MaddieAstrid

I am a 30-year old woman just back from Paris. I wore designer jeans with a sexy top and heels to nice restaurants and swanky clubs and did not sense the “Ugly American” glare that seems to scare so many tourists. I had no trouble getting into “exclusive” nightspots (although one doorman did give my shoes a good study before allowing me to pass). I live in DC and have no reservations about dressing up jeans for all but the very finest restaurants, but in Paris, I always listened to outdated advice and left my denim at home. NO LONGER – Gone are the days of cramming my overnight bag for 3-4 days in Europe.

elaine

Nice of you to pass this along in your first-ever posting.

There have been many threads on this subject as perhaps you know. It's not a matter of all jeans all the time vs no jeans ever, it's having a sense of what's appropriate, where you shopping, dining, and drinking, and what looks good. If you felt comfortable and appropriately dressed for the places you went, good for you. I wouldn't call the cautions about jeans outdated, just not 'one size fits all' so to speak.

suze

The advivce is not "outdated" IMO. It depends on the jeans, the accessories, and most important... the butt!

Christina

If you've traveled very much, you kind of know what to wear and what major capital cities are like all over the world, and don't need to ask opinions about this.

I find this a very curious post -- most 30 year olds haven't listened for years to advice (from where?) that is "outdated" about wearing jeans in Europe, nor would they even be in a position that they would have asked for it or even cared. I don't know who sent you to Fodors or where you got this advice, but this is clearly not just a typical first-time poster on a travel board.

The 30 year olds I know who wear "designer" jeans would never have asked anyone whether they could wear them in Europe to go to clubs for 20-somethings, nor do they talk about going to "the finest restaurants".

NurseLRT

Christina, maybe she hasn't traveled very much. I don't see what is wrong with her post. If one is 30, they shouldn't ask for fashion advice?

suze

But she isn't asking for fashion advice... she's giving it (not that any one asked -LOL)

janis

OK - I'll be rude. This has got to be one of the silliest first posts ever. Not troll-ish -- just silly.

Since you've never been on here before how do you know what sorts of advice has been given about what to wear in Paris?????

NurseLRT

I see what you are saying suze, christina, and others.

hdm

Oh god, I swore I'd never do this again and now here I go. Janis et al, I don't understand what's wrong with this woman's post. I read it out of sheer boredom at work but I know from reading other threads that jeans seem to be a big travel issue. It seemed to me that she wasn't asking for travel advice but relating her experience. Why is that unacceptable?

Janis, you ask "Since you've never been on here before how do you know what sorts of advice has been given about what to wear in Paris?????" I don't see where she's said she's 'never been here before'. She may have devoured every word on this board about jeans and Paris but never felt the need to post until she had some personal experience to offer.
It seems to me that it's very easy to get into trouble as a first poster -- either you're deemed to be a know-it-all-on-your-very-first-post or a know-nothing-and-asking-too-much. Unless someone is pretty obsequious in their first post ("I'm sorry to ask such a stupid question", "I know I've left this too late", "I thought I'd ask the experts" kind of thing) you practically take your life in your hands making your first posting. Why is MaddieAstrid's history on this site so important to you. Why not just agree or disagree with her position?

jules4je7

I just got back from Paris yesterday, and let me say this: women in Paris will wear ANYTHING.

I have a picture (I had to take one) of a woman at the Orsay in a pair of black velvet print pants, a short sleeved aqua blue t-shirt, with a large gauge hand-knit pink sweater vest thing, and a bright red leather purse. I heard her speak French, and while I didn't check her address to make sure she was Parisian, she was one of a million people I saw in Paris who apparently wear EXACTLY what suits them -- even if it provokes tourists like me to take pictures of their fashion felonies.

Paris is like New York, where individual style is king. You can wear anything you want, in fact the more outrageous it is, the more likely you are to be thought of as being a local instead of a tourist, if that's your goal.

