Paris, anyone???

[Host Mama]

If memory serves me correctly, Jane110 should be back in NY from her trip to Paris.

Jane....How bout a Paris fashion report...We want all the latest scoop.

What's hot, whats not!

And please fill us in on your shopping escapades.

 

Host Mama (whose only trip to Paris was driving through Paris, Texas)

[happysinglemom]

My son wants to go to Paris in the spring (only a short 3/4 day visit)...I am just now starting to plan it...so any advice on what to see/where to eat/what to avoid is also apreciated!!

[glenneagle]

My son and i did this for 3 days before our last cruise.

buy a 10 ticket metro pass very useful.

before you go buy a museum pass on line, this allows you entry thru a side door no waiting in lines.also valid for versailles as well as several museums ect but not eifel tower. enjoy

[CDRMark]

Paris is one of those cities that I love both going to and departing. Have been several times. 3-4 days is a perfect amount of time there for me. It is very expensive; traffic is hard to describe. The people are great, much friendlier than their PR indicates, esp if you work at speaking some French. The food can be world class, and is rarely less than great. Museum/culture is unequalled. I think I left a nose print on a Van Gogh, I was able to get that close.

Look forward to Janes report from a travel, not fashion perspective.

Mom: what is your son's budget? That will define his experience.

Cheers

Mark

[happysinglemom]

Mom: what is your son's budget? That will define his experience.

 

Thanks Mark. Son is 13, so my budget is the one that counts. :p I really have none....just would like to keep costs as low as reasonably able.

[cruisemom42]

HappySingleMom,

 

There's a book on doing Paris with Kids, I'm sure you can look it up on Amazon. Thinking of what my son would enjoy (he's 14), I'd suggest you do the Eiffel tower (of course!), Notre Dame (including climbing to the top for a great view and also a close up look at the huge bells and the gargoyles), and the Louvre. Rick Steves gives a great self-guided tour of the Louvre in his Paris book (it's not too long of a tour and he has a sense of humor, which your 13-year-old may appreciate!)

 

I suggest you look for a hotel close to the Notre Dame/Louvre area so you can enjoy walking to most things along the Seine. An area I enjoyed staying in recently was the Marais. It's less expensive than some other central areas, and kind of funky. Just expect SMALL rooms in most hotels.

 

A batou mouche (sp?) ride on the Seine is also fun. Just don't do it at night -- you don't see as much and you get blinded by the lights of all the other boats.

 

If he's into history or archeology, there's an underground museum right in front of Notre Dame that shows the ancient Roman (and later) remains of the city.

 

I'm sure you'll want to walk around the left bank (Rick Steves also has a good walk of the area); a souvenir to shop for might be a Sorbonne sweatshirt or t-shirt, or a soccer (properly called football of course) jersey.

 

Hope this helps. Food is good and easy to find good restaurants anywhere.

[Jane110]

Yes, I'm back. Had a great time as I always do. Saw friends and went to many museums. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't cooporating and there was lots of rain. I just can't stand the rain...ugh!! Fortunately, there were some dry spells and I wanted to see the festive holiday lights. The trees along the Champs Elysee were all lit up and the Eiffel Tower had small gold lights that flickered on and off. The Galeries Lafayette windows were wonderful but the best decoration was inside where a massive Xmas tree hung from the stained glass domed ceiling to right above the busy main floor.

 

The one fashion trend that stood out the most is the high boot. High on the leg that is - not necessarily the heel. I saw TONS of boots that come to the top of of the knee - then lower in the back so the leg can bend. Most of the time turned over at the top forming a cuff-like edge. They were paired with skirts and over jeans. One night, I saw the back of a beautifully put together woman in a restaurant. She was wearing the most gorgeous skirt - a multi-colored tweed, box pleated, above the knee skirt with printed chiffon panels sewn between each pleat, a classic cashmere sweater and a pair of low heeled, above the knee suede boots. Her oufit was just breathtaking. When she got up to leave I finally saw her face. She must have been about 70 and was having dinner with a younger woman(daughter?) This is typical of Parisian women - they don't stop being au courant no matter what their age.

 

Another trend I spotted on some women under 35 were wool shorts being worn over opaque black tights. The length of the shorts ranged from knee to about 5 inches above it. I only saw this is a casual daytime look with chunky boots - never at night or with classic high heel shoes or with delicate skimmers. (though I did see alot of skimmers worn). I saw very few skinny jeans and when they were worn, they were usually tucked into a pair of to-the-knee boots.

