I don't know how to post a collage of street style photos. But if you Google Image: Camden NJ street style....

Vildy, I just took a screenshot on my laptop.

Well, Suz, I see you marked it comedy. I'm not offended or anything but it's definitely not a comedy situation to know how to dress for this. There is a section downtown near the university branch where students are dressed as typical students and professors as typical professors. Neither one of of which suits me. If you attend any daytime cultural events there then there are often retired people from the suburbs who have driven in. They look like retired people from the suburbs. There are business and government workers downtown who just go from their car to their place of work and back out again. Even in city hall, there used to be a handwritten sign in the lobby that addressed city hall workers: Please! No hoochie mamma dress.

We used to have the only supermarket in the city in our neighborhood. Since closed and eventually replaced by a cut-rate market. But it used to be a pleasure to shop midday Sunday because many people from the black churches used to shop there after church. They were dressed to the nines. I think the old gents just stopped short of spats. They were all so beautifully costumed. But, again, it's not for me. And I've never seen any of them after the supermarket closed.

Hi, Vildy -- my apologies. I was reacting to the fact that when I googled it, a lot of streetscapes vs. street style came up, just as in my city, where there weren't even any people in the images at all -- just buildings. (Compare to Astrid's, or Jenn's.) Although agreed, the images of Camden, NJ are very different and represent a place with marked divides in style.

I loved the little girl skipping. And I also love the sounds of the churchwear. But I can see how it would be a sartorially difficult place in some ways. Certainly different from Paris.

Vildy, I must have that sign to post at my local Publix (and the mall, the gas station, etc)!

I use Bing so I binged Austin street style and came up with exactly what I would have expected. But I didn't realize how many people in Austin share a sort of similar boho, western, somewhat "hippie" style. But it is pretty spot on as to what I see there. That's my closest real town so I can't do a search of where I actually live in the hill country quite a way from Austin. Most people here come from Austin or San Antonio though.

As for myself, I don't really fit into the boho style. I'm way more classic casual nature girl oriented. But I love Joy's color scheme of chambray with cognac and taupe and would like to wear more of it!

this is slightly tangential, but one of the reasons I dislike Parisian style being held up as the "beau ideal" for everyone is that there's an inherent value judgement there that neutrals are superior to colors, and that wearing bright colors or more ornamented clothing is gauche/tacky (not saying that you, Suz, or Shevia were saying that). I don't feel that head to toe neutrals suit me very well nor do they reflect the culture my family come from. Not only do bright, saturated colors tend to go with areas with bright sunshine and warmer weather, they often tend to suit darker skintones very well (though I tend to think that everyone looks good in colors, just depends on the particular shade).

Wearing head to toe neutrals is a wonderful choice, and can often look extremely chic. But I'm glad I don't live in a city where that's the norm, or where there's a more uniform "look".

It is very hard to pick a style for Edinburgh, there are so many faces to the city and style tribes to match.

Edinburgh old money can be found in the New Town and Stockbridge, if you think Prince William and Harry you've nailed the look.

Edinburgh librarian chic, can be found meandering through the cobbled streets of the Old Town on her vintage bicycle, often seen wearing brogues and an a line skirt with perfect tumbling auburn curls.

The creative, works for Ed Fringe or one of Edinburghs many theatres, socialises with the street artists and the tattooists, they take individual style and crank it up.

Mix in the students, the tourists and the overall effect is a wonderful hot mess.

Ha. I googled Atlanta street style too, and as a native, found it pretty abysmal!

Very interesting topic, Suz!

I'm nodding along with everything Crazyone said, though. And now I'm wondering why it seems we equate restraint with chic and sophisticated? And what keeps that restraint from being boring?

Here's a sidelight. I know the former mayor and she definitely cares about clothes. I was at her swearing in, in bitter January, and she wore a full length mink coat. She's the lady in red in the picture I'm trying to upload. Anyway, she has two sisters in their 80's who coincidentally shop at the same church thrift store I do. I remember one of them sported double denim with a red top and denim cap on her 80th birthday. She apologized for wearing double denim, "knowing" she should not, but she looked amazing. And not amazing "for an 80 year old" either.

