I'm still in my Paris hangover... which is a good thing!
Just a week ago, I was walking the streets, and paying close attention to something, just for my blog girls. Can you guess what it was?
It was the FASHION.
An interesting thing happened on this trip. We didn't do the touristy things at all, other than the Eiffel, so I had more mental downtime to soak in the "real scene" if you get my drift. Fashion in Paris has always seemed strange to me. Yes, I've seen it all on the Champs Elysees, but there I didn't see the fashion I wanted to see. I wanted to see what the basic French women wore, their everyday outfits.
This year, when we changed neighborhoods, I was rewarded. We went from the bohemian section of Montmartre (18th arrondissement... zip code if you will) to the very nice area of the Latin Quarter (6th arrondissement). Here, I was surrounded by high school and college students, and families. I got an eyefull!
The teenage girls were dressed very casual, but oh-so pulled together. I loved watching them daily. At lunch time, you could barely walk through the streets, and sandwiches in the shops disappeared in moments. Students were everywhere!!! We learned... if you want a sandwich for the park, get it by 11am, or no dice...
But I digress...
Here are the fashion trends I saw over and over again, just incase you are interested... These were seen not only on the teenagers, but women in their 30's as well, and some trends on older women...
*tight leggings worn as pants
*scarves, scarves, scarves
*leather bomber jackets
*ballet flats absolutely everywhere
*long sweaters, belted at the waist
*long, straight hair
*tunic tops
*crazy big leather handbags
*flat heeled boots
*straight-leg jeans
Scott mentioned to me how many more beautiful women he noticed on this trip... so I feel it my duty to inform you, the men are GORGEOUS. They all wear these really narrow, pointy shoes, and... I don't know... it just works! They almost all wear a NICE button down shirt, carefully ironed and tucked in, with a blazer, or really nice coat. There is obvious care taken when getting ready for the day.
Now for the bad news. I did notice, that the number one reason I feel all these people wore their clothes so well, and looked so chic, was...well... their thinness. I have to say, no spare tire or muffin top makes a person look better in their clothes.
Hey... I'm just keeping it real... (and yes, I'm working on those original pounds I wanted to lose, for this very reason).
Here are a few outfits I wore, having nothing to do with Paris fashion... it's just what I had. Some days were more daring than others... I'm sure you'll notice when I stepped out of my box (see top photo of this blogpost). Results were mixed! My cashmere sweaters were the perfect thing most days, but on hotter days, just a t-shirt, scarf, and jeans were it.
This scarf later ended up on my head in a rainstorm!
I could shoot myself for not taking pics of shop windows, but it was just too embarrassing. I also didn't think it appropriate to take pictures of teenager girls without their knowledge, and I wasn't about to ask. Take my word for it... it was all just too fabulous!
Eating yogurt now, after walking this morning!
Teri
