That's all teens (and older) wear on cool days here in central Florida. Our grandsons will be bringing theirs to wear in case of windy/rainy weather underneath their light jackets. Also, getting them to wear anything other than t-shirts and jeans is an impossibility. I hope we don't get kicked out of places!!!
I wish they dressed more "preppy", it's just TOO casual here.

Hoodies are gross anywhere. Jeans are fine anywhere if worn well and appropriately - i.e., not hanging off the butt or too tight.
My 16-year-old son has a penchant for jeans just like any other kid his age, but when we're in Europe and dining in nice restaurants, he puts on corduroys or khakis and a nice sweater. Makes him feel like he's part of the scene.
Last night, he and I drove to a nearby restaurant in the DC area that he loves that's very popular and casual, only to find it had closed down, so we had to go elsewhere. We ended up, because he loves seafood, at a fairly upscale place nearby where we live and he was absolutely mortified that he was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt. I had to hand it to him that he KNEW he was not dressed properly for the place, even though the wait staff were perfectly fine with seating us and serving us. Let you consence be your guide. Surely your teenage son has one too.

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i.e., not hanging off the butt or too tight.
<<<<<

however, either of these styles will make one fit in better in paris...as any five minute ride on the metro will prove.

I'd echo the bit about jeans being worn appropriately.
I was in Marks and Spencer one day (not really a shop where teenagers go) and two American lads came in with their mother.
The older one, about 16 was showing the top of his underpants, but the younger, about 13 was practically showing the legs of his.
The older one was terribly embarrassed because he could see that people were looking and smiling at his brother.

Thank you for the suggestions. As I originally posted we will be there in July, so I don't think we will be bringing corduroys or sweaters, but he does have some nice button down shirts that he can bring to wear with his jeans. He doesn't wear his jeans hanging off his hips, so that is not a concern. He does have many hoodies and usually wears one on the plane for our travels no matter where we are going, but I doubt he will wear it at all while in Paris in July. They aren't the hip hop type of hoodie, but more of the surfer type from Hawaii. Thanks for the suggestions and advice. I suspected dress for teenagers in Paris was similar to Rome, but kept reading how much dressier Paris was, so thought I would check.

"kept reading how much dressier Paris was"

Hardly. If anything, the Italians are far dressier than the French. I remember when I was in Rome some thirty years ago and was talking to a charming elderly Italian woman in a shop. She told me that Italians would spend their last penny on clothes i.e. even the poorer ones would spend all they earn on the latest fashions.

Your son is a teenager, teenagers are the same the world over, just because they might be Parisian teenagers doesn't mean that come seven pm they slip into a dinner suit. Whatever he wears at home will be more than acceptable for Paris. I will be interested in your opinion post-Paris - I am quite sure you won't be describing it as "dressy" once you've seen the state of some of the people there!

Thank you for the information. The fashions we saw in Italy were much different than what I was expecting after reading different travel message boards. So, it will be interesting to see what they are wearing in Paris.

The Hard Rock Cafe is at 14 bd du Montmartre which is just above the Grands Boulevards metro stop in the 9th arrondisement. It's just a short ride on the metro from the Latin Qtr, less than two miles. Don't go to the Opera because it's not right near it, go to where it is.

Europe is, generally speaking, very tolerant of all sorts of bizarre teenage fashions and looks. Goths, punks, scruffy hippy/boho types, chavs, boys with long hair, girls with number 2 crops, you name it, you'll see it.

In fact, a teenager in American 'preppy' style clothing is likely to have even the surrounding adults thinking 'what a dork' rather than 'how nice'.

I must have a different idea of preppy then.

Thank you for asking this question. I too kept reading about how formal Paris is. I unfortunately haven't been to Europe since 1986 as a college student. This summer I will be travelling to Paris, Normandy, Ireland and England with my husband and 3 teenage sons. I've read several places that shorts and white tennis shoes make you stand out as a tourist. My sons are also preppy and khaki shorts are a staple. I've reasoned with myself that this attire will be fine (they will have long khaki pants too) but I was really wondering and know that they don't want to stand out as tourists.

The term "preppy" applies to anything, including clothing, that pertains to a prep school (Harrow, Groton, Choate, St. Timothy's). Since the people who attend prep schools tend to be those who become the movers and shakers of the world, I doubt I would use the word "dork" when making a reference to prep clothing.

