Clare

hi! I am a 15 year old student going to france for the first time. I will be with a bunch of other students and a chaperone. I was told that I am not allowed to wear short shorts. Instead I must wear bermuda shorts. Do people in paris really not wear short shorts? And please feel free to offer me any other advice. This is my first time on vacation without my faamily. Thanks!

Emily

Hi Clare, <BR>You're not going to get arrested for wearing short shorts, but they may not be the most appropriate thing to wear. You may not be allowed in some restaurants or churches b/c it may be seen as a lack of respect. Do a text search on clothing/what to wear/how to dress, and you'll see similar questions that were posted in the past. <BR>Have fun, bring pictures of your family so you don't get too homesick!

Marty

Clare: Check out the clothing posts, but very importantly--keep a journal. So much will happen, and, believe it or not, it will be hard to remember it all when you get home. Get all you can from the trip. I saw a lot of kids in Paris about 2 weeks ago with groups. Unfortunately, so many of them were paying no attention to what was going on around them. They may as well have been at home. They were just playing around, taking pictures at the wrong time, horse playing, etc. What you see and do will color so many things that you will see and do for the rest of your life. It will make a lot that will happen to you much later take on a much deeper meaning and understanding. "Art Appreciation" is so much different when you have seen the things that you will study first hand. Have lots and lots of fun!!

Teri

I haven't been to Paris for awhile, but last summer in Nice & Provence my 17 yr.old daughter did just fine in black miniskirt, black tank & platform shoes. Venice was a different story: we were turned away from St. Marks Basillica 2 times because of her clothes. First, she was wearing Gap khaki shorts with about a 3 or 4" inseam, no-no, and second because she was in a sleeveless dress. I was quite impressed with the young Swedish teens who stood comfortably in the HOT line in their short skirts and tight tank tops, and then whipped out a long scarf, draped it around their shoulders and fronts, and were smilingly admitted. Are teens still wearing tube skirts? Paris is a little more formal than what you are perhaps used to... Clothes are important, but don't stress too much - you'll be sick of what you've brought no matter what it is, by the end of your vacation!

debbie

Hi Clare! Sounds like a wonderful first trip. Mine was to Spain with my Spanish class in high school,now many years ago. I know how you feel about wearing hot looking clothes but is it worth taking the chance of being locked out of many exhibits and/or churches etc? Worse yet, start provoking from others? I also had advise on what type of clothes to bring from my chaperone. I took this advise and had no problems. We even had three free days in Malaga, southern Spain, on the beach with our bikini's. (Travel agent, for some odd reason, forgot time difference and we missed our plane to US. Next available one was three days later!) Of course, the locals had very revealing ones but we played it low key to avoid any potential situations. If it is only a week or so in France, can't you and your friends dress more conservativly for this trip? When you get home you can go back to the short shorts. I am sure you will look just as great in the longer version! -Deb

Jay Frank

Postings about "appropriate dress" crop up all the time. It's a favorite topic of debate - right up there along with "how not to look like a tourist". Read them, ignore them, and have a great time! <BR>

pjharvey

Go dressed as a bi-sexual potato. <BR>Now get a life! <BR>

Teri

Hey, pj...Were you ever 15 yrs. old? Or ARE you 15 and are too insensitive to be concerned with how you're coming across in a foreign country? I, for one, appreciate Clare's interest in appropriate garb. Your attitude is easy, glib, and not worth a frite.

debbie

Ditto, to PJ- Deb, previous poster.

Bob Brown

Some of you who are more qualified than I may want to comment on this observation from a friend of European birth and upbringing. To wit: Wearing short shorts in some locals is an invitation to getting your anatomy pinched by members of the male gender. I understand Italy -- Rome in particular -- is a place where an unattached girl is subject to this type of behavior. I don't know about Paris. <BR>

topper

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