What to Wear in Paris – 10 French Fashion Style Tips – Glam Radar

If you don’t like to be spotted as a tourist on the Parisian streets, it is important to remember that the city style is tailored and chic, yet conservative with an edge. Always remember that French fashion is really not about designer labels but more about how you put your ensembles all together. You should always look presentable at all times while staying comfortable and feminine with edge. If you’re thinking that the typical American customs of wearing sparkly dresses, t-shirts, shorts, sweats, sneakers, or flip-flops probably won’t go well in Paris, keep on reading to get some tips on French fashion style.

  1. Invest on a great quality and good fit.

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French women wear clothes that flatter their bodies, regardless of trends because they understand the power of quality and a good fit. You can’t normally see some ripped, torn, distressed, and even oversized or slouchy fit on the Parisian streets. The style consists of classic ensembles worn in an unexpected, yet perfectly elegant way. Get some slim-fitting clothing that creates and accentuates your curves. It’s amazing how you can fake extravagance when something fits just so.

  1. Be sophisticated in putting ensembles together.

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Though Parisian fashion is known for the luxury brands, the real sophistication of their style comes from how they put it all together. Start with the appropriate ensembles that you can mix and match to wear anywhere keeping them elegant yet slightly off-beat, and polished but not glitzy. Just keep it simple and chic making it look you didn’t spend more than five minutes in front of the mirror even though you did. Paris is the city that founded “haute couture” and Parisians are renowned for their style and fashion forwardness so keep everything chic and sophisticated.

  1. Wearing neutrals is the key.

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French women do wear a lot of neutrals like black, white, gray, and brown in a creative yet elegant way. Flashy and bright colors are not a feature of Parisian style so better skip those if you don’t want to be spotted as a tourist in the Parisian streets miles away.

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Just focus on interesting shapes and textures and stay away from too many embellishments and short dresses as it can be perceived as tacky. When accessorizing, skip those studs and blings, and opt for a stylish handbag, belts, scarves, and sunglasses to brighten up an otherwise neutral outfit. As a good trick, wear a scarf when the weather is unpredictable. Also, do not show too much cleavage or leg as a French woman loves to look feminine without being overly sexy.

  1. Invest on signature and statement pieces.

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Make a statement with your signature ensembles or accessories. Don’t wear all statement pieces all at once as it will just make you look overdone. Save up for the pieces that you know you’ll have for life like a Hermès bag, Burberry scarf, or a Chanel jacket if that’s your style. Though it may seem like a big investment, when divided over a lifetime of wearing the pieces you love, it can actually turn out to be a value when compared to an endless string of disposable purchases.

  1. Leave your athletic ensembles at home.

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Parisian fashion always looks neat and polished and they don’t suffer from bad dressing just to insist comfort and casual looks. Save your hoodies, sloppy sweats, athletic sneakers, distressed shorts, and beach flip-flops, and tracksuit for the gym or lounging at your hotel. These comfortable clothes that suburban women live in are not seen on Parisians outside of their homes. Instead, opt for a pair of good fitting pants as they are comfortable, stylish, and functional with all the activities you’ll want to do while out. Though French woman will wear sneakers, they are designed to be more of sports-inspired shoes rather than a gym necessity. When you’re thinking wearing a pair of comfortable shoes with your chic outfit, it’s not a pair of white tennis shoes or sneakers but a pair of ballet flats or brogues is the best alternative. Always remember that Paris is not the city to “break-in” a new pair of shoes in Paris is a walking city.

  1. Opt for a smarter pair of denim jeans or overalls.

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Today, denim jeans are everywhere but remember that we’re talking about Paris, and jeans you see on Parisians are neat, dark, slim fit or slight flare. So better skip those acid-washed, faded, distressed, tasseled, ripped, and torn styles of jeans.

  1. Opt for simple and classic prints.

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When you love to wear prints, just for the simple, neat and classic ones like stripes, houndstooth, checks, polka dots, tartan and skip funky prints or flashy ones. When choosing for prints, always keep in mind if that pattern will add some sophistication to your style or it’ll just take it away from you.

  1. Refuse to accept most trends, and develop a signature look.

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Though Parisians love fashion, they’re not a slave to short-lived, high-frequency fads. They don’t suffer the same overindulgence as others do by feeling compelled to buy every ensemble on trend simply because it is in style. Parisians are into buying clothes that flatter them and never cared about having the latest thing. Though they might update their wardrobe with a few trends, they develop a signature look, and simply stick with it. It is all about the timeless, well-cut, and classic look.

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A French woman always dresses up for herself as if she’s the best-dressed woman on the planet. Parisians don’t dress down like wearing yoga pants and hoodies even when going to the bakery or coffee shop. They always wear confidence with their looks and style as they do not ask for opinions for their style choices but simple dress for themselves. As a great result, they always look chic, sophisticated, and flawless.

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