Jacket for men necessary in Paris
 

Does my husband need to pack a blazer for dinners in Paris? Have been reading Paris for Dummies which indicates that even at the most casual places men wear sports jackets and chinos. Thanks!

My husband has never taken a jacket to Paris and we eat in nice places. If you are going to a Michelin rated dining place he will need a jacket but for most restaurants a nice shirt or sweater has been sufficient. We like nice food and nice places but choose not to dress up and "dine" when we are on vacation and we have had some truely memorable meals. Have fun in one of my favotire cities.

ditto

You do not need a jacket for any of the cafes or even the nicer medium priced restaurants. But when in Rome... er Paris.. do as the Parisians do. Many Parisian men will where a jacket when they go out to dinner. Jeans are fine but a jacket is a nice touch. So you don't need to but why not make every night or at least several nights in Paris seem like a special occasion and where the jacket? How often do you get to dine in Paris??? And packing the jacket does not need to be a big deal, turn it inside out, fold it along the main back seam, then fold it in half. It will hardly wrinkle..may not wrinkle at all if you add some tissue paper.

I agree, you don't need a jacket to dine in Paris, unless you age dining in a Michelin rated restaurant or you are a part of the Nieman Marcus crowd. :-)

In all my trips to Europe, the only time I wore a jacket was in February when someone told me that I needed one for lunch at Altitude 95. I wore a jacket and turtleneck, but didn't really need one from looking at others. Maybe it got me a window seat. ;) ((b))

Not necessary - but what was going to wear in the evenings?? Most likely he will need a jackey or sweater of some sort anyway - so he can be a big boy and take a jacket.

Not necessaary in casual places but he will feel more comfortable in one if you go someplace nicer (not suit and tie but some sort of jacket - even leather and a decent shirt or nice sweater with slacks - not jeans).

Also - wn are you going - and what type of jacket will he need just bsed on the weather?

Wearing a jacket is not a sign of being a "big boy". How he conducts himself with others and how well he treats his partner are much better indicators of whether or not he is a "big boy". Luckily my "big boy" passes the test nicely and doesn't have to wear a jacket on vacation, when he has to wear one to work every day, to prove it.

CHINOS??? OMG, ROTFLMAO!!!

Who writes this drivel, anyway?

I've been traveling to/living in France for 30+ years and have never ONCE seen a French man I know wearing a pair of Chinos. That's just too funny!

A jacket isn't necessary, either. Most well-dressed French men will wear a nice shirt or classy sweater at all but the stuffiest of restaurants. It's not the actual clothing items that count, but the ability to wear clothes with style and panache. Good-quality items - nice shoes, a cashmere sweater, a tailored shirt - those count for way more than "putting on a tie and jacket."

StCirq, i'm afraid i have to say i know of one frenman wearing chinos (sometimes) : my father - but he is over 70 and wears them for gardening only !

If he doesn't wear them at home then any jacket he possesses is bound to be out of the ark and as such will look a great deal trampier than what he'd normally wear. I always think a jacket is good practise for a man in the evening, it makes an outfit look far more polished. A brilliant example of this is a t-shirt with skinny jeans worn during the day, the addition of a nipped in waist, short cut black jacket add edge and makes the outfit suitable for the evening.

There's no point in you trying to look like a couple of locals, it quite simply isn't going to happen. I suppose your question is asking if it's necessary, and other people have answered it really in saying that if it's somewhere smart then yes, but if it's a casual cafe/bistro then you can pretty much wear what you want!

Hi GP,

It's not de rigeur, but makes a good impression.

He doesn't have to pack the jacket, he can wear it.

It's always easier to take a jacket off if it is not appropriate than to put one on if you don't have it.

((I))
I won't mention that a gentlemen always wears a jacket when dining in public. :)

To answer your original question, NO. Your husband does NOT NEED to pack a blazer for dinners. I did not wear a jacket in Paris and did not feel out of place. I am a gentleman. I wear nice dress shirts or nice sweater and slacks. We had a window seat at Jules Verne for lunch and I did not have a jacket.

Thanks to all who replied. We're going in early May. I'd rather not pack it so if he decides to take one, he'll have to wear it! So no chinos, huh?? Looks like Paris for Dummies is off track!

