What Should You Wear in Paris?
One of the questions we get asked regularly is:
“How should I dress when visiting Paris?”
After spending a fair amount of time here and we think we have a pretty good answer.
Don’t dress too casually.
Americans and Canadians have perfected casual. Sometimes, perhaps, a little too well.
Traditionally, Parisians have dressed with considerably more attention to style. Men wore collared shirts, good shoes, jackets and well-fitting trousers. Gym shorts, cargo shorts, athletic shoes, printed T-shirts and, heaven forbid, flip-flops were pretty reliable ways to announce:
“Hello. I am a tourist.” at best and at worst “I don't care about your culture.”
Women have traditionally been even more stylish. Skirts, well-tailored trousers, heels, beautiful coats and carefully chosen accessories are common. And yes, every once in a while you will see a woman who looks like she just stepped off a Paris runway.
But Paris has changed.
When I first came here in the mid-1980s, you almost never saw a male over the age of 11 wearing shorts.
Today, shorts are everywhere.
Even on French men.
We have to admit, that one took some getting used to.
There is still a difference, though. Nice, well-fitting shorts? Fine. Cargo shorts with 14 pockets? Probably not. Gym shorts? Save them for the gym.
And please leave the flip-flops for the beach.
Jeans Are Fine
Jeans have been part of French fashion for years. But again, there are jeans...and then there are North American vacation jeans.
You know the ones: ripped in six places, faded to the color of an old dish towel and apparently designed to look like they survived a motorcycle accident.
French fashion has generally favored jeans that look like somebody actually paid for them.
My personal Paris uniform is pretty simple:
Jeans. Pressed white Oxford shirt. Good shoes.
It works almost everywhere we go.
Add a sports coat and I'm ready for dinner at all but the fanciest restaurants.
Paris Isn't Immune to Global Fashion
We have also noticed something else during our time here.
The world is getting smaller, and fashion is getting more global.
Young Parisians wear athletic clothes. Yoga pants are everywhere. Baseball caps have become perfectly acceptable...even fashionable.
We recently attended a runway show during Paris Fashion Week. Tights were prominent. So were baseball caps.
Not necessarily the logo-covered caps Americans are famous for. These were often simple, stylish caps made from interesting fabrics.
Which brings us to one of my favorite examples of how much the world has changed.
When I first visited Paris in the 1980s, wearing a baseball cap practically screamed:
“I'M FROM AMERICA!”
Today, baseball caps are everywhere.
I've seen old men unloading boats in Vietnam wearing them. Our safari guide in South Africa wore one. And the New York Yankees cap may be the most recognizable hat on the planet.
In Istanbul, we have seen young women wearing baseball caps over their yazma, the traditional head scarf.
So What Should You Wear in Paris?
Our advice after years of traveling and now spending two months actually living in Paris is pretty simple:
Don't try too hard. Just don't look like you are going to mow the lawn.
You don't need designer clothes. You don't need to dress like you're attending Paris Fashion Week. And you certainly don't need to spend a fortune on a new wardrobe before your trip.
Wear clean, well-fitting clothes. Wear comfortable shoes because you are probably going to walk a lot. Add a jacket or sports coat for a nicer dinner.
And leave the cargo shorts and flip-flops at home.
The old rules about French fashion are changing. Globalization, social media, tourism and international brands have blurred the lines between how Americans dress and how the world dresses.
How blurry are those lines?
A few years ago, I was sitting on a dock on the relatively isolated Caribbean island of Dominica.
A little boy climbed out of the water and onto the dock.
He was wearing a Chicago Bulls jersey with the number 23.
I just laughed.
Here I was, sitting on a tiny island in the Caribbean, thousands of miles from Chicago, and there was Michael Jordan staring me in the face.
That's when I realized:
The world has gotten very, very small.
And Paris is no exception.
A Note from Barb
When I walk down the streets near our Paris flat, I feel like I can usually distinguish the Parisian women from the rest of us, but I wasn't sure what the “tell” was. But after a month filled with people-watching, I think I've got it: whether they're dressed to go out or just to do errands, there is always a little something special. A scarf, a bag that's been chosen to coordinate with the outfit, just the right necklace, or shoes that match the dress, but just one thing to elevate the look.
I'm trying to effect that look, and it feels good...even though I'll never really pull it off. I think it helps to be born here!
See you on the Journey,
Rock and Barb