I took a very last minute trip to Paris last week because the weather in my Andalusian village has been quite rainy for almost a month, and Paris had a pleasant and sunny forecast, As always, I adore people watching, seeing both what locals wear and what other visitors wear. Cafes are perfect for this, with their street-facing woven chairs, as are the light green metal chairs ubiquitous in the Jardin de Luxembourg and Tuileries. Museum-goers are interesting as well.

Things I saw a lot of:

  • Young women in light blue giant baggy jeans
  • Polished trousers
  • Navy and black long coats
  • Mini or knee length skirts with tights and boots
  • Shop windows had lots of black shoes with silver studs/grommets or patent leather “babies” in light colors
  • Well-groomed hair on women (smooth and shiny) and men (interesting shapes)
  • Shoulder bags and totes of practical size (the belted satchels and the woven leather are popular)
  • Leather bomber jackets
  • Collarless lady jackets with gold buttons
  • Oval sunglasses
Things I saw less of:
  • Jeans on women over 30
  • Poly-quilted jackets (except Patagonias on American tourists)
  • Beige trench coats
  • Scarves
  • Sneakers
  • Dark brown
  • Oversized looks
  • Patterns
What did I buy in Paris: a brown leather jacket (not bomber but with an interesting shape); light blue flare jeans with little front pockets; red patent low wedges and light blue low slingbacks. I had in mind to buy a white or cream handbag there, but concluded that prices were too high and that I can get something nicer in Spain. And I thought about a silk scarf but in the end decided that they read a little old-fashioned.

My not-yet-implemented takeaway — I’d like to get away from my typical day to day of jeans and a sweater, perhaps by finding some trousers that can be machine or hand washed easily and are suitable for my day to day casual life. And when the weather warms up in a couple of weeks, I’d like to look into blouses with ruffles, drape or a bit of transparency.

I felt that I fit in pretty well in all neighborhoods with my long navy coat. I only have the one picture of myself that a friend took in Montmartre.

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6 days ago