 

Boots of all kinds were prominent on both men and women. And as I reported last April, textured hose are still the rage. Fishnets (big, small, bulky, delicate) as well as lace and crocheted patterns are prominent. Black and neutrals only, no bright colors. Printed tights I noticed on little girls only.

 

A few weeks ago, on this board, we had a member post and ask for fashion help because she's a school teacher and had developed the frumpy wardrobe of the typical US teacher, so we all gave her suggestions. I remembered that thread as I walked through the Musee of Decoratif Arts for a Balenciaga retrospective. (if you don't know the name, he was a designer of haute couture and the "house" still exists, like Chanel). While at the exhibition, I saw 3 groups of elementary school children being brought to the show. I looked closely at what the teachers wore.....not a frumpy frock amongst them. They wore chic, casual clothes as they sat on the floor with the children who drew copies of the mannequins. The teachers wore funky, flat & low heeled shoes or boots and cute skirts & sweaters. The other thing that struck me was how ingrained fashion is to their culture. How many elementary school kids here in the US would be taken to a couture exhibition as a class trip?

 

I went to a Fashion Show at the Galeries Lafayette. If I can get DH to post the photo's for me next week, I'll put them up. There are no big trends there that aren't here, they just do it better than than we do. Their clothes have better cuts, there's alot more attention to the details, prints are gorgeous and colors are saturated but more muted.

 

Lastly my non-fashion observations lead to thoughts between the differences in our cultures which are often best highlighted by watching television in a foreign country.........

 

Weight issues: As we all know, the american population is gaining weight and obesity is one one of our most serious health problems. Yet, when we watch our TV's, the women we see in the shows are always young, gorgeous and very thin. Even news reporters have to be thin and beautiful. Then you walk around Paris and notice very few are overweight (even though they eat dessert w/ every meal and lots of cheese). They're not necessarily skinny, just "normal" weight. But turn on the news in France and you'll see that the female newscasters are heavier than their american counterparts. They are somewhat attractive, but it's obvious that they do their own hair and make-up. Their job is reporting the news and the weather not being a glamorous icon. In our country, a woman can't report the news unless she's model thin, been touched up by the doctor & cosmetic dentist and then needs a daily team of hair, make-up and wardrobe stylists to spend hours putting her together before she appears before the camera.

 

Glam Factor: In the US, we have to have glam. Not so in France, where the social interaction between people is much more important. This is best exemplified by the show "Deal or No Deal" which is a recent hit in the USA. The show is originally french and America copied it. I've been watching it for years in Paris. (game shows help improve my french)

In France, they don't have unapproachable sexy, gorgeous, impossibly thin women w/ hot bod's displaying silver attache's of money. The money is in low-tech decorated cardboard boxes and the people holding them are audience members who interact with the host & contestant. They're interviewed by the host, talk about their region, bring small gifts to him, etc. It's very personal.

So in our american version, the difference between the contestant and the girls w/ the money is hugely apparent and if the contestant is an "average" woman, I imagine it must be hard for her to be on stage with these glamourized showgirls. In France, the people with the boxes of money are also "just plain folks" and no different than the main contestant.

 

In short, whether it's the nightly news or a game show, the difference in looks between the average women and the professional women on television is much, much smaller in France where in the US, this difference is huge.

 

I'm no psychologist and won't theorize on how these differences affect how we feel about ourselves. But these observations were so strong to me, I hope no one minds me posting them along with the fashion observations.

 

Happy Holidays All!

[Jane110]

My son and i did this for 3 days before our last cruise.

buy a 10 ticket metro pass very useful.

before you go buy a museum pass on line, this allows you entry thru a side door no waiting in lines.also valid for versailles as well as several museums ect but not eifel tower. enjoy

 

The 10 ticket packet - not a pass - is called a "carnet" and is a small savings over buying individual tickets. The tickets are good on the metro as well as the buses. So you have 10 rides in total and there are no free transfers if you have to take two buses to get to your destination. Transfers within the metro are free.

However, if you're in Paris for a week, it's probably cheaper to buy a one week pass which gives you unlimited access for transporation all week. It can be bought at any metro stop.

 

The museum pass isn't always the best deal. A three day pass is 30 Euro's and the average entrance fee is between 7 and 9 Euro's. So unless you hit at least 4 or 5 museums that allow using it, you don't save any money.

The pass is limited to 3 consecutive days and is activated upon your first admission. BTW, you don't have to buy it beforehand. You can buy it in Paris.

