My only problem with white sneakers is that they are a limiting item in a wardrobe. There are so many cute walking shoes out there, why bother packing them?

I only want shoes that will do double duty and I pack 3 pairs of shoes.

Because I have never found a "cute walking shoe" that is as comfortable as a true running/fitness sneaker.

Okay, maybe "cute" was going to far since I haven't had a truly cute pair of shoes since I let go of wearing heels.

Light colored shoes, imo, pose the same problem as light colored clothing; if it gets dirty then it's dirty for the whole trip. I just don't like that for me.

I think the best advice here has been to select your wardrobe based on it being captured in all the photos you will be looking at years from now.

I'll be packing mostly J.Jill's wearever line for our fall trip to Paris. Black and grey slacks, a long blue cardi and assorted tops in neutral tones. Layers for changing weather, tights if it turns cold and a beautiful scarf or two to dress up for dinner or for warmth. These clothes are easy to pack, handwash and coordinate easily.

For our two week trip DH and I will plan one morning at the laudromat so we can carry small light bags. We have found this time to be a relaxing break from sightseeing. We have chatted with locals, read, taken turns walking around a neighborhood and sometimes bring back a bakery treat.

One of the best dressed women (and, yes, she was French) I saw on my trip to France last year was wearing white canvas sneakers. There are no fashion police in Paris.

White canvas sneakers can be very attractive with the right outfit. If you can go home and clean them, even better.

I have nothing against sneakers but I think that a pair of light hikers makes more sense and gives me more opportunities. If I'm in Paris and decide to take a day trip to Normandy, I'm ready.

I must do a report on Parisians in white sneakers sometime. I'll start it with some photos of my Parisian friends.

Awesome suggestion to remember what I'm going to look like in photos. My husband doesn't like white sneakers, either (he sounds more persnickety than he really is). I told him that they're going to know I'm a tourist when I am standing on the corner with a map in my hand, despite my footwear. Or when I open my mouth and "Merci" comes out with a Texas twang.

I am going to pull all the neutrals from my closet and work from there. I can most likely get by with other shoes besides my sneakers. If not, then I'll just make sure my photos are cropped at my ankles.

And I've never owned a jogging suit - pink or otherwise - in my life!

" they will know you are a tourist"?

Unless you try to speak the language
why would it be obvious?

It depends too, on when you are going. Nothing says, "I'm trying too hard to be chic", like dark clothes in the summertime."

You know that, you're from Texas. Have a great time.

No one really cares if you're a tourist. I live in a tourist city and the only time we even roll our eyes at someone b/c they are a tourist is the driving thing.

Other than that, no problem.

People will always respond to you by your attitude, not by your clothes. Unless of course, you spend all of your time think, "darn, why did I wear the hot pink blouse? She must think I'm..."
While what she's thinking is, "she's not very friendly."

My DD told me last week that we need to update our Paris wardrobe or else all the photos we take will look exactly like last year's photos. She's right, so I bought a new wool scarf in a different color!

I've paid attention to fashion in Paris in years past and whenever an overweight, poorly dressed, white athletic shoe wearing person appeared, I'd groan. Then they would start speaking...in another language than English. Americans aren't always the worst looking tourists.

"Americans aren't always the worst looking tourists."

Yep, ask any person living near a Florida beach about that.

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Love the thing about worrying more about the photo album rather than the locals' impressions. So true!

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Fae_Thomas--You'll be fine.

And I would TOTALLY love it if your husband is the one who looks out of place. :) Find a few bad ones of him there and post for sure.

"Love the thing about worrying more about the photo album rather than the locals' impressions. So true!"

Isn't it? After all you'll probably never see those people again!

Want to blend in? Don't know quite how to accomplish it sensibly?

Answer: Wear a scarf. Any scarf, preferably something feminine, pretty, or chic. Only take one or two though coz......there are so many amazing scarves for sale in Paris! Once there you will want to buy at least ten ( I know I did, though I limited it to three )! Scarves are THE European trend of right now, and I am totally hooked! I look back at my photos and think to myself, man, I look totally European in my scarves, and I don't feel like I stuck out at all! You won't regret taking a beautiful scarf, and you certainly won't regret wandering the streets of Paris in style!

( Did I sell you on the idea in this short informercial, if not I will have to keep going......)

LSky: "Nothing says, I'm trying too hard to be chic", like dark clothes in the summertime.'"

Well, I wear black clothes year-round whether I'm traveling or not. You could be right that I'm trying too hard -- not to be chic so much as to look slim because I'm so dang short! (5' 3" if I stretch) I can barely get back to the size two I should be for more than a week anymore. I've been wearing black & navy even in the summer since I was a teen. Actually, I like Ira's response best -- but most of us are too old to pull off that Goth look! ;;)

Seriously, Fae, wear whatever makes you comfortable as traveling can take its toll on your mood anyway. I personally can't bring myself to wear white tennies, but heaven knows my feet would actually feel so-o-o much better if I did.

LSky, I think you were also the one who first said that you should dress with the thought of photos in mind as opposed to worrying about what others think. That was just brilliant - probably the smartest response I've ever heard to one of these sartorial threads.

"not to be chic so much as to look slim because I'm so dang short!"

That makes me a little sad to read that. I'm tall and there are clothes that I'd love to wear but I end up looking hmm. Well if you're too old for goth, you may know this. Remember Edith Ann? The Lily Thomlin character on Laugh-In? That's how I feel in certain clothes.

It's like hair; doesn't matter if it's straight or curly, sometimes you just want someone elses. :)

Thanks btw for the compliment. Come into summer in ice cream colors sometime :)

Kerouac: Thanks so much for the photos. This proves that people everywhere can be "comfortable." And sloppy. You are right, there are lots of people who simply do not care what other people think - your photos prove it. Frankly, I wouldn't go outside looking like those folks unless I was going to wash my car or weed the garden. I suppose that makes me one of the nuts who actually do care about our appearance.

I don't wear my business clothes when I travel, but I do try to look well dressed. I don't know what's wrong with that. I don't wear athletic shoes at home, so I certainly wouldn't wear them on a trip anywhere. I think they are inappropriate for anyplace other than the gym or tennis courts. I have done lots of traveling and walking in shoes that are both attractive and comfortable - it's not a real challenge.

When I'm a tourist, I generally wear black slacks and pair them up with a tank type top and an unstructured three-quarter sleeve jacket (Coldwater Creek or Chico's). I find this good looking and still comfortable. Many folks here and elsewhere believe you have to wear baggy cargo pants and t-shirts to be comfortble - that's just not me. And I don't think it really takes much effort to look presentable.

You will see everything and anything being worn on the streets of Paris. As long as you are covered up, you won't have a problem.

However, the reason that you don't see white sneakers on city folk is that white gets filthy very quickly on the streets of London, Paris, New York, etc.

Most city people wear darker colours to hide the dirt.

Go to style and the city or garance dore to see what fashionable people in Paris wear.

P_P, whose friend is an editor at French Vogue

<they will know you are a tourist"?>
<why would it be obvious?>


danon, I don't know how to explain it, but I can always tell the tourists in my home city. Partly it's because they are usually clutching a walking map, not working on a weekday, etc. but also it's there clothes and shoes. Japanese tourists here are very visible because they are most often in a large group. But I can also often spot Europeans by their dress (confirmed when I overhear them speaking a non-english language).