i am traveling to paris on friday and am also guilty of not knowing what to wear. i live in nyc, however..I'm going to try to dress the same. I'm going to Paris with:

2 pairs of Tory Burch flats, black/silver (I live in these flats here in NYC, chic and comfortable),

1 good pair of jeans,

3 tunic tops (all a black or black/white variation),

2 (1 yellow, 1 red) lightweight cashmere cardigans from jcrew

4 knit (easy to pack tight and small) spaghetti strap empire waist dresses.

1 silk black pashmina,

2 fun necklaces, 1 pair of earrings

Sabnyc...I have never been to Paris before, but like you I am leaving this week (Thursday). I have checked the weather several times and it looks like there will be some rain and cooler temperatures...you may want to take another layer (I am taking a belted black trench that will work for rain or cold) and small a umbrella. Just a suggestion!

On the way home from work this evening, I saw a woman riding a bicycle while wearing 4-5" stiletto heels (and smoking a cigarette).

It has been quite warm and sunny (25C) for the past few days, although it was slightly cooler today.

Next few days: 20°C
Then rising again.
Meteorology has gone mad.

I just happened on this thread and FauxSteMarie is wrong about DC as well as Paris. I live just outside of DC & commuted in for years. You would see the tourist women on the Metro, wearing shorts, athletic shoes, white socks, and a fanny pack. Probably no one says anything but they look awful, completely out of place in a major city, and they know it. You can see the humiliation on their faces when they have to sit next to a nicely dressed native.
Paris is no different: wear nice clothes that fit you. On a recent trip people were most likely to not beleive I don't speak French when I wore really well fitting pants. Comfortable, low heeled shoes do not have to look like they're designed for a sport. The reason to look nice is so you do not feel uncomfortable and embarassed.

I commute into DC several days a week and I have never seen a woman wearing shorts ON VACATION humiliated because other women have on suits because they are GOING TO WORK.

This fashion stuff is utter nonsense.

Bravo, FauxSteMarie!

Bowing. . . .

I'll bet there are people commuting to work in suits in D.C. (especially during the summer) who envy the tourists in shorts.

As one of those folks encased in a suit, you bet we envy the tourists in their casual attire. These fashion threads would be so funny if those determined to dictate "proper" fashion to others did not take the entire business so seriously.

By the way, I never take heels on vacations. They always end up not being worn because my feet are tired and need the most wonderfully comfortable shoes I can find even at the opera.

FauxSteMarie, I actually <i>do</i> find these threads funny. In fact, the more serious, the funnier. I can't help imagining Dana Carvey spoofs.

Yeah, the fashion threads are funny. They go on and on about recommending some damn type of clothes or shoes that might not be appropriate or fit the original poster. The posts, of course, aren't designed to give advice. They are designed to let the peasants know how suave and sophisticated the poster is--not.

If people took some of the lame advice offered by the &quot;fashionistas&quot;, they would have to buy new wardrobes. When I pack, I just put things in that I already own (and that do not have to go to the dry cleaners) and go.

Hey, guys, please. You need to wear CLOTHES. Clothes were invented to hide your imperfections. Humans generally look better wearing clothes than they do naked. And that is my take on what to wear in Paris.

And designer sackcloth and ashes, of course (referring to post very much previous on this silly thread).

I don't care what the &quot;vast majority of tourists&quot; are doing or wearing - frankly, I see the vast majority of tourists every day and the vast majority doesn't seem to know the difference between Disneyland and the Metropolitan Opera. The growing majority - everywhere we go in daily life - will say they don't care about fashion but won't wear last year's bluejeans. Well, I don't go to an amusement park in a business suit, nor wear flip flops to shop on Fifth AVenue. I realize that this is a dying concept, but I like my way .... Functional shoes for a hike have (slightly) different features than functional shoes for dinner in a good restaurant.

I actually dress a bit better when away than I do on an average day at home in NYC. I don't go to Rome or Paris hoping to have average days. I want an EXPERIENCE! I want to remember a beautiful center of civilization, which is different than a beautiful place in nature. I want to do things I don't get to do at home. At home I have to take out the trash and clean the bathroom - since I don't have to do that in Paris, I'm happy to dress slightly better!! The nice thing is, when I get home I keep up the habit for a while ...

