We’ve decided to end Parisian week by indulging in a post that has nothing to do with fashion and style. The reason for our trip to France last week was a school reunion. Greg went to INSEAD, a business school in a quaint French town just outside Paris called Fontainebleau. The town is famous for the Château de Fontainebleau and beautiful forest. While there we met many old friends at school reunion events, walked in the forest, visited our former houses, and attended a grand ball at the Château, complete with fireworks and red carpet ensembles.

We spent the rest of the time with dear friends in the heart of Paris. We stayed in an area called “Le Marais”, our favourite part of Paris because it’s (a little) less touristy, more edgy, arty-farty, atmospheric and simply magical. It’s in walking distance from an island on the Seine called “Ile de la Cité” and well known French districts “Saint Germain” and “Montparnasse”.

The streets of Le Marais and Ile de la Cité are brimming with interesting nooks and crannies. There is no shortage of interesting shops, boutiques, parks, tiny art galleries, bistros, florists, markets, bakeries and restaurants. We sat outside and people-watched for hours yakking with our friends after healthy doses of cheese, salad, pastries and Nutella crepes.

We thoroughly enjoyed presenting Parisian week here at YLF and hope that you enjoyed traveling to Paris with us. Stay tuned for the next global experience.

All five of the cities below share a common characteristic: the style quotient is high amongst men and women of all ages and lifestyles. From professionals bustling to work, to SAHM’s pushing prams, and to older folk enjoying retired life. It’s very apparent that people who live in these cities enjoy style, fashion and looking great every day.

1. Hong Kong: My clear overall winner. People take immense pride in how they present themselves and the result is mind blowing. Hong Kong style is as polished, chic, creative, fashion-forward and as beautiful as it gets. You’ll see wearable couture mixed with inexpensive product effortlessly walking down the street. It’s “the” people-watching fashion city and I am left with the same impression each time we visit.
2. London: As far as Euro-style goes, Londoners do it best. There is a funky, artsy and mismatched retro element to the city’s style that’s unique. It’s edgy, urban, super trendy and tasteful. People don’t look particularly polished, but are always interesting, current, well put together and appropriate for every occasion.
3. New York: The city that never sleeps wins in America. New Yorkers are known for their high style quotient and for good reason. It’s urban American style with Euro influence at its best. I adore this city and the mixture of both continental styles makes it extra special.
4. Barcelona: Spain’s leadership in fashion retail capital permeates style throughout Barcelona. Local retailers are hip and affordable and people take advantage of this luxury.
5. Paris: The couture capital of the universe comes in third for Europe and last on this list. Not quite as chic as you might expect, but stylish and full of character nonetheless. My favourite part about Parisian style is how well women dress as they get older. Ladies in their mid 50’s and older are a cut above the rest and it is inspirational.

Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Vancouver and Stockholm didn’t quite make my top five list but they came close. I have not spent enough time in Tokyo, Milan or Munich which is why these cities don’t feature on my list. Which cities do you rate as the most stylish and why?

I grew up in Hong Kong and could be accused of a little bias. We travel back every couple of years and this picture was taken in December of 2006.

They were very disappointing. I spent hours looking at shoes but was not inspired. Styling was for the most part boring, repetitive and not foot-friendly. Few interesting design details, little flair and not enough variety. The only shoe brands that tickled my fancy were actually American. More detailed observations…

• 60% of all shoes were cream or white. I enjoyed this aspect because cream is my favourite colour for footwear. I love how they contrast against a dark pair of jeans. It’s simply delicious.
• Grey, black, metallic and red were the next hottest footwear colours. I was surprised to see huge volumes of grey patent sandals and ballet flats because they’re not popular in America. But red shoes are popular in Europe and regarded a basic. You can’t go wrong with a pair of red shoes.
• Gladiator sandals were the “it” strappy shoe. I’m talking major Roman gladiator styling that’s fairly simplistic and wraps around the ankle.
• Huge assortment of wearable heel heights. Unlike America, one to two inch heeled shoes were widely available. Soaring heel heights were there, but not the norm. Too bad the styles weren’t so fab.
• Few brightly coloured shoes. All brights were represented but they were in the minority (except for red).
• Loads of plain mary jane, round-toed, snip-toed and almond-toed ballet flats. Nauseatingly so. No bells and whistles or interesting strap and buckle treatment.
• Loads of plain, narrow heeled, pointy-toed pumps. This was the “it” heel. So ‘80’s. I personally prefer the look and stability of chunky heels and they were few and far between.
• Few wedges, few peep-toes and no espadrilles.
• Huge wall displays of Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers. Each display offered a selection of at least five shades of grey.
• No animal prints other than cream and grey snakeskin. I like cream snakeskin shoes, but couldn’t find a pair for my fussy feet.
• Patent, patent and more patent. We can safely assume that this fashion trend is here to stay.

Be grateful if you live in America and love shoes, because you’re having a better footwear season. There is a greater variety for foot types, style preferences, budgets and fashion personas.

The last time I took pictures of merchandise in Paris I was chased down the street with a broomstick (occupational hazards of being a fashion buyer). So no real pictures of Parisian peds to share, but hopefully the above styles will give you an idea. Gladiators, converse sneakers, pointy-toe pumps and almond-tow flats. Nothing to write home about.

There is a definite “Parisian Style” that has little to do with navy and white striped T-shirts, berets and red neckerchiefs, or wearing Chanel from head to toe. It’s all about a retro urban ensemble that’s a little worn, a little designer, fairly neutral, full of character, unmatched, eclectic, always accessorized and never sporty.

Parisian street fashion was all about the following looks when we visited last week:

• Skinny jeans, skinny jeans and more skinny jeans. 80% of women across all age groups wore them. Most of the styles weren’t ultra tapered but slick and straight was a key silhouette. I saw three people wear wide-legged pants in six days. Interesting.
• Leggings were still big especially under tunic tops and dresses.
• Monochromatic colours were the norm. Despite the sea of colour available in stores, street fashion stuck to black, grey, white, cream, beige and red. Very little brown and ink blue.
• Cream, white and beige trenches, and cropped black biker jackets were “the” cover-up.
• Sleek tops were tucked into skinny jeans and worn with a belt. Voluminous tunics, blouses and shirts were left un-tucked and often belted at the waist.
• Knitted tops with yoke detailing were popular and virtually everyone wore some form of cropped cardigan. I didn’t see anyone who wasn’t pregnant wear a baby doll top. Woven tops were just as popular as knitted tops.
• White and cream pants or jeans started coming through on warmer days. I didn’t see a single women in khakis or sweat pants. Linen and micro-check bottoms are the French substitute.
• Very few skirts and dresses.
• Ballet flats, ballet flats and more ballet flats. Loads of round toes and few pointy styles. 90% of the women wore flats but heels came out at night. Patent was hot.
• There was an epidemic of grey Converse sneakers. You could spot at least 10 people wearing either grey, black or white retro Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers at any given time. Love it.
• Chunky necklaces, bracelets and rings were the accessory of choice. Very few women wore statement earrings.
• Cream, grey, white and tan handbags were plentiful and large flat totes were a popular choice. Sling bags took a back seat which surprised me.

It’s typical for French women to mix up their items. You’ll see fancy designer shoes worn with cheap H&M jackets, and Prada trenches matched with Converse sneakers. There’s loads of expensive designer merchandise on the streets of Paris, but it seldom looks new and pristine because it’s well worn and braves the elements of dirty city life.

Skinnies and a large tote making their way down Boulevard Henri IV in Paris.