Here's my picture...

While I live in a provincial city in NZ, we have an eclectic mix of cultures, styles of dress from students, professionals, artists, farmers etc... NZers probably are low key in their dress in general but artistic, grungey, punk, retro, minimalist, bombshell - really anything goes. We probably don't have some of the constraints that other countries may place on themselves in terms of what is appropriate or not....which can lead to it's own problems!!

I see there being a tension/continuum between dressing for your location (both climatic and norms) and dressing for yourself (your own style, your own culture). And for some of us, myself included, there is a tension between what we want to wear and what is practical, realistic for our lifestyle, and at times for our body.

I always remember the start of Sex and the City with SJP wearing a tutu and heels and getting splashed by the bus. She dressed (at the time) in a crazy adventurous way but I loved it on her. She "owned it". As does our wonderful forum member Ledonna.

I don't think neutrals are the only way to do classic or elegant or chic - Michelle Obama, Angie, Queen Elizabeth to name three women who come to mind.

I actually feel really confident in my choices for my environment here. I have a good gauge on what works for work, sports, parties, weddings etc. I do know in my stints working in London and Melbourne I did get it wrong a couple of times as their expectations were different, but I quickly adjusted and learnt my lesson.

A quintessentially appropriate and genuine outfit for my location and lifestyle in winter would be a quality jacket (trench/rain/parka/blazer) parka, a merino sweater, great jeans and ankle boots/rainboots/sneakers. Add in a scarf, beanie, iphone, sunglasses as needed. This works for men and women

It's really fun to see what comes up with all of your areas!

Here's a sampling of my town. Not sure where I land in all this, but I'm significantly older than most of the people the local street shooters snap.

At any rate, clearly a very different scene from Paris! I'm comfortable with my style in the context of my surroundings, to Shevia's point.

Also, see:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/fe.....llery.html

http://www.bustle.com/articles.....s-major-pl

http://streetstyleedition.com

http://www.chictopia.com/Balti.....Style/info

http://strangerswithstyle.com

Well, for me it is more important to be true to yourself than to one's environment. I don't care how appropriate the bright colors are for any given summer in Toronto. I won't wear them if you pay me I am not comfortable in them anywhere. But it doesn't stop me from admiring other women in bold colors. The climate absolutely affects my choices of clothes. Being short on most things like height, ideas and budget, limit my choices. Well, mostly budget! Also, when we talk about "surroundings", what do we mean? In a big city like Toronto, what is appropriate and in tune for the financial district is too overdressed for a mid town office. May be an environment of a city is more an environment of one's peer group?

So many great responses -- thank you all. I will be back a bit later. I appreciate and have learned from everything you've said.

So when I look up my city, only the local university pops up and I'm not sure that represents the population. It's fairly isolated from the general population. It isn't well integrated into the community. I'm not surprised. I think I ne d to go back and try another city near here that's larger. Maybe Albany.

I have been thinking about this and have to think more. I feel a bit stuck because I don't think 'elegant, charming, and practical' are California values. This is the land of 'dreams, tinsel, and letting your hair down.'

Rachylou, that is so astute, as always! I think this is what I was trying to puzzle out and what others have also touched on. Culturally, the Parisienne values may not translate any more than the light or the colour of the stone...so why do we torture ourselves with the idea that we should be "Parisienne chic"? Then again, if we identified the values of our place and our own culture and subculture and dressed true to those, we'd be doing Paris in our own way. That's what I'm trying to get at. Clumsily, I admit!

I absolutely love all the photos -- thank you for showing me your regional style or what the interwebs consider that!

I think there's a lot of romanticism of "Paris style" because, well, PARIS. Who doesn't want something in their lives to evoke such a romantic, beautiful place with so much history and elegance?

