France--What to Wear
 

We just came back from two weeks in France and found we dressed the nicest we have ever dressed on a trip. A sports coat for a man is a must if you are going to any half way nice restaurants for dinner. During the day time I even wore skirts. Shorts are a definite no as are white tennis shoes. French dress very lovely. Now you can wear shorts if you want, but knowing the French frown down on them, why would you do that. You are a guest in their country and they dress up. Betty

You obviously had a very cloistered experience and failed to see the real France and real French who do not 'dress up' as you imply that all do. There is nearly no difference in what French wear than Americans do - especially for anyone under 50.

White tennis shoes are especially in with teen and 20s women one Fodorite in Paris reported when the school year started.

You may not see many shorts in a cold September but though they may not wear as much as Yanks you will see French wearing shorts if warm enough.

The number of women wearing skirts in Paris is very low - jeans, slacks are much more prevalent.

I desagree with just about everything you say.

I agree with the previous reply... we were
in Paris in July and I didn't notice anything much different from the way people dress in Ottawa. I wore jeans
pretty well every day and never felt out of place.

Rob

I to must reply thta aftre having traveled all over France, both tourists and French wear shorts, sneakers and I never saw a sport coat at any "good" restuarants even in Paris except fro business people. To say thta the French look down on those types of clothing is making totally erroneous assumptions with absolutely no bais in fact unless you yourself are French and know every other French person.

If you saw what French tourists are wearing here in New Delhi, India, you would not think twice about wearing shorts, capris, and big white tennis shoes in Paris... Tourists are supposed to dress casually!

I too disagree with the OP. The only people I saw in Paris "dressed up" were obviously going to or from work. Moms shopping with their daughters over the weekend like moms here....they were all in jeans and comfortable shoes. The kids? Hoodies, sweat shirts, T-shirts, long jeans with the cuffs frayed and dragging on the ground, trainers of all colors, including white. Jeans everywhere.

<i>if you are going to any half way nice restaurants for dinner</i>

OP might consider only two or three star restaurants as half way nice, at which point a sports coat might be the norm.

I prefer to wear my tuxedo to petit d&eacute;jeuner

Reisender,

I would think that the Emperor's clothes would be more appropriate.

I'll wear a smile.


See my post what they are wearing in Paris.

Add me to the list of those who disagree with the OP.

Stu Dudley

Surely you jest!

Stu, where do you think some pick up these ideas of what the French wear?
We go throughout France and my husband never was out of place without a dinner jacket at a &quot;half-way nice&quot; restaurant Men who were coming from working had their jackets on and tourists who were visiting for a first time.

&lt;Stu, where do you think some pick up these ideas of what the French wear?&gt;

by spending two weeks in France?

Some Parisians do dress up, especially for special events and work. However, if you've ever spent time in Paris commuting daily on the metro in the outer areas, as I have, a lot of people don't dress so great. There are lots of people living in Paris who don't spend a fortune on clothes and are your average working class (or poorer). A lot of them don't dress very lovely at all.

It is true maybe betharwein only thinks of expensive restaurants as halfway nice, and then I'd agree. I wouldn't wear white tennis shoes anywhere (don't own any), but I don't care what other people wear who are tourists myself. Lots of tourists where I live dress horribly, like they are going to Disneyland or something, even though this is a large city -- do I care? no, I'm leading my own life and really don't. I tend not to frequent restaurants where tourists go at home, also. Now I've met lots of tourists in my own city, some French, and they aren't wearing dresses or skirts, let me tell you. They don't wear white tennis shoes, though, but may wear dark-colored &quot;tennis&quot; shoes (if that really means casual rubber-soled shoes, like Pumas or something).



I don't know about this &quot;guest&quot; thing, either. I don't consider tourists in my city to be &quot;guests&quot; and I don't think of myself as a &quot;guest&quot; when I travel. To me, a guest is someone staying in my home I've invited, and they aren't paying.

&lt;They don't wear white tennis shoes&gt;

I believe we had a report not long ago from one Parisian saying that at the lycee is their area that many girls were indeed wearing white tennis shoes

I have no idea where someone would observe mostly dinner jackets in France - unless they only dine at 4 &amp; 5 Michelin Knife &amp; Fork places. We dine out in France about 40 times each year, and have been doing so since '99 when we retired. We usually find ourselves at 2 &amp; 3 Knife &amp; Fork place. I never take a jacket to France and I can probably count the number of jackets I've seen at dinner on two hand (maybe four). At some nice restaurants in Burgundy in the fall I've observed more jackets than in a place like Provence.