We're taking our first trip to Paris in two weeks. Should I pack a raincoat, or will an umbrella suffice?

Just returned from our 2nd trip to Paris this year. I say wear what you are comfortable wearing. I wear very comfortable &quot;Easy Spirit&quot; shoes that are slip on. I have bad knees and did come home and had a scheduled foot surgery but love these particular shoes. Wear what you find are safe shoes for walking and getting on and off trains and on uneven sidewalks. As far as clothing, same thing goes. We wore jeans, capris and certainly were not out of place. Quick note on Carte Orange (I will also place this in another topic). It worked great. Hubby got there two days prior to me with a passport picture of me in hand and purchased the Carte Orange from a &quot;human&quot;. We used it all week for 16 euro each - what a deal and when we needed to purchase some extra tickets we bought the 10 pack and shared.

If you have one of the fold up into its own little package type raincoats, I would take it.

I have one from Talbot's that folds into its hood and zips to a tiny square. I think Nordstrom has one similar. Mine is black(of course) and can easily be worn on a cool evening..and there will be cool evenings...

Off to Paris mid-May 2007. Have been to Paris 4-5 times and, happily, we're staying a whole week this visit. I pack light by careful planning and making sure everything works together with most everything else. Fashion is fun, I think, but so is comfort. I want to be stylish, yes, but neither too hot nor too cold. It's fun to arrive and &quot;discover&quot; what's &quot;new&quot; (to an American's eye) in Paris fashion trends. &quot;What's being worn around town the most this time?&quot; I ask myself with curiousity. Have any of you out there seen the newest trends this Spring 2007 season? I read that mini-skirts are hot. Doubt you'll see many 59-yr old women wearing one, but I could be wrong! Share your observations, plez. What trends do you see women of a &quot;certain age&quot; wearing this year?

FauxSteMarie, you're obviously too good for this silly fashion thread. If it bothers you so, why waste your time reading or posting about it? Here's a quarter, go take your comfortably clothed self to some other thread and go Kafka on them, cause you're seriously bugging me.

To all others who specifically sought this WHAT TO WEAR thread... I will be in Paris first week of May for 5 days. I'm planning on packing:
1 pr black patent ballet flats
1 pr steve madden, sneaker type mary-janes (more dark navy than black)
1 pr strappy heels
1 skinny jeans
1 black cropped pants/capris
1 flouncy hem skirt
various tops (baby doll, ballerina wrap, scoop neck tees, shirt-dress), mostly black or white
1 light grey-blue pashmina
1 Longchamp folding tote bag (great advise from a poster on another fashion thread on this site!)
Not sure if I'll feel like running/walking early mornings so may or may not bring workout clothes, shoes

All my tops and bottoms coordinate and can be dressed up or down with jewelry and depending on whether I wear my mary janes (casual), ballet flats (casual-dressy) or heels (dressy).

Best of all, I can fit my entire wardrobe in 1 carry-on sized suitcase and my Longchamp tote!

I can tell you what is most definitely the most popular color this spring/summer in Paris: pink.

Kerouac - Do you live in Paris? Would you care to predict the weather for second week in May and thus help me choose what to pack? I see it's been quite warm lately. We leave for Paris May 8th and I'm starting to assemble the suitcase now, so I can maximize space, limit the wardrobe and not feel at all rushed the week prior to departure (a week already quite busy).
Looks like Spring in Paris this year is rather warm so I've decided to pack more layers. I like a small suitcase full of just the right options for weather, occasion and comfort. This takes lots of planning so that it'll fit neatly in one wheel-aboard.
It's just easier to travel light. But, it sure takes longer to plan and pack sometimes! Hence, my request for weather advice - please look outside your window and keep me posted!
I'll also try to throw in something PINK to wear for Springtime in Paris! That's my nod to this season's fashion palate you mentioned in a recent post.