What Are They Wearing In Paris?

People watching is one of my very favourite things to do in Paris.

I love every bit of it. I’m very happy to check out the current fashion trends and what shopping bags people are carrying. I try and determine what people might be eating for dinner and I smile knowingly at fellow travellers struggling with their luggage or their sense of direction. I’m equally entertained to see friends on their way to a night out as I am to see parents gently carrying sleepy toddlers home.

Basically, I could watch the passing parade for hours, no matter what it consisted of!

On our recent visit, we were lucky enough to stay in a gorgeous little (well, actually, it was tiny) hotel right on rue Saint-Sulpice. What this hotel didn’t have in size, it certainly made up in people watching opportunities.

Each evening I was able to take up a perfect vantage point in a cosy lounge, settle myself into a big comfy armchair and take in the sights of the locals sauntering through the very fashionable 6th arrondissement through the large picture windows.

From this ideal spot, I was quickly able to determine the trends in winter outerwear this year.

So when it comes to coats and boots, what are they wearing in Paris this winter?

Coats

It really is all about the coat when you travel to Paris in winter. As I mentioned in my winter packing post, it is the piece you will wear everyday and that everyone will see.

As you’d expect, the coats came in many shapes and styles but the big stand out for me was how popular olive or khaki coats were. I saw both wool and down coats in the earthy shade of green and it made such a lovely change to the standard shade of black.

Many khaki coats were fur trimmed and fell to mid thigh – but equally as many weren’t…it really was all about the colour rather than anything else.

If you are considering looking into your own version of this coloured coat, Vicki Archer recently posted on the versatility of a khaki parka and Janice from The Vivienne Files can help you work out what coloured accessories will complement your new investment right here.

I loved the look so much, I’ve already ordered a khaki coat so I’ll be ready for next winter….kind of ironic really given the fact that we are currently in the middle of a heatwave in Melbourne – but a girl’s got to be prepared!

Boots

Boots were unsurprisingly abundant given the time of year we travelled and I was keen to see which styles are popular at the moment.

While I did see a few high heeled boots (like the ones pictured above) walking along Parisian streets, overwhelmingly boots were flat.

In terms of style, there was a fairly even mix between ankle booties and knee high riding boots as long as they were flat.

And very black. I don’t know why I’d expected to see more tan or cognac boots but they just weren’t there.  Black was definitely the order of the day.

Given the light, it was difficult for me to tell whether any of the boots were rain boots. If you are looking for fashionable rain boots for Paris, Heather Stimmler-Hall has you covered over at Secrets of Paris.

Have you travelled to Paris recently? Did you see any other outerwear trends? If so, I’d love for you to share them in the comments below.

Until next time – au revoir.