I have been ruminating on the style and fashion I saw in Europe, specifically Paris, for a week or so now. It is such a simple under stated look that it is almost difficult to write about. Let me start out by saying that the look is pretty consistent across Germany, Prague, and Paris. Paris stands out though because the number of fashionable woman (at every age, 8 to 80) far out number the less stylish.

Every one knows that in Paris they wear a lot of black and grey. But I had not full grasped to what extent. It is ALL black and grey. Every single person, almost every single piece of clothing. Occasionally I saw someone in brown. Usually beige, worn monochromatically. Very, very rarely I saw some one wearing a little color. Red or purple. But they could have been tourists lol. I packed a lot of black and grey for the trip but not enough! The dark clothing every where combined with the over cast weather made me feel very awkward in any color. Even a touch of white paired with dark colors seemed positively neon. Navy worked alright and deep purple would have been okay. But anything else, even typical Fall shades like cranberry, really stand out.

So when you are wearing this much black you obviously want it to be tailored and well fitting. But I didn’t get the feeling that the every day gal I saw on the streets of Paris was spending a fortune on her clothes. Quite the opposite. The Parisians woman seems to really know what fits her well and how to layer with out adding bulk. How much it cost or who made the clothing matters less than how well it fits. Being in fashion mecca I expected to see designer duds everywhere. Although there were plenty of obviously rich, I really enjoyed being out on the street during the week and in the metro with the average working women and students. They are the backbone of Paris style and from them I realized just how chic you could be in H&M and Zara.

Well fitting, trim, layers. The two main outfits were skinny jeans, boots, and a cute little jacket or simple knit above the knee skirt, tights, boots, cute little jacket. Add a trench coat and scarf, done.
No ruffles. No girlie details at all. The only embellishments I saw were studs. Studs are everywhere! Always on accessories, shoes and bags. It is ALL about the boot and a gorgeous slouchy bag in Europe. Shop at Zara and save your cash for a BBag.

Ahh the boots, they were gorgeous. Knee boots with a thicker,1″ or so, heel so it doesn’t fall down in between grates and cobbles. The other big boot style was a flat shorty boot often embellished with studs or buckles or both. Some were in a biker style others more cowboy. A plainer shorty boot was my fav though.

Style in Paris is as effortless as they say but it’s also stubborn. Even though we were there in Oct it was warm and humid. Oh my god, so humid. Despite the heat, a Parisian refuses to remove their jacket or coat. They will sit sweating on the subway (and they are sweating just as much as you are. Don’t worry, you all smell lol) but looking completely chic in all their layers. If your going to sweat why not do it in a fabulous jacket. Meanwhile, me the American, was striped down to a tank top looking miserable lmao.

As any curly haired gal knows, with humidity comes hair disaster. My flat ironed fried the first day in Paris (apparently the electricity converter does not work on digitally controlled devices…what’s that burning smell?) But I didn’t feel too bad because the average Parisian gal was not overly groomed and perfect. It would be impossible and way to much work to keep your hair just so in the very changeable weather. Most women wore their hair up in a simple bun or pony tail. If it was down, they left their hair slightly curly and disheveled. No big deal. Of course there were women with perfectly colored, flat as a board, impossibly perfect hair but that wasn’t the norm and it honestly looked like they were trying to hard.

Make up was also simple and low key. It’s all about the completed look and the woman. Not an individual piece of clothing, a brand, or a trendy embellishment. Buy what looks good on you, throw it on, and get out there and enjoy that beautiful city.