DeborahAnn

We just got back from a month in France visiting the Loire region and Paris. During my prepacking I enjoy putting together a travel wardrobe combining clothing that is comfortable and appropriate for where we will be visiting. After this recent trip I will be less concerned about what is appropriate to wear because it seems almost anything works for France.

There aren't the restrictions for visiting churches in France that we have found in other countries. You can't wear a hat in Notre Dame is the only one I noticed. The museums have no dress codes that I could see after following a young man wearing an undershirt and shorts with flipflops into the Louvre.

Dress was very casual in the Loire. Blue jeans were worn by all age groups. Cycling attire was the fashion on many visiting the chateaux in the Loire. We wondered if we would see a similar casual attire in Paris and we did.

We met our friends on Sunday morning for "brunch" in Paris, my husband and I were dressed in what we considered appropriate clothing for the occasion, I had on a dress and Ron was wearing a sport jacket and dress pants. Our Paris friends met us, Dominique wearing black jeans and casual shirt and Yvette wearing slacks and a long sleeved top. All four of us were comfortable in our clothing choices. We all agreed that the dress in France for most occasions has gotten very casual. Dominique is an attorney for a private company and a judge in a Paris suburb, he told us business casual attire is more the norm in Paris now

We were very content with our packing choices but unless we are going to something special like a wedding or a three star Michelin restaurant; casual in definitely the fashion mode for France. For me it will just be dressy casual rather than casual casual Deborah

nytraveler

Certainly one can be casual in most placesin France. But= there is a difference between business casual, casual chic, plain casual - and cleaning out the garage casual. there are many places appropriate for the first 3. If are wearing the last - you should seriously consider staying home and cleaning out the garage. (The gy n the Louvre in undershirt, shorts and flip flops has every right to dress that way - but it does give one a certain opinion ofhim.)

As for brunch - it would never occur to us to wear a dress or sport jacket to brunch - unless it was at a 3* restaurant. Even New Yorkers wear casual to brunch - but hopefully somewhat chic.

(Oh yes - and men should NOT wear hats indoors - even stetsons or baseball caps. It just makes it seem like they're trying to hide their baldness.)

DeborahAnn

nytraveler, I agree with your comments. In our area of Baltimore, however, Sunday brunch follows our church services and many are still wearing their "Sunday best"

We had no idea we were going to the brunch at Mama Shelter, our friends always like to surprise us. However, at the price of the brunch, it seemed worth us to be wearing our Sunday best Deborah

fbc34

I just got back from Paris and will agree that anything goes but I sure hope that American men will not fall for the current European fashion of cropped pants. Sorry, I wear them myself, but on men they just look odd. The worst are the cropped cargo pants that I saw everywhere! Also, it seems you can pick out the tourists by their shoes. Tourists wear comfortable shoes; Pairisan women wear impossible ones!

Jay_G

Hi DeborahAnn,
You mentioned you had brunch at Mama Shelter. Can I ask if you thought is was worth it? I've stayed at the hotel about half a dozen times now but could never bring myself to pay the 40 odd euros they ask for brunch.

The brunch clientele also looked a little try hard ('m'as-tu vu?') and often had checked their manners at the door along with their wet-look puffa jackets. (I'm sure you and your friends didn't fit this mould but then, neither do I and I love his hotel.)

toupary6

Anything goes, as long as you can pull it off.

This does not include bright white (think sails on a boat -- and just as large) Bermudas worn with a baseball cap by men over 55.

DeborahAnn

JayG, no I don't think the brunch is worth the price. I had no idea it was so pricey as our friends wanted to surprise us with this outing. I thought the ceiling in the restaurant was very interesting---a blackboard with drawings and quotes in chalk.

There was plenty to entertain children including the longest "foosball" I've ever seen!!

It was quite a crush the Sunday we were there and the table service was rather poor. The food was good but only as warm as food in chafing dishes allows. The desserts were wonderful and I had far too many of them Deborah

DeborahAnn

fbc34, I actually like the chopped pants on men and have suggested my husband start wearing them--at least when we are in Europe. When it's 90 degrees I'm always sorry that he is wearing long pants in a city. However, Ron has said he will never ever wear cropped pants.
I wear them also and personally don't think men look any less odd than women in them--they are not the most attractive clothing we ladies wear IMO Deborah

kerouac

The cropped pants are here to stay; those who don't like them will have to get used to them.

zeppole

People who don't like cropped cargo pants on men should not venture to Italy.

Also, here is a picture of a French man over 50 wearing white Bermudas.

http://www.bonjourmadameblog.com/wp-...38-300x198.jpg

And what is this myth that fashionable Paris females don't wear comfortable shoes?

http://images.thesartorialist.com/ph...aF_4364Web.jpg

http://bussbuss.com/wp/wp-content/up...ris_bffs_6.jpg

http://www.waynetippetts.com/wp-cont...l_WT.11wp1.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3dwrb5rTrT...0/SN202833.JPG

http://fashion.elle.com/wp-content/u...98541_Blog.jpg


Honestly, it's really only tourists who come up with these rules about how other tourists should dress so they don't look like tourists.

The only thing you can't wear in Paris is a burqa.

kerouac

And it should stay that way.

zeppole

Also, I don't know how many people posting in this thread ever go to museums in New York, but seeing people in shorts and flip flops -- both New Yorkers and tourists -- is quite common. People are looking at the art, not at each other's clothes. (Well, the intelligent people are looking at the art.)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4126/...d767cf5f1e.jpg

http://travelphotos.amateurtraveler....49_jL7BD-M.jpg

http://www.manmadewilderness.com/sto...=1277589148471

Typical crowd at the Guggenheim:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2645/...893d00aeda.jpg

zeppole

Kerouac, it's a disgrace to France. And I'm sure it won't stay that way.

zeppole

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/imag...E_BurqaBan.jpg

kerouac

I don't see a burqa in your link. That looks like the women in my neighbourhood, who are legal.

Jay_G

Hi Deborah,
Thanks for letting me know about the brunch, that was pretty much the impression I got every time I've been there.

I think the serving staff at the hotel have the same difficulties any time the restaurant gets busy, as I've had the same experience eating there in the evening. As you say, it's a really quirky place and as the waiters and waitresses seem to have been chosen more for their looks than their skill, there's always something nice to look at...