One observation I made is that jeans and white tennis shoes are everywhere, but they are not generally worn together. I found jeans and a nice pair of shoes are more of the norm there, and tennies are usually worn with colored slacks. Black in the fall from head to toe, combined with a messy hairdo because you didn't get up early enough to fix it will make French people approach you in their language.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter what you wear, but pointy shoes on women help, and khaki pants on men don't.

Have fun beating this dead horse of fashion in Paris. All I know is next time I'm taking my cowboy boots, my hippie tops and wearing them together. LOL

Jules

NurseLRT

Hi jules, thanks for the fashion report from Paris. I love hearing about those types of things. hdm, I agree, maybe she just read and never posted until this post.

Judy

Jules, your post made me laugh. I have naturally curly hair which, when I travel, I don'try to tame and just let it air dry....I am always approached as if I'm a native. I never knew it was my messy do!

Judy

I am aware that "don't try" is not one word.

obxgirl

"OK - I'll be rude. This has got to be one of the silliest first posts ever. Not troll-ish -- just silly."

What justifies the rudeness? Skip it if you think it's a fake or too silly to respond to.

m_kingdom2

And it's taken you thirty years to work this out?

Travelnut

I noticed that a goodly number of women were wearing a 'gypsy' layered/flouncy kind of look, and the vast majority of them were middle-aged/older (ie. 40's up). What's that about...?

MaddieAstrid

This was a serious post. I am not a jet-set movie star with a closet full of Prada, so consider yourself warned. I go to Europe 3-4 times a year, speak decent French, and like to pack the smallest bag I can get away with. However, I have always found Paris a little intimidating, particularly on the style front. Am I the only one? I searched the jeans thread before I left because I have not noticed many women wearing jeans in nicer restaurants in Paris, but I haven’t really looked either. I usually forgo the haute cuisine for more casual eateries that will put up with my ‘sans jambon’ requests. However, on the occasions where I have been obligated by my company to dine at “finer” restaurants, I have opted for a simple cocktail dress or its black pants counterpart which always fits in nicely, but doesn’t hold up very well to multiple wears, usually needs ironing, limits after dinner options, requires more bag/shoe coordination and, quite frankly, never looks as good on me as my beloved jeans. In my city, there are only 2-3 restaurants where “dressed up” jeans would be inappropriate or offensive, i.e., the “finest” restaurants, the most elegant and formal, but not necessarily the best. But Paris is not DC, and I, apparently some sort of mentally defective woman who, along with most of her friends (despite their love for designer jeans), welcomes advice about what one wears, has worn and would wear, did not find much on jeans in the evening in the Fodors thread, hence my first post, one woman’s fabulous weekend in Paris with jeans (no raised eyebrows, cold service, or denied entry). Christina, do you think one only wears jeans to clubs for 20-year-olds or are you assuming that snotty doormen in Paris are exclusive to those establishments?

suze

Maddie- I think the discussion of why people shouldn't wear jeans traveling has less to do with Paris or getting into restaurants. You are able to pull off jeans "with a sexy top and heels". You're female 30 attractive, good for you. Again I wasn't kidding above, it's not about the jeans, it's about how you look in them.

Hopefully this will not encourage the older wider jeans and sneakers-wearing set to follow suit.

Scarlett

<i> &quot;I am not a jet-set movie star with a closet full of Prada, so consider yourself warned.&quot;</i>

Bummer, this would have been a much more fun posting if you were ... lol

I cannot understand how the subject of Jeans is Always such a big deal!
Fur, I understand.
Tiaras I get..but
Jeans?

jules4je7

Scarlett, Dahling, the reason we don't talk about fur or tiaras here is that it requires us to wear a full length ball gown to go with it, and that just doesn't go with the adage &quot;pack light&quot;.

Jeans not only pack reasonably lightly (especially in comparison to a princess' evening gown) but they are actually comfy to wear, which is why some of us little people like to wear them.

Repeat after me: &quot;I will never wear khakis in Paris again, even if Prada starts making them.&quot;

Jules