Having the pass does not eliminate the wait on the security line where they check into handbags and backpacks. My experience is that's the longer the line, with the actual ticket buying line being quite short.

So, it'll only save you money if you're planning on running from museum to museum.

[Jane110]

My son wants to go to Paris in the spring (only a short 3/4 day visit)...I am just now starting to plan it...so any advice on what to see/where to eat/what to avoid is also apreciated!!

 

In hopes that this thread doesn't get removed by the moderators, perhaps it best to post these questions in the Ports section, specifically the Europe section.

[Host Mama]

Hi Jane,

Thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to fill us in on whats new in Paris.

 

Also, I totally agree with your observations on the state of our youth, and its perception of the way they should look.

 

One quick question...what kind of purses did you see being carried? Big, bold, and bulky? Subtle or wild colors?

 

Happy Holidays to all!!!

Host Mama

[cruisemom42]

Jane, thanks for your observations; you have a knack for writing so that I almost feel like I'm there. Very interesting thoughts about the difference between the "real world" and "TV world" in France. I've always bemoaned the type of news coverage we get in the US: seems like it's all about style and soundbytes (talking heads) and not about substance or depth. Give me a Sylvia Poggioli over a Katie Couric any day!

 

I love the everyday style of women in Paris, and I noticed it in Rome recently as well, which I posted about last week. The thing about women in Paris is that they look put together without looking like they overthought it. They also tend to look slightly less "perfect" than the women I noticed in Rome -- but in a good way. It's hard to describe what I mean, but as an example, their hair may be perfectly cut but the style is (perhaps deliberately) a little mussed or imperfect.

 

Whatever it is, it's fun to people watch! And now I'll have to go check out some high boots....

[GORDONCHICK]

I've been shopping for high boots lately (very little heel), but not much luck. Glad to know I'm actually on target for a fashion trend. That doesn't happen a lot here in Oklahoma! Not that we don't have our share of fashionable people, but in my line of work, scrubs are couture!

[kitty9]

Jane, I know what you mean about their TV personalities. I've noticed the same thing in Italy. Even the "eye candy" women on Italian game shows are curvy and not those stick women.

 

I have the feeling their consumption of wine along with their meals has something to do with how normal in weight the French women are. They eat the sauces, butter (not margarine), bread and cheese, but they aren't obese.

 

BTW, are the Parisian women as "label" conscience as many US women are?

Do they prefer Chanel, LV and others?

[momofmeg]

I've been shopping for high boots lately (very little heel), but not much luck. Glad to know I'm actually on target for a fashion trend. That doesn't happen a lot here in Oklahoma! Not that we don't have our share of fashionable people, but in my line of work, scrubs are couture!

 

My friend's daughter who is 18, has a pair of those over the knee boots that she wears with knee length skirts. She looks very cute dressed that way- but I am not sure I would.

 

but then I would probally be wearing my skirts mid calve as I like that length better-so no one would even know my boots went over the knee I guess!

 

I notice leggings are making a come back. Would women wear these with leggings and an oversized sweather or tunic? I think that would look good-but would that look like Star Trek? LOL!

[Sassy Chassis]

Thanks for the report!

 

Another trend I spotted on some women under 35 were wool shorts being worn over opaque black tights. The length of the shorts ranged from knee to about 5 inches above it.

 

I was doing the shorts with tights thing back in the mid-90s when I lived in Denver. In fact, I've always been fond of tights in general! Unfortunately, it's not really cold enough now [here] to warrant me buying a bunch of tights :(

[Jane110]

 

One quick question...what kind of purses did you see being carried? Big, bold, and bulky? Subtle or wild colors?

 

Happy Holidays to all!!!

Host Mama

 

Pretty much the same kinds of bags I see in NYC. Definitely larger - but again, Parisian women like NY women need larger bags to keep their "stuff" in. Those who live in suburbs and the country travel by car rather than foot, can always throw an umbrella, gloves & other extra items in the back seat. Lots of women on motorcyles, Vespa's and bicycles in Paris and those women often sport the across the body messenger bag.

 

No wild colors. Blacks, browns, burgundys, neutrals. No turquoise or hot pink....but again, it's winter, so I think those would be more for summer.

 

There's alot less hardware on the bags there. Yes, grommets and buckles are still popular, but not so much metallic decoration as here and not so many skinny leather straps hanging off each zipper.

[Jane110]

Thanks for the report!

