The Japanese used to be so overdressed when they came to Paris. Not anymore!

I think the point of this post was not to tell anyone they cannot 'dress well.' The point is that there are a gazillion visitors to Paris every year and you are but one of them. Even if you wear your best dress and your loveliest shoes, no one will be ooing and ahhing over your 'Frenchness.' I dress very well at home, for work and for recreation, but it is silly to think that anyone gives a second thought to you if you decide to wear your capris, t-shirt, and Mephistos. That is what at least 80 percent of the people there are wearing. You are on vacation, you are walking for 8 or more hours a day, and you will have a ball if you are comfortable. Seriously, wear whatever you want.

"You are on vacation, you are walking for 8 or more hours a day, and you will have a ball if you are comfortable. Seriously, wear whatever you want."

Why would anyone walk 8 hours a day on their holidays
escapes me.

" Even if you wear your best dress and your loveliest shoes, no one will be ooing and ahhing over your 'Frenchness.''
Seems rather obvious, only a fool would imagine otherwise

When I am in Paris I dress like an American tourist because I am an American tourist.

cigalechanta, loved it but not so sure the image of the American tourist is quite that bad.

My style...a great pair of jeans or black capris/pants; good white T-shirt or shirt, Burberry trench coat/jacket or sweater if needed and comfy black loafers. It's worked for years. I feel fairly fashionable and certainly comfortable. The look is pretty universal too. It works at home as well as overseas.

It's interesting that Americans, at least here on Fodors, are so concerned about what to wear and, yet, they usually end up looking pretty much like all the other tourists.

Historytraveler, EVERY country has those sloppy dressers. We Americans don't have the top rating on that.
In June of 2000, the New Yorker had a cover of a middle-aged couple on the Monet bridge both wearing Monet caps and he I love monet t-shirt, bermuda shorts and socks with black shoes. I had a few laminated to give to friends who live outside of Giverny. One year at a b&b I thought a couple
I had seen were the other type of American, who overdress.
She was wearing on a hot auhust morning, a filmy outfit trimmed in marabou. They were Scandinavian

There a lot of wiggle room in between wearing dresses and looking like you're going to the supermarket or the gym. I agree with taking what you like to wear at home. My travel wardrobe is made up of my favorites, nothing to do with the destination. And an assortment that fits the weather... including pieces that can be layered and still work if it's cooler than you expected, or can be stripped down it it's hotter than you expected.

Excellent point dlejhunt and most of the economies of the world would be very sad if they did not come, who cares what anyone else wears, I too wear the same things in Europe, especially Paris as I wear at home. And black jeans, comfy shoes, in style of course, a sweater and an occasional, I have to dress up outfit always works.

Oh oh that was really very very rude LOLS... <a href="http://www.karneval-karnevalkostuem-karnevalskostueme.de">Karneval Fasching Kostüm</a>

I for one like to experience the country I visit and enjoy waering slacks instead of jeans for a change. Life is what you make of it so do waht you want fashion wise that is. Also i am amazed at all the postings about the weather and bringing the wrong clothes. has anybody heard of the Weather Channel? Unlike in the 50's we, for the most part, actually know what the weather is going to be before we go.

Most of my trips to Europe are 3 weeks or longer. Weather predictions are not reliable that far ahead. So I bring an assortment of clothes with the idea of layering if it's colder. Most of the time it's either colder than I expected or hotter. So some items in my suitcase I never wear. This last trip to France in spring had both hot and cool weather, so I felt justified in the contents of my suitcase.

When deciding what to bring, the other consideration for a longer trip is cleaning your clothes. I bring nothing that requires dry-cleaning and mostly things that can be washed by hand in the room sink. Somestimes we go to a laundromat. But I would never drop my clothes off to be washed and dried; I don't trust those people to read the labels and treat the individual items correctly. And jeans are too heavy. They take forever to dry in European dryers.

cigalechanta - Hilarious I have seen that look here at home (in the US) and abroad!

We dress up at home and in Paris and I would say we are usually dressed up more than those around us. But, we enjoy looking nice and my husband is a sports trainer and is dying to get out of sweats when he is not working! I look forward to wearing something with a little more style and fun to it than a business suit, so that's just who we are. We enjoy nice clothes.

One thing I have learned, is that no matter how you dress or try not to, you will still look like a tourist and an American tourist at that. I don't care...I AM a tourist who happens to love Paris and is thrilled to be there!

I've sent my laundry out in Europe and Asia many times and never had a problem. I don't have complicated laundry though, which probably helps.

If you are in Paris this week, a swimsuit may be the best attire. Temperatures are in the 90s on the street, with high humidity.

Really? It says 80s for the week.. I live in Texas though and spend 5-6 months of the year in 90-100 degree weather. I don't even remember what 80s feel like! ;)

Here's the difference, rachie205 -

Texas 90-100 - Most folks go from an air conditioned home to an air-conditioned car to an air-conditioned workplace, school, store, or wherever.

Paris 85 (yesterday) - Walk for 10 minutes to catch a crowded, un-air-conditioned bus or metro, then walk around (on the shady side of the street if there is one) to wherever you work, shop, or visit (also mostly not air-conditioned), then back to the bus or metro to return to your un-air-conditioned apartment. Fortunately our rental has three large windows and stays in the mid to high-70s during the day. It does cool down nicely at night.

Still enjoying the city and haven't melted yet.

One thing I have decided, after this trip: if you can find a pair of good walking shoes that also looks cute with the dress you are wearing, that may well be the way to go for maximum comfort. This might mean going for an "urban jungle" look: wear a cropped jean jacket over the dress, and chuck taylors with socks, or another type of shoe combo that doesn't look completely dorky with a dress - you need something to balance the shoes, on top.

The problem with wearing a dress is that many times you feel strappy sandals are necessary and those are not good for all day walking. Even non-strappy sandals (Keen, Born) will eventually rub in the wrong places (ask me how I know). If you can wear a dress for comfort, with a few things that look "hip", that might be the best compromise.

ps. I meant to add "ease of packing" and not just comfort. 3 or 4 knee length dresses that aren't heavy fabric won't take up much more space than a top or a tunic. If you wanted, that dress could double as a skirt for another look. If it is a lightweight dress, throw a black or white "basic" T-shirt over it, tie a scarf, cropped jean jacket over top, there you go.