Show Notes for Episode 195: What to Pack to Look Stylish in Paris

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Categories: France How To, French Customs & Lifestyle, Paris

Episode Highlights with Timestamps

• [03:05] We’re not fashion professional, but rather regular people who care about packing the right clothes for Paris.
• [04:03] You don’t have to change how you dress unless you enjoy the process of figuring out how to look best and what to pack to look stylish in Paris.
• [05:33] The advice Annie will be sharing comes from stylish women in her life, not from professionals. These are opinions, not commandments!
• [06:14] Take basic clothes that can travel well and can be mixed and matched, and buy accessories when you get to Paris.
• [07:31] Don’t bring clothes that need to be ironed. If something needs a little help, the steam produced in the shower can help de-wrinkle to some extent. Or you could get a product such as this one that gets great review from travelers. Or get shirts like this one made for travel.
• [09:35] The secret sauce that most French fashion-conscious people follow and that you can apply to yourself as well.
• [10:03] Break the codes on purpose and thoughtfully.
• [11:21] Mix and match formal and casual.
• [13:27] Beware of blacks, various colors hide inside of blacks.
• [14:13] Mix old and new.
• [16:02] Own your clothes, don’t let your clothes own you.

• [16:14] Pushing the boundaries with the color wheel.
• [16:48] Clothes choices for people who are not afraid of color.
• [17:48] Great-looking clothes choices for more conservative dressers.
• [18:44] Tie dye is not a thing in France for the most part. I saw a tiny bit of it last summer, but it didn’t catch on.
• [19:44] You don’t have to wear heels to go visit the Eiffel Tower or do any of the other things tourists enjoy.
• [20:02] There are a lot of cobbled streets in Paris, which is one reason why heels are not be ideal.
• [20:52] It’s good if you can pick tennis shoes with some texture or a hint of color.
• [21:08] Classy Sunday dress goes with tennis shoes and either a perfecto leather jacket or a jean jacket.
• [22:13] Casual cotton dress goes with dressy shoes or dressy accessories.
• [22:42] Jeans with holes go with dressy heels, women over age 50 really shouldn’t wear holey jeans.
• [23:48] Slacks with a dress shirt and tennis shoes. Dressy shorts with tennis shoes. Jean shorts with dressier shoes. Shorts and heels is trashy.
• [24:13] You can either show off your legs or your boobs, but not both.
• [25:08] No shirts with the arms cut off on men.
• [26:10] T-shirts are OK if they are plain. No Mickey Mouse t-shirts, no bright colors, no t-shirts with jokes. Men can dress up a t-shirt with a jacket or sport coat.
• [26:54] Leggings and yoga pants are not really worn besides when doing sports, but if you love them, pair them up with something dressy on top.
• [27:17] Fashions change so fast for tights that you’re better off buying your tights when you get to France after you’ve seen what other people wear.
• [27:47] Get a nice haircut before you come, so you feel happy with your hair.
• [28:16] French women wear big necklaces.
• [28:56] French women often own (and bring out!) different color purses.
• [29:12] Caps for me are OK, but it depends on the cap. No sports team mascots on your hats!
• [30:07] Choose caps that look different from your regular baseball cap.
• [30:59] T-shirts are OK, but don’t just throw on a t-shirt just to get dressed. Jokes t-shirts are not big in France. Wear t-shirts that are more “passe-partout” (something that goes everywhere, a master key).
• [32:25] Leggings and yoga pants are not pants, which doesn’t mean that you’ll never see them, but they “should” be reserved for exercising.
• [33:08] If you like to wear a hat, try paper boy hats or driving caps.
• [34:01] The types of sneakers that are in fashion in France now.
• [35:04] Beware of Paris weather, it can be wet a lot of the year.
• [36:05] French people do not all wear black all the time.
• [36:53] Packing mostly neutral colors makes it easier to pack because you can rotate things around and most of them will go together.
• [37:13] French people own a lot of different jackets and use them to change their look very effectively.
• [38:30] Be careful how you dress or scam artists will target you all the time: David’s experience.
• [40:21] How the ring scam works.
• [40:36] How not to fall for the ring scam or any other scam: don’t talk to them, pretend they’re not even there and walk on!
• [41:11] Shoes are the most important part of your outfit because you will walk a lot in Paris, many visitors walk 20,000 steps each day!
• [42:19] If you’re like Beyonce and always wear heels even around your house because that’s most comfortable to you, then so be it!
• [42:38] Break your shoes in before the trip!
• [42:50] When in Paris, count on getting wet. Bring at least two pairs of walking shoes.

• [43:12] Tips for people who travel light and only bring a carry-on.
• [44:48] No socks with sandals. No white socks with dress shoes. Only kids get to wear colorful socks. We mostly wear black socks.
• [46:27] Keep an eye out for sales men wearing a fitted suit, a colorful dress shirt, and super pointy shoes. It seems to be the unspoken “uniform” of all young sales guys in France!
• [47:43] Try walking around Versailles or the Louvre in heels!
• [47:57] Basketball shorts are not street attire in France, leave them at home.
• [48:43] If you have a teen who is stubborn about what they’ll wear and not wear, don’t fight them too much. Kids get away with a lot, even in France.
• [49:12] People in France wear all sorts of types of jeans.
• [49:54] Scarves! French people wear them all the time, both men and women. Different types of scarves are good for different times of the year.
• [52:12] What about t-shirts? Can I wear t-shirts in France?
• [53:10] All the different types of shirts French women wear instead of t-shirts.
• [54:10] Do French men wear polo shirts? Not very often.
• [54:55] French people wear fitted clothes, even the fluffier French people do that. It looks better.
• [55:48] Steve and David’s pre-Paris regimens.
• [58:14] Bags for both men and women: it’s about good looks and safety too.
• [59:35] Beware of the backpack, they are not safe.
• [60:23] What bag should photographers take? They should be more judicious about what lens to carry!
• [61:37] By now smart phone cameras do the job really nicely for most things. Not all, but good enough for everyone by photo nerds.
• [63:21] Don’t take all your credit cards with you. Don’t take your US driver’s license with you. Only carry a photocopy of your passport with you. Leave all that stuff in the hotel safe! Be super careful with your phone when you’re in Paris also.
• [65:27] There are 140,000 theft events in Paris every year. Those are incidents where a person’s purse or phone gets stolen without violence.
• [66:16] What coats and jackets to take to Paris.
• [67:30] Don’t try to be somebody you’re not just because you’re coming to Paris. Bring yourself and be comfortable.
• [68:49] Saying “bonjour” will go a long way, but don’t smile all the time. French people don’t.
• [69:16] Misconceptions: We don’t all wear black. We do wear shorts. We do wear tennis shoes. There are poorly dressed French people, you will see them when you come!

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Categories: France How To, French Customs & Lifestyle, Paris