The truth of the matter is, North America, where most of us are posting from, is a far more diverse set of cultures. New York style, LA style, Dallas style, Chicago style, Toronto style, Montreal style...are all pretty different, and there are subsets in each area that create so much diversity that "American style" is pretty darn hard to pin down. Maybe that's why I don't fret the "Parisienne" thing and do my own thing.

Fun read. Thanks, Suz.

I am careful to generalize, but will give it a go. In Seattle, the street style in the burbs is quite different to the grit of the city - VERY GENERALLY of course. I live in the city where the style is hard edged, tattooed, RATE, grungy, sporty and very casual. There is as much disconnected and rainbow hair, as there is gear. My crisp, bright, polished, soft and dressy style sticks out like a sore thumb - but makes me very happy. Seattle's street style and I can live in harmony - and do!

As a non USAer I often think of women in the USA as pretty, verywell groomed, nicely dressed etc. I know I tend to travel to big cities etc but that is my impression. You have soooo many affordable clothing and make up brands that no doubt contribute. There is far more makeup and hairstyling than Paris but still pretty overall. While there are beautiful women in Australia too generally there is too much overweight flesh in too skimpy clothes, bad footwear and overprocessed but understyled hair. And for such lovely weather there is too much black clothing in stores and on the street. Europeans have a far better sense of doing summer yet its our dominant season.

I have been thinking about how to answer this and it's impossible to reply for Australia in general as our looks are so different from city to city and region to region.

I live in a warm coastal city with a huge tourist industry and strong beach and surf culture. We do casual beach boho style pretty well. That includes flowy peasant/kaftan 70s style in retro prints, faded distressed or white denim, subtle tie dye, maxi dresses, sun dresses, fringing, worn-in looking soft tees, sandals. The designer Camilla Franks is very popular for dressy occasions because of her soft flowy silks and jerseys in spectacular prints.

From my experiences I feel that in general Australians dress as well or as badly as other countries. I've seen good and bad everywhere. If I'm being critical, perhaps we can be a tad too casual.

CocoCat I agree, there is good and bad everywhere. And this is also true for Paris. I guess all the people visiting get a skewed perspective because they usually just visit certain parts of the city (where there's money). When I visited Paris on a school exchange we were situated far from these areas. The style there had absolutely nothing to do with what we were discussing here. The same is true for Berlin, the majority of people don't dress like those in the collage I posted, obviously.

Oh great thread Suz!
Just to be clear, I do not idealize Parisienne style or think it is the universal ideal. After spending yesterday in Manhattan (mostly Soho) I was completely energized by the sheer variety in a very different way than I was inspired by the elegance of Paris. My post was intended as description not prescription!

From what I have seen of French women that have moved to a very different climate (Israel) they do retain their French preference for neutrals but it is their posture and walk more than anything that gives them away. For me, truly the one most important takeaway is that style is not stagnant and how you move is as important as what you wear.

Anyway, this thread is a delight and I reread and think about more.

Ok. So I'm now toying with the idea that the only times I've ever seen people achieve a just-so look here - they've been in gear. CAMPING gear. I mean, not ever gonna make it into a magazine...so this poses a problem for my theory!

Thanks for starting this thread Suz. Very thought provoking. The guardian article was predictable. Maybe because I am Canadian but I didn't think it was all that great. Also it was mostly men and all the same but different.
In Muskoka there really isn't a street style. There are the "summer people" as the locals call them (people who own cottages in the area), the tourists, the newbies (people who have recently moved to the area) and the locals.
I find the fashion quite interesting in Montreal. So does DH. Both men and women are dressed in ways that inspire me. Of all the big Canadian cities Montreal is my favourite.

Thanks, everyone, for chiming in. Great discussion.

Style Fan, I am with you in admiring Montreal style. It's quite varied and can be quirky or attention grabbing or quite sophisticatedly sedate, but it is also (often) practical. Long live Mackage and Lole and Soia and Kyo and m8051 and la Canadienne! Long live Simons.

