If it is really hot - tank tops, sleeveless blouses, sweaters, etc. are ok. Pair them with a light cotton skirt and a nice pair of sandals or flats (don't bring new shoes! make sure they are comfortable and well worn!) and you'll look like a Parisian. Maybe a cardigan to throw on in a church, though you probably won't need one if it is hot, because even air-conditioned buildings in Paris aren't THAT cool. Skirts are SO much cooler in the heat, in fact, when we were in Paris in July, a couple of years ago, that was all I wore.

One bit of warning - you'll inevitably get stared at, especially by other women on the Metro, it's not necessarily because you look bad - on the contrary, the women may be admiring your look. But they would NEVER smile at a total stranger and say "I like your outfit!" as Americans do.

Bonjour! Having just returned from Paris, I can tell exactly what the beautiful local ladies were wearing!

Skirts with pretty blouses. Dresses. Scarves, even on warm days. Lots and lots of ballet-type flats, in black and bronzes. Tons of Converse shoes on the younger crowd. Sneakers, but colored ones, and they never seemed to have any substance to them. . . no cushiony bottoms I mean. Tons of jeans - mostly skinny jeans. Barely any capris for women - if I saw a lady with Gap-style khaki capris, I'd eventually hear her speaking English. HOWEVER, everywhere you looked, the MEN were sporting cropped pants!

Oh, and hardly any make-up, natural natural natural - yet polished! Don't know how they do it

I took my flowy denim skirt, a black knit skirt, jeans, a couple of "fancy" tops and about 4 black tops. I shopped at H&M, a great spot of you have one near you, cheap but Euro looking basics. I had other tops I ended up not bringing b/c I thought they were TOO fancy - I could've brought them and felt very comfortable. Brought a black and brown sweater - needed it at night, even though it was very warm most days.

For shoes, I need comfortable ones b/c my feet are flat and wide;-) I brought my Dansko thongs, which I was really happy about. I was raised on Maui so flip-flops are always the most comfortable for me. I also brought my Clarks and Ecco sneakers to change it up a couple of days.

HAVE FUN!! I got back a week and a half ago and I am already planning the next visit!

Just returned from Paris and would agree with those who suggest shoes that work for you and comfortable layers. We were there in the middle of June and discovered that the weather tends to cycle - it was hot when we arrived but by the time we left it was quite cool. I packed tank tops in different colors and several light blouses that I wore over them - one short sleeve and one long sleeved. Pack rain gear or an umbrella - we had quite a bit of rain - they say that weather has been rather strange this year. I wore gauchos or walking shorts as well a nice skirt. I spent a lot of time people watching while we were gone especially after all of the comments about appropraite clothing on this site and thank goodness before I left I allowed my own commen sense to prevail and I packed with layers and coordinating colors - you will be fine as long as you have shoes which your feet love!. Enjoy.

this is the kind of sundress i had in mind:
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...sin=B000OPFYXO

thoughts?

I love this line from above:


"it's not neurosis, it's part of the vacation!"

And its true. It is a person's vacation. Some people dress up a little more for Paris...I think it adds to my joie du vivre (yes, I probably spelled that incorrectly)
My only other observation is to not
"offend" going into somebody's house of their particular faith, yes, cover up to show respect. Not necessarily agreement - just respect.
I'd go the dress/skirt route, to me, they are cooler.
And 1 posh frock makes me feel prettier and maybe hints at a bit of romance for later!!

Hello,

I am an old women who just returned from a trip to Paris this past June.

I agree with those that say wear what you like and that looks good on you. I saw ever type of outfit going n my trip.

The balerina shoes were what I saw most often on those 40 and younger. I wore both balerina and my favorite yellow leather thong shoes, and that was all I needed to go out to dinner and to travel arround town. I saw a lot of the low tennis shoes with skinny pants and jeans on what I assumed were the locals.

I did notice a lot of scarves. So that is an option to add a little paunch to any outfit, even jeans or shorts or skirt.

The tourist wore everthing under the sun. No one was pointing fingers at anyone or even staring. It's like any other big city, wear what makes you feel good.

As the other poster said, I think it is repectfull to try and avoid going in a church with halter bra top, but no one is going to stop you.

I wore capri's/ one pair of skinny jeans, and two skirts,black lace peasent skirt and one blue peasant ( la Redoute, catalog skirts. $ 24) and tissue tees, both long and short sleeve. No problem if the wheather was a little chilly and not a problem if it got really warm.

don't obscess, I did, and shouldn't have.

I think that dress is too skimpy to wear in a city. It looks more like a beach dress to me. Check the weather, I know in Switzerland it's rainy and cold right now. You'd freeze!

Again, wear what you feel comfortable in and if that means tank tops, etc., so be it. It did see one girl ejected from Sacre Coeur for bare arms, so be forewarned and either carry a wrap or a light-weight cardigan.
I don't feel comfortable in shorts, even the long ones, but I wore capris and sandals while there. Because of the warm rain, the capris turned out to be a better choice - my long pants wicked the water up to my knees!
As for the "no sneekers" myth, it is just that. The myth of the chic Parisienne is no longer valid. Starbucks, McDonald's and "world dressing" have taken over.
Wear what makes you feel/look good.