What to Pack to Look Stylish in Paris, Episode 195
May 2, 2018
Join Us in France Travel
Podcast, Episode 195
On today’s episode, I chat with David Palachek about how to dress for Paris. We’ll be sharing actionable advice you can use to pack your suitcase for Paris and look great in the city of light.
Some of the tricks French women use to look good are surprisingly simple. Annie asked a lot of stylish French women how they do it, and it turns out that they all follow the same basic rules!
If you’re interested in dressing sharp in Paris, also listen to Paris Packing List, Episode 137.
• [03:05] We’re not fashion professional, but rather regular
people who care about packing the right clothes for Paris.
• [04:03] You don’t have to change how you dress unless you enjoy
the process of figuring out how to look best and what to pack to
look stylish in Paris.
• [05:33] The advice Annie will be sharing comes from stylish women
in her life, not from professionals. These are opinions, not
commandments!
• [06:14] Take basic clothes that can travel well and can be mixed
and matched, and buy accessories when you get to Paris.
• [07:31] Don’t bring clothes that need to be ironed. If something
needs a little help, the steam produced in the shower can help
de-wrinkle to some extent. Or you could get a product such as this
one that gets great review from travelers. Or get shirts like this
one made for travel.
• [09:35] The secret sauce that most French fashion-conscious
people follow and that you can apply to yourself as well.
• [10:03] Break the codes on purpose and thoughtfully.
• [11:21] Mix and match formal and casual.
• [13:27] Beware of blacks, various colors hide inside of
blacks.
• [14:13] Mix old and new.
• [16:02] Own your clothes, don’t let your clothes own you.
• [16:14] Pushing the boundaries with the color wheel.
• [16:48] Clothes choices for people who are not afraid of
color.
• [17:48] Great-looking clothes choices for more conservative
dressers.
• [18:44] Tie dye is not a thing in France for the most part. I saw
a tiny bit of it last summer, but it didn’t catch on.
• [19:44] You don’t have to wear heels to go visit the Eiffel Tower
or do any of the other things tourists enjoy.
• [20:02] There are a lot of cobbled streets in Paris, which is one
reason why heels are not be ideal.
• [20:52] It’s good if you can pick tennis shoes with some texture
or a hint of color.
• [21:08] Classy Sunday dress goes with tennis shoes and either a
perfecto leather jacket or a jean jacket.
• [22:13] Casual cotton dress goes with dressy shoes or dressy
accessories.
• [22:42] Jeans with holes go with dressy heels, women over age 50
really shouldn’t wear holey jeans.
• [23:48] Slacks with a dress shirt and tennis shoes. Dressy shorts
with tennis shoes. Jean shorts with dressier shoes. Shorts and
heels is trashy.
• [24:13] You can either show off your legs or your boobs, but not
both.
• [25:08] No shirts with the arms cut off on men.
• [26:10] T-shirts are OK if they are plain. No Mickey Mouse
t-shirts, no bright colors, no t-shirts with jokes. Men can dress
up a t-shirt with a jacket or sport coat.
• [26:54] Leggings and yoga pants are not really worn besides when
doing sports, but if you love them, pair them up with something
dressy on top.
• [27:17] Fashions change so fast for tights that you’re better off
buying your tights when you get to France after you’ve seen what
other people wear.
• [27:47] Get a nice haircut before you come, so you feel happy
with your hair.
• [28:16] French women wear big necklaces.
• [28:56] French women often own (and bring out!) different color
purses.
• [29:12] Caps for me are OK, but it depends on the cap. No sports
team mascots on your hats!
• [30:07] Choose caps that look different from your regular
baseball cap.
• [30:59] T-shirts are OK, but don’t just throw on a t-shirt just
to get dressed. Jokes t-shirts are not big in France. Wear t-shirts
that are more “passe-partout” (something that goes everywhere, a
master key).
• [32:25] Leggings and yoga pants are not pants, which doesn’t mean
that you’ll never see them, but they “should” be reserved for
exercising.
• [33:08] If you like to wear a hat, try paper boy hats or driving
caps.
• [34:01] The types of sneakers that are in fashion in France
now.
• [35:04] Beware of Paris weather, it can be wet a lot of the
year.
• [36:05] French people do not all wear black all the time.
• [36:53] Packing mostly neutral colors makes it easier to pack
because you can rotate things around and most of them will go
together.
• [37:13] French people own a lot of different jackets and use them
to change their look very effectively.
• [38:30] Be careful how you dress or scam artists will target you
all the time: David’s experience.
• [40:21] How the ring scam works.
• [40:36] How not to fall for the ring scam or any other scam:
don’t talk to them, pretend they’re not even there and walk on!
• [41:11] Shoes are the most important part of your outfit because
you will walk a lot in Paris, many visitors walk 20,000 steps each
day!
• [42:19] If you’re like Beyonce and always wear heels even around
your house because that’s most comfortable to you, then so be
it!
• [42:38] Break your shoes in before the trip!
• [42:50] When in Paris, count on getting wet. Bring at least two
pairs of walking shoes.
• [43:12] Tips for people who travel light and only bring a
carry-on.
• [44:48] No socks with sandals. No white socks with dress shoes.
Only kids get to wear colorful socks. We mostly wear black
socks.
• [46:27] Keep an eye out for sales men wearing a fitted suit, a
colorful dress shirt, and super pointy shoes. It seems to be the
unspoken “uniform” of all young sales guys in France!
• [47:43] Try walking around Versailles or the Louvre in heels!
• [47:57] Basketball shorts are not street attire in France, leave
them at home.
• [48:43] If you have a teen who is stubborn about what they’ll
wear and not wear, don’t fight them too much. Kids get away with a
lot, even in France.
• [49:12] People in France wear all sorts of types of jeans.
• [49:54] Scarves! French people wear them all the time, both men
and women. Different types of scarves are good for different times
of the year.
• [52:12] What about t-shirts? Can I wear t-shirts in France?
• [53:10] All the different types of shirts French women wear
instead of t-shirts.
• [54:10] Do French men wear polo shirts? Not very often.
• [54:55] French people wear fitted clothes, even the fluffier
French people do that. It looks better.
• [55:48] Steve and David’s pre-Paris regimens.
• [58:14] Bags for both men and women: it’s about good looks and
safety too.
• [59:35] Beware of the backpack, they are not safe.
• [60:23] What bag should photographers take? They should be more
judicious about what lens to carry!
• [61:37] By now smart phone cameras do the job really nicely for
most things. Not all, but good enough for everyone by photo
nerds.
• [63:21] Don’t take all your credit cards with you. Don’t take
your US driver’s license with you. Only carry a photocopy of your
passport with you. Leave all that stuff in the hotel safe! Be super
careful with your phone when you’re in Paris also.
• [65:27] There are 140,000 theft events in Paris every year. Those
are incidents where a person’s purse or phone gets stolen without
violence.
• [66:16] What coats and jackets to take to Paris.
• [67:30] Don’t try to be somebody you’re not just because you’re
coming to Paris. Bring yourself and be comfortable.
• [68:49] Saying “bonjour” will go a long way, but don’t smile all
the time. French people don’t.
• [69:16] Misconceptions: We don’t all wear black. We do wear
shorts. We do wear tennis shoes. There are poorly dressed French
people, you will see them when you come!
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