|
What should
she wear...
|
Always check the 5-day forecast at your destination
on the internet. You never know when it's going to get really
cold. However, even in February I didn't need the lined
boots or hat I'd brought along. A visitor needs to
remember that the Metro is a large, underground system and
as one goes between stations and waits for trains, a heavy
coat gets even heavier.
Arlene, Washington, USA
I travelled to Paris in December - a scarf
is a must! Everyone wears a scarf, they can be any color
and any material and when you get home you won't know how
you ever got by without one in the past. Younger people
do wear sneakers occasionally, but European sneakers are
not the same as U.S. - they look a lot more like bowling
shoes. Plenty of high heeled boots and leather pants on
women of EVERY age. Remember, to look truly like an American
tourist, just wear a baseball cap and hang a camera around
your neck (this works for whatever country you're in).
Julie, Rockhill, USA
|
|
I've travelled to Paris several times and a scarf
is definitely not a must. It can be a plus, though. It was fun
observing how the French women tied their scarves. Then I bought
an inexpensive one for myself and tried the same thing. Why not?
I guess I did blend in until I had to use my grade three French.
Ooops... scarf or not I was no longer a sexy Parisian woman. About
not wearing sneakers, I agree that with so many fashionable walking
shoes on the market, wearing your athletic running shoes is just
not necessary (or sexy).
Nancy, Edmonton, Canada
Avoid wearing tennis shoes (Nikes etc.) because
it tells everyone you're a tourist. Black shoes are a necessity
if you want to go into most nightclubs. Also, bring along black
pants and try to avoid jeans. Black is very common and works well
for traveling (small stains don't show up).
Julie, Minneapolis, USA
Wear a tame knee length skirt, flat shoes and a tame top suitable
for the weather.
Amber, Akron, France
French women are by American standards always dressed up. If
you don't wear black high heeled shoes and a scarf (or sweater)
around your neck, you'll be spotted as an American from a mile
away...not that that's a bad thing, just something to keep in
mind.
Megan, Toledo, USA
|
The Parisian women dress with style and if you don't approximate
a little bit of it yourself, you'll feel under dressed and
dowdy. Bring along some scarves, costume jewelry and forget
your jeans and white athletic shoes. I've discovered a wonderful
fabric that drapes beautifully without being revealing.
It is lightweight and doesn't wrinkle and comes in several
dark colors--brown, black, purple, navy. I bought my pieces
at Chico's and they call it "scrunchy". It is also available
as Supplex through TravelSmith.
Trisha, Atlanta
In Paris, in order not to be perceived with disdain, leave
your baseball cap & sneakers in the hotel room. Save them
for tramping around sites away from the city.
Alix, Toronto, Canada
When visiting Paris, "dress up" more than you would in
most other places. This involves a creative use of scarves,
costume jewelry, decent looking shoes and watching what
the Parisian women wear. This may be the one city in which
you abandon jeans, athletic shoes and warm-up suits for
a more attractive form of dress.
Trisha, Atlanta, USA
|
|
The sales help in Paris can often be indifferent and even rude.
To brace yourself for shopping in Paris, try to be as chic as
some Parisians -- while you don't have to dress to kill, it's
a good idea to dress smart, and favor slacks and blazers over
jeans and sweatshirts or tee-shirts. Women should make up lightly,
and men should be well groomed.
Rachel, Paris, France
In France, as in most of Europe, women "of a certain age" dress
their age, i.e., a skirt or slacks (no blue jeans or shorts) and
proper shoes (no running shoes). By "of a certain age" I mean
everybody over around 30.
If you want to look French, use black as your basic color and
wear a scarf somewhere on your body (around your neck, your hair,
your waist, or tied to your purse).
Looking as if you belong protects you from "draguers" on the
street who sometimes follow foreign-looking women, asking them
for a match or for directions to some well-known site. Do not
think that if you dress down (in other words, look unattractive
and grubby) it will protect you from the advances of men. Dress
poorly and you will only attract a lower class of weirdo! Frenchwomen
like to make the most of their appearance. If you do, you will
blend in.
|
One last tip: don't smile too much. Frenchwomen don't;
it's considered a come-on.
Karen, Seattle, USA
Nobody in Paris ever wears sweatpants. I think it is the
only city in the world in which if you are a young woman,
you must wear a tight miniskirt in order NOT to be stared
at.
People here actually wear leather pants just to go to
the grocery store.
Jennifer Wade, Cambridge, USA
Bring good walking shoes but not sneakers which immediately
identify you as an American tourist. Dress neatly and fashionably
but comfortably. The well-dressed Parisian woman always
looks stylish, has even begun wearing
flat and comfortable shoes, never uses color on her short,
well-kept manicured nails and has a fabulous way with scarves,
regardless of the season.
Arlene, Washington, USA
|
|
|
