What Are They Wearing In Paris Right Now?

Today’s top travel tip for fashion loving francophiles. If you are only spending one day in Paris, make sure you time your visit to coincide with Fashion Week.

Somehow, via good luck and absolutely no management whatsoever, that’s exactly what I managed to do on our recent visit.

Now Paris is wonderful for people watching and noting what is being worn at the best of times. But during Paris Fashion Week the entertainment value goes through the roof.

However, being in Paris for such a short period of time really got me focussed. I had a lot to get done in the few hours we were there. Similarly, our tight time frame meant that I concentrated hard on the looks that were around me. While there were certainly some high fashion styles seen on the street earlier this week, I couldn’t allow myself to become (too) distracted by the more high end designs. They are perfectly fine for inspiration (especially when it comes to colour) but for the purposes of this post, I kept my attention on the stylish Parisians as they went about their everyday lives.

When it comes to what are they wearing in Paris right now, here’s what I learned.

Cropped Leather Jackets

While the classic trench coat still made an appearance, cropped leather jackets were easily the most favoured piece of outerwear on the Paris streets.  Moto jackets were popular with all ages, as were simple zip up and open styles. The only real rule seemed be that they needed to be cropped.

Black was dominant shade. Having said that, I did see three cropped red leather jackets in the space of five minutes one afternoon.

The jackets were styled with everything imaginable. I saw them topping short dresses and longer line skirts. And lost count of the number of times I saw them paired with black or dark denim jeans (and I promise, I was really trying hard to keep count). I also noticed the jackets with tailored pants and pencil skirts – here they added a more casual element to more classic or formal styles.

Olive And Khaki

In a colour trend that seems to have continued since our last visit to Paris, the ‘dirty’ green shades of olive and khaki remain popular. These shades are a pleasant change from the blacks and greys Parisians are known for – but are still muted enough not to offend a French woman’s stylish sensibilities.

I saw jeans, skirts and tops in these colours. Mostly they were paired with black or lighter denim washes. I did see one striking outfit that paired an olive skirt with a mustard coloured top. Although I wouldn’t have chosen that colour combination personally, I have to tell you that it looked fabulous on the young lady who had.

Sports Styled Shoes (Sneakers)

Once upon a time, despite the fact that they are super comfortable for wandering around cobbled streets, no one but tourists wore sneakers or sports shoes in Paris. Especially in white. In fact, we were led to believe that they weren’t even worn in Paris for exercise! Well, that’s all changed now. I promise you they were everywhere, being worn with everything and by everyone. Ankle boots and ballet slippers tied for a very distant second. Colours ranged from black through to gold and even hot pink. Personally, I prefer the more classic colours in this space…there was more than one fabulous outfit ruined last week by garish coloured sports shoes.

As an aside, I did notice more high heels wandering the streets of Saint-Germain and the Marais than I am used to seeing while I’m in Paris. It’s entirely possible that the heels were being worn by the fashionable people who’d flown in for Fashion Week – but Paris being Paris, it’s equally likely that heels could be making a comeback on the streets. I’ll be sure to check this out further next time I’m there.

Large Tote Bags

The trend was so obvious, even Scotty noticed this one. Large bags with handles long enough to swing onto shoulders definitely seemed to be the order of the day.

Aside from the large tote bags, my awareness was captured by more saddle bags than I had seen in a very long time. They were generally in tan or cognac leather and seemed to regularly complement the olive and khaki colours that were so popular. Extra small cross body bags were less prevalent than I’ve seen in recent visits to Paris.

Have you travelled to Paris recently? Did you notice any particular fashion trends? If so, I’d love for you to share your learnings in the comments section below. 

And until next time – au revoir.

Looking for more French inspiration? Then don’t miss the #AllAboutFrance Linkup over at the Lou Message Blog. Click this link and you’ll discover a diverse range of blog posts all about France.