Dressing for London/Paris
 

Planning a 25th Anniversary trip to London and Romantic Paris for Mid-June. What type of clothes should I pack? We're the Jeans & T-shirt type, but would like to know the dress code there. Thanks for suggestions.

Message: I hope you won't mind my tagging along to your e-mail, but I'm wondering the same thing for London in June. I would like to take some capri pants and regular length pants too. Do women in London wear capri's or will I look silly? Thanks for any clothing tips you're willing to share!

Most people here will tell you to avoid t-shirts with designs on them, white sneakers, baseball caps, and fanny (bum) packs. Most will suggest dark colors.

After considering all of the info, I am going to be comfortable. I am taking jeans, athletic shoes (trainers) - not white, some chinos, some dress shoes, and some cotton shirts. There is no way that I as an American will ever pass myself off as a European, so why not wear what I want - just as long as I don't look like a mark. No baseball caps or corny t-shirts (although I will try to buy corny t-shirts - Mind the Gap, etc).

When Europeans come to the US, I doubt they try to dress just like us. Be yourself and have fun! :)

One thing I missed. My wife loves capri pants and will be wearing them in London and Paris :)

I think women wear capris in London and May. They also wear trainers, but their trainers are "retro" leather trainers made by Camper (if you wanted to blend in, old style Pumas, Adidas etc would work). Women in London often wear light colours, even when the shouldn't (the tube is dirty, so are their clothes). They also often wear tight, stretchy, shiny and even ruffled clothes, often when the shouldn't ... (at least these are usually in neutral colours like the aforementioned dirty white, black, navy, tan). Layering is popular in London, because public transport can be very humid, but relatively cool (eg 14-18) outside.

You won't look exactly like a local in either London or Paris, but if you avoid some of the touristy no-nos mentioned below you won't look out of place, on a day-to-day basis, in your jeans and tshirts. You might want to dress up a little more for evening but you'll fit in if you want to wear "smart casual" clothes.

Thanks for the info all of you. I've never been to Europe and I am so excited. I want to do it all the right way, you know?

It's hard to go wrong with black, navy and other dark colors. You won't stick out like a sore thumb, and it hides dirt. Don't worry about the season; dark colors are always in season in Europe.

I personally don't like dark colors in the summer. Where what ever you want and I'm sure you'll be fine. I'm the jeans and t-shirt type and the first time I went overseas, I lugged fancy clothes and never wore them. Never again. As long as you are neat and tidy you'll be fine. I've never felt out of place 9and no, I don't wear bright pink jogging suits!!). But capri pants are certainly ok.

Capris IF it is warm enough:) There have been June and July days where jackets were needed!
When my husband and I travel, we try to keep the clothes down to a couple of colors so things mix and match..black being one of those colors:)
In the summer , some pastels and khaki with black looks great and will keep your travel clothes looking fresh. SloPugs is so right! Don't even think about taking your summer whites:)
At night you can just put a black top with those black pants and you are ready for an evening out.
Personally-I would skip the jeans and tee's. Looks cute on kids but if you are having a 25th anniversary, you might want to skip those and just be young at heart~
BTW-Happy Anniversary!

I lived in London a few years ago and I'm in my early 30s. I wore capris ALL the time in London during the spring/summer months. Wear anything you like, really. Nobody really pays attention. You can be casual or dressy and you'll fit in. The only time I noticed people sticking out as "American" tourists is when they wore sweatshirts and/or athletic shorts. The natives wear jeans and sneakers like everyone else. Also, there are so many American/Canadian/Australian/Kiwi expats living there, there's no real need to blend in with the European way of dressing unless you would feel more comfortable that way. I would only really ditch the jeans if you were going to the theatre or a nice dinner.

As for Paris, I only went during the Winter months. People do tend to dress up a little more there, but you'll be doing a lot of walking so you'll want to be comfortable. In the evenings, you can dress up a little more.

One thing to consider about jeans: they take a LONG time to dry. They go very well in europe, but if you plan on doing your own laundry you might want to re-think denim for faster drying material. As an earlier poster mentioned, Paris and London can be cool (or not) that time of year. We both are jeans lovers, but we only bring them if we are staying somewhere long enough for them to dry or better yet we send them out to have them laundered!

Thanks for the replies regarding wearing capri pants in London. I love capri's and figure they will be comfortable for me to deal with while I'm there. I know Americans are usually easily spotted but I just didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb. I am planning take some cardigan sweaters for the (possible) cooler weather and will mix and match those with t-shirts, capri's, pants, etc. Thanks again!

You dress in London and Paris as you would in any large city in the United States. Wear casual clothes when doing casual things, formal clothes when doing formal things. You wouldn't wear a mink and diamonds to the Tate in the afternoon, would you? You also wouldn't wear jeans for dinner at Le Violon d'Ingres. Use common sense. Dress your age, also. If you are young, you can get away with anything. If you are old and fat, you will look daft in tight jeans and white trainers.

I'm mid-50's, tall, slim and on my way to France for the 3rd time in 3 years. My wardrobe here is mostly Teenflo (check out their website); smart casual with an edge...I love black, white, beige. I'll be taking 4 pairs of black pants (one is longish capri), one beige Banana Republic stretch capri, about 8 white short sleeve GAP t's, couple of white shirts and a denim jean jacket. A pair of comfortable Nine West ankle boots, one pair sandals...maybe a pair of shorts, bathing suit...of course the personal stuff, couple of funky belts and pieces of jewellery and I'm all set for anything. It's worked well for me before so I won't change the formula. People have apprached me and spoken French before English so I guess I look somewhat the part. Unless it's really hot leather pants can also work well; they repel rain, spills and dirt; they come in dressy or jean-style cuts. Check out Danier.com for reasonable priced leathers. Don't know if you're American...these companies are Canadian but I believe both now sell in the US.

You might consider a long, tailored demin skirt. It can be worn with a simple top and sandals during the day. And can be dressy casual with flats, silky-type top and a jacket (or scarf or beads) for the evening. It's also great with boots during the cooler months. I take a demin skirt everywhere, and we're jeans & t-shirt type of people, too.

Your husband might consider Docker-type pants (various colors), that also can be casual with a polo shirt or dressed up with a summer sports jacket.

Happy Anniversary!!!!! Hope you have at least 25 more!!!

It is the same dress as New york.No different, same styles. Don't forget those trending people are back in forth, New York to Paris and the styles now get copied over night where before it took two years. There is, as here still a preppy style of dresing that is still in. But forget dress, go and have a wonderful time. Love is something clothes can't buy. Lucky you, Have a happy Anniversary. There's a new book out called, Romantic Paris, where to dine, strooll. etc.

Wear what you wear when you are at home. Of course you're not going to wear your shorts and sneakers but just use common sense. Believe it or not, jeans are commonplace in Paris and London nowadays.