| 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 |
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