more Paris street fashion:
http://www.feedshion.com/city/paris/

judy, here are some not so young. The garish one with clown cheeks is very famous in fashion. She works for Italian Vogue.

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html...RE/index.html#

Black is just son 20th C.

Black is just son 20th C.

No Black is just so 20th C - jusqu'a comme moi et <paradigm change>.

Hi,

Well I have just returned from the Loire valley where my parents live & can tell you - the French were wearing all sorts of colours - from red to black to purple - all ages.

Mark

It's winter. It's cold. Black is classic and serviceable. Most people, especially those in large cities who have business to attend to, are wearing black of some sort.

I spent the afternoon walking around the Dupont Circle area of Washington, DC, with my daughter and I'd say 85 % of the people walking around were dressed in part, or all, in black.

In France, black = chic. The same applies in more than a few other big cities.

<i><font color=blue>&quot;black is always more common in cities than in the surrounding countryside.&quot;</font></i>

My goodness, doesn't everyone know this by now?

<i><font color=blue>&quot;It's winter. It's cold. Black is classic and serviceable.&quot;</font></i>

Amen.

<i>The Europeans use more black as they tend to buy fewer clothing items and black is easier to coordinate with accessories than &quot;high fashion' colors.</i>

It isn't just the coordination. A small wardrobe also means that everybody notices how often you wear that &quot;stand-out&quot; shirt.

Also, classic, black clothes hide many sins, not the least of which is lousy tailoring. The flaws in a cheap camel coat stick out a lot more than on a cheap black one.

TRUE, TRUE but the op's title refers to France which is more than
just Paris

<i><font color=blue>&quot;the op's title refers to France which is more than just Paris&quot;</font></i>

Not to most average travelers.

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;
A small wardrobe also means that everybody notices how often you wear that &quot;stand-out&quot; shirt.
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;

the french (like most societies) have no phobia about being noticed wearing the same clothing multiple times in one week or even a few days in a row. speaking generally, it's simply not an issue in france so there is no worry about what anybody may or may not notice.

from interacting with many societies around the world, i have noticed that americans uniquely (again, speaking generally) tend to really find it embarrassing to be seen in the same clothing 'too often'. is this due to it being a common reason for getting teased/bullied in school or something else (like being perceived as unclean, etc).

in most other societies, it is very common to wear the same thing over and over within a week...even among young, stylish people who care about their appearance.

not a criticism of either view...just an observation.

Perhaps French women wear black in the winter but not in Italy.

This year the Red is the prevalent color to wear although that black ivery fashionable also.

I was reading a post in Slow Traveler by a very interesting lady.

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/fashion/2008_fall.htm...

<i>black is always more common in cities than in the surrounding countryside.</i>

It used to be the reverse. Peasant women generally (festive wear excepted) wore black in Germany, Italy, Greece (those are the images I remember), etc. I was told that they were in permanent mourning.

my aunt in Italy wore black til she died as an old woman. Her son was killed as a boy!

walkinaround, even my fashionista idol Carine Roitfeld, head of French Vogue wears her clothes over and over though she has a huge wardrobe.

Yup, my French friends buy one or two classic pieces every year, and that's about it. They accessorize to achieve different looks.

In the USA I think we ARE a bit obsessed about never being seen in the same thing twice (or never being seen wearing the same thing another person is wearing to the same event - though that's a celeb obsession mainly, I think). I know I fall prey to that notion sometimes. But the idea of having a few very classy, timeless pieces is one I try to strive for. As an American, though, I know I'd not be comfortable with going to an office 5 days a week and wearing even one piece more than once, probably. Sad, but true.

But I don't have to go to an office, so no problem!

Cigale. I loved that lady's white coat..so very lovely.

<i><font color=blue>&quot;In the USA I think we ARE a bit obsessed about never being seen in the same thing twice&quot;</font></i>

I think it totally depends on who will be doing the viewing. (The folks at Vogue are definitely obsessed.)

In studious circles, certain classic fashion pieces will always be admired, especially if each time seen presents a different and admired variation. Possessing a little styling talent helps.

None of my French girlfriends where the same outfit twice in one week on the job. But they're all self-employed (or don't work).

StCirq, that's only 5 tops and 5 bottoms. i'm hardly a fashionista and even i can manage not to repeat within a single work week ;-)