Americans will wear chinos or dockers, not the Europeans. There is nothing wrong with wearing chinos either. If you are an American and tourist that is what you are, be it and be proud, but not ugly and loud.

If that book told you that most diners will be wearing chinos, I would trash the book. You really have to take care with some of the advice offered by so-called experts! As I used to remind my dear Nana when she would send me all sorts of dubious articles clipped from various 'womens' magazines and tabloid newspapers, "Just because it is in print does not make it true!"

More important than the issue of the actual jacket is the total effect...clean, well-pressed clothes, no garish colors or patterns, good leather shoes, etc.
A man in a good cotton shirt and black cashmere sweater will present a much more pleasing appearance than a guy in a bright plaid sports jacket and ill-fitting denim pants.

Well, that is the extent of my fashion advice. In the end, it does not matter all that much. Men do not seem to enjoy wearing ties and jackets...after fighting that fight for a while, I just let the matter rest. The exception to this would be the very top tier of restaurants with multi-Michelin stars and even then, a great sweater and shirt and good pants would not be awful, either. He can always borrow the restaurant's jacket if they insist.

Emergency page for Margiela and thingorjus.

Please pick up the white fodors courtesy phone for an emergency fashion question.

I agree that you should wear what you feel comfortable in. A lot of what you feel comfortable wearing depends on where you live and your age, as well as where you plan to go and what you plan to do.

I, too, will be in Paris the first week in May, and I wouldn't even consider not wearing a jacket, but I live on the East Coast, where many men wear jackets, and I am 62 years old. I would wear the same thing in Charleston or New Orleans if I were going to the same kinds of places.

At Bofinger last time for lunch, I was in the middle of the crowd, sartorially -- plenty of types in sweaters and turtlenecks and plenty of others in Jacques Chirac suits. I felt comfortable.

I learn a lot in this forum. I looked up wikipedia what "chinos" are. Sounds VERY American. I doubt if such trousers are available in Europe.

I usually wear smart jeans, polo shirt and jacket in a European restaurant, but have developed a feeling that this combination is unusual in the USA.

Men in restaurants wearing suits and ties are usually business people in their working uniforms. When they go into the same restaurants together with friends and families they would wear jeans too. However, what counts in Europe is the total impression, matching colours, elegant shoes etc.

"It's not the actual clothing items that count, but the ability to wear clothes with style and panache. Good-quality items - nice shoes, a cashmere sweater, a tailored shirt - those count for way more than 'putting on a tie and jacket.' "

Wow, I guess I'm screwed no matter what I bring then. I don't think I've ever been close to having style and panache.

But the key I glean from this thread is to wear what you'd be comfortable wearing in a similar restaurant at home.

Anyone who worries about such things should dress "properly". Anybody else is probably oblivious and will get by just fine.

It should be noted that the expensive restaurants are mostly interested in how much money you will spend, not how you look. The waiters certainly don't care. The other customers will either not notice or will feel superior. Hooray for them.

No blazer for your husband. Jeez, some of these questions....!

I guess the one thing that hasn't been mentioned is that when my wife takes the time to dress nicely for a restaurant meal in Paris, why wouldn't I do the same? I feel better, too. For me that means a jacket and turtleneck or sometimes a shirt and tie.
I agree wiyh Budman that it usually gets us a good table. I wear it on the plane because it is easier than packing it. According to the ground personnel, the way we were dressed is what got us bumped up to First Class.

>It should be noted that the expensive restaurants are mostly interested in how much money you will spend, not how you look.<

Not really. They do have to keep their regular clientele happy.

((I))

It is absolutely amazing what people will "endure" in terms of what other customers are/are not wearing if the restaurant's service and food are good, isn't it?

Dockers..yes, people in Europe do wear them. Of course, they cost a lot more than they do in the US.

Early May? He needs to take some sort of coat/jacket for the evenings, but it doesn't need to be a formal one.

Blazer? The very word makes me think of 80 year old retired military types :-)

Oh and Chinos were popular in parts of Europe around 20 years ago.

OK, allow me to review:
No blazer
No chinos
No ill-fitting jeans
No non-leather shoes
No ill-fitting shirts
Must have panache
Must be a big boy
Black cashmere -- yes
Plaid -- no

Got it. Packing just got a lot easier.

