A long, floaty and printed maxi (or “patio”) day dress worn with flat gladiator sandals is the “it” look for frocks in Paris stores this season. The silhouette is less popular in US stores, but you’ll find one or two of these dresses in most dress departments.

The idea is that you wear this ensemble mix casually. I didn’t like this look in the ‘70’s and I don’t like it today. No matter how casual the fabric and style, there is something about an ankle length dress that screams “fancy evening event”. They look clumsy and inappropriate (and the excess fabric gets in the way). You need to be tall to pull off the look, and even then, a shorter hemline looks better.

I might be more partial to the look if I was a boho girl at heart. How about you? Will you be wearing the maxi dress this season?

Raise your hemline for casual occasions and reserve ankle length dresses for evening black tie events.

I need to give credit where it’s due. Jessica Simpson makes a nice product.

The avant-garde jacket that you see below caught my attention in Nordstrom last week. It’s interesting, streamlined, voluminous, tailored, and impeccably made. It has a full lining, overt top-stitching, an oversized collar, exaggerated box pleats and kimono sleeves. It also has a pair of unexpected, discreetly positioned side-entry pockets. Fabulous. The photo does not do the item justice.

A girl can’t ask for more when a mainstream piece looks “designer” for $98 at full price. Sew in a Prada or Chloe label and you’ve fooled the world. I love it.

I purchased black last week and I’ve worn this jacket almost every day. It looks great with white pants or straight leg jeans and dressy flats.

An article by Francesca Gavin in yesterday’s UK Times online had me thinking. She maintains that the voluminous fashion trend was the real culprit to her gradual weight gain because it was easy to hide extra pounds in sack dresses, bubble skirts, A-line tunics, stretch jeans and smocks.

Francesca wasn’t happy with this and in an effort to curb further weight gain, she decided that there was only one remedy:

“if fashion got me into this mess, then fashion was going to get me out of it”

Instead of opting for the comfort of looser layers, Francesca made a point of purchasing styles that fit close to the body like pencils skirts, highly tailored garments and boned dresses. The idea was that if she physically felt restricted, she’d be aware of putting on weight. Francesca’s weight began to normalize and she felt that the discomfort of ultra-fitted garments was worth it.

This is fascinating. The voluminous trend has definitely given us the liberty of wearing looser clothes with style. Have you experienced a connection between fashion trends and fluctuation in your weight?

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.