Relais &amp; Chateaux places seem to attract people who like to wear jackets.

Stu Dudley

Stu, What do you mean by knife &amp; fork places?

The knife and fork symbol is for atmosphere, and distinct from the Michelin star system.

I'm still a bit confused. What type of atmosphere does it indicate? Extremely casual Mom &amp; Pop (or Mere &amp; Pere) comes to mind.

My intrepretation is that the Knives &amp; Forks in the Michelin Red Guide indicate the &quot;elegance&quot; of the restaurants. Five K&amp;Fs will be a very formal place with lots of servers to cater to your special need, and also elegant decor. Think the Ritz, Tour Argent - all 5 K&amp;Fs but 1 stars (stars are for the food rating). One K&amp;F are much less formal &amp; elegant - often Mom &amp; Pops, but they could be starred also.

Stu Dudley

Ah! Sorry, I didn't make the Michelin connection. I was thinking of an ad I saw somewhere for a diner that had a picture of a man in overalls holding up a knife &amp; fork.

I spent time on this trip at the haute couture salons with a Parisian friend while she did some shopping and I must say I saw some very stylish clothing on both men and women, Betty may have done the same.

However, most of the people I observed on the &quot;real&quot; Parisian streets didn't look any different from any other major city. Men were wearing jackets because it was rather cool but my husband felt comfortable without one.

While we were vacationing at a B&amp;B in Locmariaquer we met a couple from Toulouse with an incredible sense of style. Thinking that although we were both on vacation they certainly raised the fashion bar to a high level. Ron and I must have impressed them not with our attire but our charm ;;) because they did suggest we meet them at another B&amp;B near Biarritz next September. Deborah

I was in Paris 5 yrs ago. I tried to dress as the Parisians did then. I wore chinos or black pants, and never wore gyms. I felt complimented when a French woman thought I was French.

ParisAmsterdam: You will be barred for life from entry to France -- I bet they already have your true identity and photo posted at CDG.

Imagine saying Parisians dress like Ottawa residents!

I am writing this from Ottawa, to which I returned from France, reluctant and regretful, on Monday evening.

People dress horribly here.

Parisians may dress casually -- or not -- but there is generally, at least in the centre, a much more acute sense of style there, as in any world capital.

Except Ottawa. And Bratislava and Ouagadougou.....

My MIL who is Austrian said they do wear shorts when it is hot! She also said they were whatever shoes are comfortable for walking.
I do think, like NYC, there are always people that will be dressed nicely on the street, as well as people dressed very casually. There are some going to work or theater, or just wandering around the sights.
If it is hot in June, I am bringing shorts!!! I will probably wear a longer more of a bermuda type short for sightseeing.
I am sure they dress the same as the rest of the world.
Although when they dress up, they may appear more fashionable. After all, it is Paris, isn't it?

I just don't see how you can make generalizations about the dress of an entire country. I truly doubt that &quot;the French frown down&quot; on what I wear or could give a care about it.

suze wrote: &quot;I truly doubt that &quot;the French frown down&quot; on what I wear or could give a care about it.&quot;

That's right, but it won't stop people here continuing to discuss it.

Most people who rave about how the French are dressed (or who are intimidated by it) seem to have not left the inner 6 arrondissements. In my outlying neighborhood, you can see flip flops, shorts, clashing colors, white athletic shoes, training suits and any number of other so-called 'never-see-it-in-Paris' items of clothing.

The actual reality is that people with a sense of style or a need to wear nice clothes congregate in the same areas of the city and trick a lot of tourists into believing that it is normal Parisian attire.

WOW! I stirred up a hornet's next with my comments on dress attire in France We hired a French guide for one of our days in Paris and he told us shorts are a no no. We trust him. Also, I don't know which streets you are walking in Paris but we covered the city from top to bottom and most people dress nicely. AS for eating out at night, my husband wore a sports coat because it was chilly. I don't know where you eat but in Paris in all the nice little alley restaurants men were wearing sports coats. When we travel to a city like Paris, I must admit food is important to us as where we eat is. We spent time with a lady in Vence who lives in Paris and we went out to dinner with her one night. She wore slacks and a very lovely top. Each to their own. It is true that in America people dress very casual, sometimes very sloppy and think its OK. It's all a matter of personal taste. Each to their own. Betty P.S. Now I wonder what you'll have to say!!

