Casual men's dress in Paris
 

I've read that jeans are in, mainly dark, khakis are out, shirts should be "slim fit", and athletic type shoes the darker the better. I'm wondering about short-sleeve shirts (too American?) also seems polo shirts good, T-shirts bad. Anyone been recently? Seems like the weather's OK for anything now.

Your impressions are correct. We got back from Italy last month (Venice, Bologna, Florence and Rome); I wore jeans (dark blue and one pair of black) every day. I did take one pair of black cotton pants that I wore once in a while.

Polo shirts are OK, and you do see a lot of T-shirts but often on Europeans with slightly misspelled names ("Chicago University" or "University of Columbia".)

Definitely opt for darker athletic shoes and avoid the dreaded "American-style marshmallows".

Personally speaking, I would never take jeans to Europe, ditto athletic shoes.

Then again, it depends on your age and if you're eating at a French McDonalds or a nice restaurant; staying at a hostel or a nice hotel.

For packing purposes, jeans are heavy and take a long time to dry. Doing a lot of walking in the city in summer they can be deadly hot.

The shorts and flip flips season has begun.

You can dress as casually as you want -- or not.

Nobody in Paris cares what you wear.

Do you honestly think that people living in a large urban city even notice you?

They do not.

You will see every style of dress under the sun.

Anyone who says that Europeans don't wear khakis, t-shirts, or trainers are delusional and stupid.

Thin

I agree with kerouac and Thin, inasmuch as you'll see Parisian's wearing everything you've described above (if you've never been to a French wedding, trust me, you'll see some shocking 'fashion').

However the clothes you mention (dark jeans, slim fit shirts etc.) are (generally) more stylish than your average pair of khakis and oversized short sleeve shirt.

If you want to update your wardrobe and get some 'Parisian' clothing, the types of item you mention are a pretty good starting point .

Rastaguy - I don't think you equating jeans and 'athletic shoes' with hostels and McDonalds is anywhere near the truth. The number of times I've been out in higher end places in Paris and been sat next to a gentleman of a certain age (and income bracket) wearing dark jeans and trainers/sneakers made by a luxury fashion house are too numerous to count.

Hermes and Balmain (other luxury goods manufacturers are available) make 'athletic shoes' for men that retail for around $1000. I can't imagine the bloke wearing those will be dining in McDonalds and staying in a hostel...

We just got back from Paris last week.

While I didn't wear blue jeans or shorts many did. There was a time how North Americans dressed differed from Europeans in general and Parisians in particular. Not any more. You couldn't tell us apart.

>>>You couldn't tell us apart.<<<

We Europeans can. (The exception is New Yorkers: they really dress like Europeans, at least the smart ones.)

>>>You can dress as casually as you want -- or not.<<<

That is basically correct, especially if you are just sightseeing. However, if you want to be served well in an upscale restaurant or in an upscale boutique you better not scream "I am a tourist on a budget and I have no taste".

<<Nobody in Paris cares what you wear.

Do you honestly think that people living in a large urban city even notice you?

They do not.

You will see every style of dress under the sun.

Anyone who says that Europeans don't wear khakis, t-shirts, or trainers are delusional and stupid.>>

Every word of that is true. No one in Paris gives a flying ___about what you wear for general purposes. Same rules apply as in the US - if nice restaurant, don't dress like a slob. But caring about "in" and "out" is ludicrous. Dress as you wish. No Parisian will care because your presence in their lifetime is insignificant.

Hate to break this to you, traveller1959, but I am European.

If I can't tell--someone who actually worked for one of the world's top clothing designers--then how can you tell where someone comes from by their clothing/

I was just at Lyon airport a few weeks ago and I saw many French men and women wearing shorts, flip-flops, hoodies, gap t-shirts, fitch t-shirts, nike trainers, fitted caps, etc.

If I didn't hear them speaking French into their phones I would have thought I was at O'Hare.

Was also at Dusseldorf airport and looking at the clothing in the shops--fossil in particular--I could have been considering clothing that you could find at any suburban mall outside of a large city in the US.

Lacoste, fossil, h/m, zara--all these clothing lines can be bought in malls across America.

thin

You tell 'em, Pepper! Oh, if only some of these posters would believe us! Frankly, I am an anti-fashion plate and I have worn black or dark brown jeans to my office for the last 15 years, and I am a senior financial analyst for a major airline. I just decided: "I am not front office, I can wear what I want" and it was not contested.

I dress pretty much the same way on weekends unless I am wearing shorts. So I am just as amazed by the "no jeans" crowd as the "no shorts" crowd.

But if tourists want to make a point of dressing 'better' (in their mind) than Parisians, it certainly does not disturb me since I have always said "wear whatever you want."

Now in Paris and all posts are at least partly true. Jeans definitely in, with sports jacket or almost anything. Yes, shoes are more stylish, no flip-flops in sight. Knee-length shorts are clearly cross-cultural. I'm no fashion plate anywhere & French out-of-towners ask me for directions.

no offense, vputin, but you are in paris for a few days.

my grandparents lived in paris for 30 years.

believe me, parisians wear flip-flops. they wear hoodies. they wear dockers.

and people are asking you directions because, clearly, people can't tell where you are from by looking at your clothes.

thin

WEAR WHAT YOU WANT AND BE COMFORTABLE, JUST DON'T LOOK LIKE A JERK IF YOU ARE GOING SOMEPLACE DECENT..

chinos will never be "out"..

Pepper and BigRuss echo exactly my take on this after perhaps 50 visits to Paris.

wear what you want - let the OP stress about fitting in - yet IME anyone wearing anything will really be fitting in as you will see everything

Wear what is comfortable for you, but you should keep few things in mind that you will be in a city, Shorts are probably best for beaches, resorts, sport. Sports shoes while they are comfortable but best not worn in the city. There are many comfortable shoes that are not running type shoes. Long pants, whether they be jeans,chinos or cargos, in the city are a simple courtesy.

I have decided that this "thing" about what is "in" or "out" in Europe as well as whether or not something (besides money, of course) is "too American" has become worse than all the Black Plague epidemics put together!

I was just IN Paris and here is what I SAW: every shade of denim known to Man; every color of "tennis shoe" known to Man; T-shirts, many with slogans in languages I am not convinced the wearer spoke or even understood. Men wearing all length of shorts. SMOKING on the sidewalk: if you really want to <B>fit in</B> definitely <B>do that</B>.

Polo shirts and khakis out? The next thing we'll hear is that Joan Rivers and her "fashion police" are doing it for something other than the ratings.

Shorts are probably best for beaches, resorts, sport.

Why, what difference does it make to the observer, who by the way doesn't care.

Sports shoes while they are comfortable but best not worn in the city.

Why? No one cares what you've got on your feet.

Long pants, whether they be jeans,chinos or cargos, in the city are a simple courtesy.

To whom? Who cares enough to be offended?

This thread started in 2012. Why did andrespefia revive it?