 

 

 

I was doing the shorts with tights thing back in the mid-90s when I lived in Denver. In fact, I've always been fond of tights in general! Unfortunately, it's not really cold enough now [here] to warrant me buying a bunch of tights :(

 

It was quite warm in Paris, almost 50 degree's, so tights are fine for that weather.

 

I agree with you that wool shorts with heavy black tights would look kind of weird in Texas. :)

[Jane110]

 

I have the feeling their consumption of wine along with their meals has something to do with how normal in weight the French women are. They eat the sauces, butter (not margarine), bread and cheese, but they aren't obese.

 

I'm not a nutritionist, but I don't think that wine consumption has anything to do with weight control. Though experts now know that red wine does help keep cholesterol in check and helps balance off the effects of cheese.

But my personal feelings are that they're thinner because portions are smaller and they eat full meals without much snacking in-between. I ate a big lunch everyday, which included a rich dessert. If I ate at about 1:00, I wasn't looking for a snack at 4:00, I was full until dinner.

Dinner usually included a cheese course as well as a rich dessert and I never gain any weight when I go to Paris.

 

Again, my own feelings, but perhaps the body processes pure foods more quickly? The food there is fresher and has less chemicals, for example, the govt. rules are that bakeries bake traditional baguettes 4 times a day. There are almost no preservatives in the food.

 

 

BTW, are the Parisian women as "label" conscience as many US women are?

Do they prefer Chanel, LV and others?

 

Yes, they're label conscience, but their extremely quality and design conscience. They buy less and wear thing it alot more and use it for a long time. However, their list of hi-end designers is much longer and therefore Parisian women are much more individualistic. Not everyone is crazy over Chanel, Dior, Prada and Vuitton, though those are popular. Just as popular and have the same status are Sonia Rykiel, Chloe, Clergerie, D&G. Hermes scarves, of course, are very popular.

Also, I think that american women tend to buy designer accessories more than clothes and in french women buy more designer clothing as well.

 

Another difference is that you don't see any many young girls carrying designer bags there. I see 15 year olds carrying Prada in the US. Never see that in Paris.

[Sassy Chassis]

It was quite warm in Paris, almost 50 degree's, so tights are fine for that weather.

 

I agree with you that wool shorts with heavy black tights would look kind of weird in Texas.

 

Yeah...this is by far the warmest place I've ever lived. Germany, Northern Italy, the mountains in Northern Arizona, Colorado, and even OkC to some extent, are a lot colder [than here]!

 

Lots of women on motorcyles, Vespa's and bicycles in Paris and those women often sport the across the body messenger bag.

 

My kind of women!! :)

[BlueHerons]

 

 

Yes, they're label conscience, but their extremely quality and design conscience. They buy less and wear thing it alot more and use it for a long time. However, their list of hi-end designers is much longer and therefore Parisian women are much more individualistic. Not everyone is crazy over Chanel, Dior, Prada and Vuitton, though those are popular. Just as popular and have the same status are Sonia Rykiel, Chloe, Clergerie, D&G. Hermes scarves, of course, are very popular.

Also, I think that american women tend to buy designer accessories more than clothes and in french women buy more designer clothing as well.

 

.

 

Jane, is Cacharel a big brand in France? They were my very first pair of designer jeans way back in 1981!

 

Thanks for the outstanding report. As usual!

[Jane110]

Blue Herons,

 

Thanks for the compliment.

 

 

I haven't seen any Cacharel clothing in years either in NY or Paris. Hmmm.....don't know what happened to them. It appears they only have their perfumes now.

 

In my opinion, Kookai is the Cacharel of today. What do you think?

www.Kookai.com

[Jane110]

My friend's daughter who is 18, has a pair of those over the knee boots that she wears with knee length skirts. She looks very cute dressed that way- but I am not sure I would.

 

but then I would probally be wearing my skirts mid calve as I like that length better-so no one would even know my boots went over the knee I guess!

 

I'm not sure what you're trying to say here. Are you saying that you feel that over the knee boots only look well on very young girls? If so, we obviously disagree since I mentioned a woman of about 70 who looked fabulous in them.

 

Or are you saying that you simply don't like them for yourself? They probably aren't my best look either, but I was trying to give a visual of what's in style in Paris.

Parisian women generally look great because they study what's in style and then wear the looks that compliment them. So my Paris reports are just that - the fashions I see being worn - and not about what I personally wear.