<i>Now I wonder what you'll have to say!!</i>

The list of deniers includes posters who have had extensive experiences in Paris and elsewhere in France. While your experience is not to be denied, at least as you see it, I would consider the other opinions to be more reliable.

For what my opinion (and experience) is worth (I'm in the UK) - I've never noticed people in Paris dressing any differently to anywhere else I've been! Certainly, I've never been anywhere in Europe, where people dress any differently to anywhere in the USA! I guess there are 'good dressers' everywhere - but, I'm afraid I haven't mixed in those circles. And I prefer to feel comfortable, as do the vast majority of people in Paris! Jeans, capris, shorts - whatever the weather and comfort dictates!

I think Betty's having you all on! &quot;French dress very lovely&quot;.

If not, Betty, I can assure you that French tourists to my country (Australia) dress very similarly to other tourists, possibly French women are slimmer than others and wear their clothes well. If any country stands out in terms of stylish dressing here, it would be Italians, both women and men as well as younger Japanese.

Beth, please don't listen to any of these people. Most live in public housing in horrid neighborhoods where track suits and Arab youths setting fire to cars are the norm.

Not everyone is poor, sweetie darling. Many professionals can afford a Helmut Lang coat.

I am so sick of the slobs on this site denigrating the fashion cognoscenti.

The Great and Powerful Thingorjus

I agree with the OP. I can't believe that I am the only one agreeing though. Are we all talking about the same country?
I love when I am in France because I feel feminine and comfortable dressing nicely. Rather than stand out I blend in. Here in the Philadelphia suburbs (very nice suburbs by the way) I feel as though people think I am overdressed at the grocery store or a school function in heels and a skirt. I have been asked where I am coming from or where I am going afterwards??? I NEVER feel this way in france no matter where I am going or what I am doing. Au contraire I thrive there.
While it is true that times are evolving and Americans are becoming more fashion concious and French may becoming more relaxed in their attire the French still have an undeniable je ne sais quoi that outsmarts Americans. It's mostly the younger generation that is blending together easier.

As for shorts though I seriously can not remember ever seeing a French person in shorts unless it is for sports or at the beach but never walking around town. I have seen people in Paris in shorts but inevitably they were speaking English.
WHen I say shorts I mean gym shorts or Bermudas but I am sure that if there were a reprise in &quot;hotpants&quot; or some other high fashion trend we'd see them all over Paris.

For the record, I have never worn shorts in Paris, because it's always been raining! :) I think the last time I was there, I wore jeans and a red rain jacket and certainly didn't feel out of place! I've been all over France, including Monte Carlo, many times and have never noticed what others were wearing, to be honest - let alone stopped to listen to what language they were speaking! There is far too much to sdmire and enjoy than to bother with such. Also, I've worn skirts plenty of times when visiting the USA and never felt out of place. The only time I've ever felt out of place, anywhere, was in Prague, last year - when we went to the opera and dressed up. Nobody else had bothered and were all in jeans!!

Some people have an eye for clothes like others have a nose for smells. They will see one fabulous outfit in a crowd of 100 people and see only that one outfit. The other 99 people become invisible.

Or, vice versa.

There is also the perspective that when you live in france year round you take certain things for granted and don't notice some serious differences in cultures.
Seriously though, kerouac, on a similar thread &quot;what women are wearing&quot; you posted a blog with photos of young french people. After looking at all the photos, that site reconfirms my point, that the french are more fashion concious for lack of a better term. Even at a young age many of the young men are wearing the typical scarf, fitted jackets with jeans, pants tucked into boots. I would never see young American guys dress this way in high school here. Really look at the pics in that blog. Sure, lots of the kids are wearing jeans and or tennis shoes but it is the way they are put together as a whole. Even some of the kids that looked sloppy or tried to look tough had something very &quot;un-American&quot; about them and will probably grow up with that french je ne sais quoi.

When I was raised, I was taught to &quot;dress appropriately&quot; for the occasion. In the city, that meant dressing up. Times however, the world over, have changed.

When in Paris, London, New York City and Washington D.C. this year I noticed no significant differences in dress from one city to the next. I am an avid people watcher and very fashion concious. All of these cities are melting pots. When you look at the population as a whole, in each city you will see it all - from the very dressy to the very casual.

I think that people often see what they really want to see - they see that which supports their point of view.