Stripes are everywhere. The classic Parisian look, embodied by a thin-striped boat neck tunic, is back, and arguably better than ever. In almost every shop Sarah and I visited, we saw versions of this timeless look, sometimes embellished, cropped or reinterpreted--though I'm partial to keeping traditional with this particular trend. I mean, if it ain't broke, why fix it?
Ooh la la, hello short skirts! With my height, I would likely be arrested (though perhaps not until I returned to the U.S.) if I were to embrace the much, much shorter hemlines favored in Paris. Mostly donned in the style of form-fitting minis, itty bitty skirts were everywhere, often wore over opaque--mainly black--tights, which makes this look a bit more wearable.
And speaking of tights... I have never seen more fabulous variations of leg-wear than the few days I spent in Paris. Beyond the spectrum of colors or your basic fishnet that you can get in this country, I saw tights that were bejewelled and/or embellished like you wouldn't believe. In fact, I got SO excited about shopping for tights that Bank of America (who I'm NOT so happy with right now for reasons about to be mentioned) put a hold on my card for suspect purchases as I went stocking crazy at the Gallery Lafayette. Don't worry, I just used my other card; stirrups and seams, anyone?
Military-inspired leather jackets: Moving beyond the basic appeal of the bomber style, Parisian fashionistas have appropriated all military finery to the leather jacket--often double-breasted, with a high collar, defined shoulders, and perhaps featuring antique brass hardware. From what I observed, this trend has carried over to London as well (which came first, I can't say), which bodes well for its arrival on this side of the pond, especially considering the exchange rate isn't exactly in our favor these days. I should also note that, though we're officially in spring, the temperature wasn't always so cooperative during my travels. Happily, this gave me the opportunity to see the military look applied to some fantastic wool coats as well. I'm seriously considering it for next winter...
Not for nothing, there were also many trends I observed in Paris that are also present here: Converse are everywhere, skinny jeans appear mandatory, flowing scarves abound, and red lipstick is as pretty there as here. It seems some trends are global, which made me happy--as I would hate to be a completely unfashionable globetrotter! But despite many similarities, there are clearly some things that the pretty, pretty Parisians have a leg up on. I'm happy to report that, after returning home, I feel a bit more dialed in--and ready to make a few choice purchases. What can I say? J'adore Paris!
Special thanks to the lovely Sarah Barton for allowing me to use some of her amazing photographs for this post!
Images, in order of appearance: (1) Metro sign, photo by Sarah Barton; (2) Macaroons, also thanks to Sarah Barton; (3) Striped Tunic, photo thanks to Modelinia (http://www.modelinia.com/); (4) Girl in military-inspired wool coat, another gorgeous photo by Sarah Barton; (5) My less-than-glamorous Converse and jeans, also by Sarah Barton.