Back from Paris - What to Wear
 

Just returned from Paris, and I figured I'd try to address the ever-popular "what to wear" topic:)

It's the 80's all over again. Skinny jeans, long sweaters with belts, ballet flats, super-short skirts with mid-calf leggings underneath, and boots, boots, boots - all shapes, and heel sizes. Winter colors in the stores included deep purples, dark teals, and orange as an accent color. I noticed a lot less black than previous years.

If you're really interested, I posted a page on my website detailing what we saw for women in their 20's, 30's 40's and 50's+ - with pictures coming soon.

http://www.parisescapes.com/paris_wear_winter06.html

What did I wear - I'm in my mid-thirties and although I am trying to embrace the trends at home, I left my skinny jeans in the US. I don't like wearing jeans on the plane, and jeans take up so much room in my carry-on that I left them at home in favor of a few pairs of easily washable black pants. Ditto for my big sweaters. I wore layered blouses/ light sweaters, with a dressy leather blazer.

I brought my black patent leather ballet flats which looked great, but killed my feet on the cobblestones. I lived in my ugly Eccos which are heaven to my feet in Paris. If you don't want to splurge 100+ on new Eccos before your trip, my friend purchased a slightly-used pair on e-bay for $12 and was glad she brought them.

Hope everyone finds this post helpful and not too controversial - C

On women of all ages, I noted LOTS of sparkles too.. on sweaters, t-shirts and their jeans.
Bedazzlers? (hehehe...)

I saw everything in Paris in September - there are so many different styles, including white sneakers (on Parisians no less!)

OMG ... white sneakers on Parisans! The Shoe Police will surely cite them for being Americans, and the locals will stare and mutter rude things in French as they pass by. What is this world coming to???? Comfort before looks - what's next? I can only hope it will be thicker TP and ice.

Parisians have been wearing white sneakers for years -- usually dainty little Keds-type things, immaculately white.

All of those "fashions" have appeared before and some certainly before the 80's even.

Nothing seems to be really "new"..just the same stuff that periodically reappears.

I've read too many posts on different message boards that Parisians "don't wear white sneakers" and that wearing them singles you out as a tourist. I am not sure which Paris they visited, but I've seen all kinds of clothes, all kinds of shoes, all colors of sneakers - white also - on locals.

One can see the same types of clothing and shoe styles in any other city worldwide. There is no dress code for Paris.

the sneakers French women wear are superga and Bensimon. I love my Bensimon I bought at th shop in St Remy because they make your feet look small :)

The only thing I would add to the original post is short, fitted jackets-everyone had one.
Sneakers? Wow, I never saw anyone in sneakers and I was obsessed with looking at people's clothes.

I really disagree with the assessment you see the same trends and clothes in Paris as you do anywhere. First, everyplace is a little different (here in Seattle, for god's sake, it is perfectly normal to wear a goretex parka over a business suit or to the opera). Second, I couldn't get over how classically and conservatively Parisians dressed, compared to, say, people in London, New York, or San Francisco. On people my age (30s) in those cities, you tend to see much edgier, trendier, funkier stuff-vintage, lots of mixing of styles and colors, etc. In Paris it was all black and brown all the time, and very classic styles-NO color, no trendy vintage, no edginess, no funkyness at all.

Well, unless you are copying fashion magazines there should be no worry in what to wear when you're in Paris.

christy, Paris is like here in Boston or New york in that it depends where in the city you are. The fashion changes in different areas.

Ditto for San Francisco.

In Paris in Fall '05, the windows were full of brown with orange accents. Not my favorite combination!

ParisEscapes - I was reading through your website earlier this week. It's very, very helpful. And now new tips on what to wear by decade no less! I love it! I was curious about what might be new but not brave enough to venture into the treacherous waters of clothing questions.

I have one question: I'm from the Northwest. We're required by law to own gore tex :) but I don't think I want to wear my North Face raincoat in Paris. I was thinking of taking a tailored knee length black wool coat but I wonder if I should find a nicer raincoat (that's not 2-layer gore tex) instead?

Naturally I'm taking tall black boots but I'll leave the skinny jeans to my lovely daughter.

I'm sure that depending on what crowd you are with, the norms/rules change. But as a visitor who spent a lot of time not seeing sights (it wasn't our first time) but eating in restaurants, cafes, shopping, going to markets, etc, I would have been very out of place in the same kind of funkier clothes I see everywhere, when at similar places, in London or New York. The difference was very striking.

I was there in February and surprised to see many quilted coats on locals. It was cold and raw and I brought my much hated uggs in brown that I've had for 12 years . Here in the Cambridge/boston area, they are needed for the cold snowy winter, fashion has no play in weather. It rained most days in Paris, I rarely wore my shoes, and SURPRISE!!! Saw lots of uggs. But a good looing coat, scarf, gloves, bags gets you in to anywhere.

Cigalechanta - quilted coats? I'm surprised - they've never struck me as the elegant Parisian look.

What do Parisian women wear as coats in December/January - lined raincoats? Quilted insulated coats? Nice wool coats with an umbrella tucked in their good looking bag? Or all of the above?

Hi Rosetravels,

Sorry, for the late reply. I've been away from the computer for a few days. I'm glad that you found my website helpful. Thanks for the kudos!

Regarding coats for Jan/Feb, I'd stick with your knee-length black wool coat. It will rain when you're in Paris, but off-and-on and nothing like the downpours that you see in the Pacific Northwest, so I don't think you need to invest in a new "dressier" raincoat. When I travel to Paris in the winter, I wear a long, tailored black wool coat, carry a small totes umbrella in my purse, and buy a wool scarf in Paris in the "color of the season' at one of the stalls at the Opera metro or outside the department stores for around 5 euros. I seemed to blend in with this look, and it works for me.

I also noticed the quilted jackets, but on older, taller and thinner ladies than myself. I didn't notice many raincoats - wool seems to be the fabric of choice.

Christy1 - I agree with you. For "cutting-edge" fashion, go to London. Parisians are more conservative and you don't see as much of the "edgy" fashion trends on the streets in Paris compared to other cities like NYC or London.

Rose, They were everywhere when I was there in February but you will see everything so you won't feel out of place. The Italian designers do alot of these coats but a flatter look;they were many versions on the street

Thank you for your editorial review of Paris fashion, Mimi. You are the Anna Piaggi of Fodor's.

Thank you, also, ParisEsc.

Having lived in the large cities of London, San Francisco, New York, and Philadelphia, I agree that people dress differently according to the neighborhood they live/work in. For example, in New York, you have a completely different fashion vibe in Soho as compared to upper Madison Ave.

In Paris, there is a huge difference between the clothing of the Marais, for example, and Avenue Foch.

But one thing is certain: fashion is not as important as personal style. That you can't buy style in a store.

Good afternoon.