>Must have panache.

I buy all of my clothes from Land's End or LL Bean.

Where do I get a panache?

((I))

ira asked: "Where do I get a panache?"

Try a bar in any French-speaking place.

I would like to know what Chinos are ...because in Spanish Chinos are the people from China....

The French dress much better than we do, certainly the women always seem to be "turned out". I always wear a sportcoat or blazer (never with metal buttons). Chinos are a sixties thing; Gap still sells them....and look what has happened to their stock. The better you are dressed, the better you will be treated in a bistrot or restaurant; cafes don't count. Buy your husband a Travelsmith sportcoat; they have all kinds of hidden pockets etc. Tell him it's a security thing.

<<The better you are dressed, the better you will be treated in a bistrot or restaurant.>>

In a truly excellent establishment, that is not true. The staff know how to look beyond the clothing and thank god for that -- Russian mafia types, Lebanese arms merchants, African dictators and various other sleazeballs are always extremely well dressed in Paris, with the most magnificent and expensive garb that money can buy. The best establishments treat them as they deserve to be treated. However, there is a certain type of establishment that will fawn over them and their wallets. I hope that you are not a regular at these establishments, oakglen.

Hi kenderina,

Here's a picture of some chinos for you!

http://tinyurl.com/2rre79

oakglen wrote: "The better you are dressed, the better you will be treated in a bistrot or restaurant".

Truly, I have never noticed that. I think it is sufficient to be clean and tidy. After that, treating people in a courteous way suffices (and that IS important).

There may be a small number of places that are more stuffy, but I have yet to wander into any of them (and if I did, I would wander out again -- who needs that?).

Funny thing, but in the past I've often gotten into the argument here and said that while we're in Paris we never seem to wear our jackets we take. We don't do "starred" restaurants, but nice family run bistros, restaurants, and the usual brasseries. A nice shirt and slacks are fine, and without AC in many places, that's all I want to wear. But this year, during our 10 days in July it was quite cool, and we ended up wearing our casual linen sportjackets (that we bought IN Paris last summer) nearly every single night. We wore them more for warmth than for being dressed up. If it's hot he won't be out of place in or out of one at any but the fanciest of places. But it's sure nice to have one "just in case".

Padraig and kerouac - could it be that if you never have dressed the part you wouldn't know...

Well, I have to say that I understand if a place has a jacket required rule, and that they certainly wouldn't serve you if you weren't wearing one or if you were seated might treat you differently.

But to be perfectly honest if a place without such a rule treats a man in a sport coat in a different way than they treat a well-dressed man without one -- then I'd prefer to find another restaurant. That's just plain silly.
Particularly if the man without the sport coat was better dressed than the man with one -- yes, I said that right and it is quite possible.

Hi NP,

>...treats a man in a sport coat in a different way than they treat a well-dressed man without one...<

Please define "well dressed" when dining in public.

From what I have garnered on this forum, I suggest the following:

Semi-casual - bathing trunks and flip flops
Resort casual - the above with a tee shirt
Golf course casual - the above with a polo shirt
Casual - the above with long pants
Semi formal - the above with shoes
Formal - the above with a sports jacket

((I))

Well dressed without a sportcoat. Think Will on Will and Grace.

Less well dressed with a sportcoat.
Think Jerry Stiller on the King of Queens.

Simply wearing a sportcoat has LITTLE to do with being well dressed.
Trust me on this. I live in Florida surrounded by some of the worst polyester leisure suits and hot pink silk sportcoats worn with plaid pants and white patent shoes you've ever seen. And I'm also surrounded by trendy restaurants where hardly anyone would wear a sportcoat, but designer shirts, great looking slacks, and designer shoes abound.

And while I agree with ira's description for "levels" of formality, I don't think any of those have anything to do with the term "well-dressed". A person can be in resort casual and be a far better dressed person than someone in formal attire.

Hi NP,

>A person can be in resort casual and be a far better dressed person than someone in formal attire. <

Please define "formal attire".

((I))
Do you mean that a guy in a "full Chicago" in Florida is no longer well dressed?

Neo - It happens all the time, everywhere in the world. Somebody has to get that table by the window or get bumped to First Class.