I went to prep school and I wear Weejuns, rep ties, and blue Brooks Brothers blazers. You would be very hard pressed, indeed, to look as thin and gorgeous as I do.

You obviously don't have a summer cottage on Nantucket.

Paris, like your home town, is not monolithic. There are people who wear sports jerseys and hoodies and so on, and people who think people who wear sports jerseys and hoodies are hoodlums. There is nothing that you can wear that will achieve 100% approval from Parisians. And you will probably not be able to tell the difference between people who respect you or disrespect you because of your clothing or for any other reason (like not speaking French, or being slow, or whatever reason they want to find).

My 15-year-old daughter has become something of a fashionista. When we were in Paris in February, she was so impressed by how nicely the Parisian teenage boys dressed, compared to boys at her school. They were wearing jeans much of the time, like on school field trips, but the way they put together their outfits showed a great sense of style.

However, when my then-teenage son and I went to Paris in July 2004, he dressed very casually and had no problems at all (but did not visit any fine dining establishments - only casual places). Speaking French all the time probably helped. His sister despairs of his wardrobe.

There is one obvious problem with jeans in Paris this July. Namely, winter never came, spring has already sprung and it feels like astronomically high temps can be expected. Your son may want to consider packing some shorts or light linen pants, as jeans were unbearable during the last heatwave.
If you're stuck, you can always swing into a Monoprix for some cheap trendy fashions to cover his legs.

OK, just to clear up a point, I don't consider 'preppy' clothing to be dorky in itself. It's fine for adult Americans.

But a teenager wearing it in Europe is going to look dorky compared to European teenagers. A 13 or 14 year old wearing that stuff in a casual setting is going to look, well sorry, dorky is the only word for it.

There have been countless articles in the French press about adolescent wardrobe and the various codes of same. Just like everywhere else, there are all of the usual categories, from nerd to gothic, passing through preppy, retro, neo-hippie, grungy and various other looks. You'll see teens who believe that pubic hair must be shown coming out of the top of their jeans and others who always wear a tie. At certain ages, one only associates with identically dressed peers, and at other ages, wildly different looks can be seen in the same group.

A teenage boy whose only look is described as "basically lives in jeans" can be considered to be as good as invisible.

hoodies = thugs/always gross. preppy = not dorky. Yes I, for one, aspire to look just like a member of the Bush family or an investment banker. That is exactly my aesthetic.

I Fodor's.

mk2, I was kidding. Normally the heart smiley isn't in my repertoire.

mauitammy, your question has been answered (and answered!), but of course teens can and do wear just about anything. They are so lucky to be young and thus nearly always cute. Enjoy your trip to Paris.

There are two issues here: first, what dress will limit his choices, and Lydio got it: extreme clothing, hip hop or otherwise, will mean some places are off limits, like torn jeans at Harrods.

The second was alluded to by the second poster but not repeated since, possibly out of fear of not being politically correct: certain clothing is identified with certain social classes, e.g., banlieusards, who, fairly or unfairly, attract the attention of the police, fear of shopkeepers, etc. Why ask for trouble?

Your son sounds like a great kid. I think you both can relax and enjoy the trip.

We wear a lot of jeans, but when we went to Germany last summer it was HOT and neither of us even considered putting on our jeans, even in the evenings. From the weather reports, the temperatures in France looked to be about the same.

For your son, I would have him bring long shorts and some cargo pants. I know other posters have said that they don't think shorts are really appropriate for European cities, but it really depends on the shorts. In churches, the rule is basically that your knees and shoulders need to be covered.

Interesting. The kids at our high school wear hoodies, jerseys, flip flops, sagging jeans and pajamas in very unlikely venues. A fair number of them live in homes over a million dollars. I find it ridiculous that this type of clothing should be linked to "class." Although I don't like all teenaged styles you cannot make an assessment about class by their dress. Sounds a little more ominous to me.

mauitammy,
Perhaps you've given up considering the reponses but I was in Paris with a 14 y-o boy in December. He wore jeans, red suede adidas sneakers and he sort of fit in. He bought a pile of things at H&M and they were just what he likes.

American boys do seem to wear their hair a little longer than European boys and their pants may fit a little more closely but the great thing about teenage boys is their general lack of interest in what others are wearing. He'll never notice! On the other hand my daughter was riveted by the clothing (as was I.)