 

I notice leggings are making a come back. Would women wear these with leggings and an oversized sweather or tunic? I think that would look good-but would that look like Star Trek? LOL!

 

I've seen more leggings in NY than I did in Paris, but that could be because most of the women in Paris were wearing boots, so if they had leggings on I wouldn't have known.

However, in NY, I see the leggings worn under skirts and dresses.(but earlier in the fall. Again people here are in boots now) I have not seen the 80's style tunic or oversized sweaters worn over them.

[coka]

Oh My Gosh, I came here to ask you a question about Paris fashion and lo and behold a report is right before my eyes! Thank you Jane very much for the information. Last weekend I put together outfits for my 12/24 through 1/2 first trip to Paris and thankfully I think I hit the mark based upon your report. Do you know how good that feels? The only guidance given prior to reading this was "snappy casual." Heck, it took me years to figure out resort casual dress code for cruising...so I am glad that I can pack everything I selected! Woooo-Hoooo!

Merci Beaucoup!

Coka

(who selected black and burgandy)

[Jane110]

Coka,

 

That's great! How serendipitious!

 

You know Paris will be dead Xmas day and it will be a slow week. Many Parisians will be gone and many restaurants will be closed.

 

Which area of Paris are you staying in? Do you know Paris? I'd be happy to tell you some of my favorite restaurants if you'd like.

 

Do you already have plans for New Year's Eve?

 

Jane

if you have an email address you're willing to post here, let me know.

[momofmeg]

I'm not sure what you're trying to say here. Are you saying that you feel that over the knee boots only look well on very young girls? If so, we obviously disagree since I mentioned a woman of about 70 who looked fabulous in them.

 

Or are you saying that you simply don't like them for yourself? They probably aren't my best look either, but I was trying to give a visual of what's in style in Paris.

Parisian women generally look great because they study what's in style and then wear the looks that compliment them. So my Paris reports are just that - the fashions I see being worn - and not about what I personally wear.

 

 

 

I've seen more leggings in NY than I did in Paris, but that could be because most of the women in Paris were wearing boots, so if they had leggings on I wouldn't have known.

However, in NY, I see the leggings worn under skirts and dresses.(but earlier in the fall. Again people here are in boots now) I have not seen the 80's style tunic or oversized sweaters worn over them.

 

Actually I was refering to myself-I would not be comfortable wearing them. Now some older women can pull off stuff that I can't- I am sure-but others-like me-would look like an idiot-and often if we do things that don't "work" for us-instead of looking young and hip, we look even older then we really are.

 

But actually as far as the boots for me I guess I would really have to see myself in them actually to know if it would "work" for me-but I am guessing not.

 

I sure meant no offense and goodness-lots of women look great and can do things I can't. I have one good friend who is several years older then me and she looks really good in "hip" stuff and does not look silly at all but really "chic"- I have tried to imitate her a couple of times because I like here sense of fashion--I just could not pull it off.

 

I would never tell another woman what to wear and would only give them my opinion if they specifically asked for it. Even though I have posted here sometimes about stupid stuff I see people wearing-I would never say to one friend that I thought another friend dressed "too young" or "too frumpy" or "too outrageous". to me that is just too catty and mean and not being a real friend.

 

I only mentioned my friend's daughter because she is the only person I have seen wearing these boots. As I said she wore them with a skirt that came to her knees-so actually no leg was showing.

 

I always thought the long sweather, leggings and boots looked good myself . It would look very sexy in those higher boots also, I would think. I would like to see that look come back with the higher boots-though maybe not on me-but my daughter would look really cute in that.

 

But then again, you mentioned European women dress hip, even at older european women, so maybe I would dress that way, if I saw other older women dress that way also. I know at first, I was afraid I would look silly wearing praire skirts, that we have seen so much of the last couple of summers,until I saw women much older then me, wearing them and looking nice in them.

 

I do know lots of things done in Europe later hit over here. They are the trendsetters. so-I guess my point is-I don't want to stand out as differant or call attention to my age-does that make sense? But as long as I blend in with the crowd I am happy. so who knows, maybe I would wear them if the trend hit here and I did not feel I would sticking out dressed that way.

 

One thing that is nice about having a daughter, is I get to see her wear the things I wish I still could and the way trends come back-she often brings back alot of memories of when I was her age.

 

Jane, too, I did not think you meant you wore this or that. You just appreciate style. I do too and I have always enjoyed seeing other women look nice, even if it is something I know I could not personally pull off.