Rachy, you and I are both in trouble. Camping gear is probably what works best where I live, too.

Thanks for popping back, Shevia. I agree that there are many styles we can learn from! Paris is not the only stylish place, by far. That was sort of my idea -- how can we affirm that by bringing the spirit of Paris style to our own selves and environment? Not the specifics, but the essence.I am very interested in what you said about posture and movement being key to a typical Parisienne style, or what remains when the environment changes. Fascinating.

Astrid, very good point about tourists getting a skewed view based on their limited knowledge of a city. I agree wholeheartedly.

Coco, I think we see the influence of the boho in your own style. You wear it with the best of them, and then do it better by adding your own sophistication to the overall look. So you are setting the standard for where you live!

Jen, very interesting remarks about grooming. This is an often overlooked element of style that plays a huge role. A French woman wearing unobtrusive makeup and a simple haircut, not dyed, will look very different in her Breton sweater than an American woman with dyed hair, stronger makeup, and flashy jewellery. Same sweater, different look.

Angie, you set an example for all of us of staying true to who you are, whatever your environment! I can empathize with your love and need for colour in a grey and grungy place. I wear mostly neutrals (if blue is a neutral, as it often is) and yet if I don't have some vibrant colour in my life (especially in our grey winter) I feel miserable. So while I admit that I do wear my neutral coats more often than the others, that's sometimes because I'm wearing bright colour underneath!

Janet, it's so true that style is far from homogenous in North America, and that is part of what makes our part of the world so fascinating and rich. I remember travelling through Europe as a teen. At that time, Toronto was already a mutil-cultural food lovers' mecca. But in Europe, you pretty much got the food of the country you were visiting -- and only that food -- at least at the price points I could afford. (Well, there was curry in England, but that was an exception.) And food is of course representative of overall culture. I missed that vibrant mix of cultures. I know it is very different now in most parts of Europe, or at least in the large cities, but the change was longer in coming than it was in the big cities of North America like New York and Toronto.

Staysfit, Albany sounds like a good bet as it is close, but I know from experience how different the style in a small place can be, compared to its closest larger city.

Irina, you are so right about subcultures and specific workplaces playing a role in all this. Of course what is appropriate will vary according to your job, your age, your peer group.

Sally, as a fellow (post) "colonial" I identified with so much of what you said. But this in particular:

I see there being a tension/continuum between dressing for your location (both climatic and norms) and dressing for yourself (your own style, your own culture). And for some of us, myself included, there is a tension between what we want to wear and what is practical, realistic for our lifestyle, and at times for our body.

Those times we feel we've resolved those tensions are probably the times we feel the best in our clothing.

Vildy, I LOVED that photograph of the beautiful, stunning former mayor!!

Canadians really know all the different brands of puffers. We are puffer experts. There is Canada goose, quartz, soia and kyo and mackage and....MEC! ...to name a few.

I contrast this to Americans, who only seem to know about Lands end, Eddie Bauer and Patagonia.

As a Canadian, I do feel a slight superiority complex when it comes to my knowledge of puffers.

Also snow boots. Canadians know a good snow boot. And we also know that wearing snow boots every day is overkill. You need a variety of boots to get you through the winter,and they aren't always heavy-duty. Canadians know that you can wear rain boots as snow boots if it's sufficiently mild out.

So while the Parisians may excel at look elegant in the rain, Canadians excel at wearing the appropriate coat and boots for any given day.

Figuring this out is a bit tough sometimes, and I think we should be proud of our winter style!

So not true, smittie. Americans know about The North Face, too.

Haha, Jenn! And REI (your equivalent to MEC).

Smittie, you said it. We should be proud indeed! And seriously, if we didn't figure out that different boots suit different weather, we'd be confined to snow boots for 5 months a year (or more). Well, not those wimps in southern BC, but the rest of us.

Hmmm....I actually do feel confined to snow boots 5 months a year so maybe I should come and take some lessons...