Fresh off the heels of my Paris Fashion Week trip, I'm still reeling from all the incredibly well-dressed women I saw -- off the runways. The women in Paris really have it down. They're elegant, progressive and bold -- not to mention well-whheeled. I've never seen so many beautiful shoes in my life -- and how they walk in four-inch heels on those pothole-filled, cobblestone streets? It was truly amazing. I tend to save my best shoes for events where they won't get ruined. In Paris? Not so! Shoes -- as well as clothes -- are for wearing.
If you're like me, no matter how many great pieces you have in your closet, you often run out of fresh ideas. So, I'm sharing some of the cool outfits I saw with the hopes that you will get inspired, and have some fun! Layer on the gold necklaces, be brave and bust out the leather, and wear your Louboutins with even knatty jeans. It's only fashion.
The gal pictured was coming out of the Louis Vuitton show and all photographers started snapping. I asked, "Who is she?" They all said, "Oh she is no one special, we just think she has a cool outfit." I couldn't agree more. The gold necklace is the focal point and it's smashing!
This is one of the Louis Vuitton models leaving the show in her street clothes. It's interesting to see what happens when the uber chic, ultra pricey designer duds come off. I just thought she had a cool vibe with her skinny jeans, masculine shoes and fitted black jacket. Below is another model, also leaving the show, with a faux fur jacket, black Chanel purse, floor length black cotton skirt, clunky boots and dramatic hat.
Here in LA, you rarely see women wearing stockings -- nude, black or otherwise. In the winter, you'll sometimes see opaque tights and, on occasion, netted and lace patterned stockings. However, in France, they are du rigeur. In fact, I saw more covered legs than bare, and the weather was still quite warm -- in the high 60's and low 70's. Hosiery is a much more important component of fashion there and I thought while looking at this woman and her Miu Miu shoe boots that the black stockings really completed the look.
Finally, a quick word about French men. I was also impressed with their fashion saavy. Except for one man. This police enthusiast... shall we say... was at the Chanel show. He must have been a fan of the 80's group The Village People. Or, it's quite possible he knows something about fashion that I don't.
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I'm searching for the hat in that pic and cannot find it. Help?
I'm going to Paris next spring for the first time ever and I am so excited about just being able to people-watch and browse through stores. The French phrase for "window shipping" is "faire du leche-vitrine" which literally means "lick the window" - what an image!
I read an interview with Michael Kors several years ago in which he stated that "Americans are afraid of quality". Europeans aren't - they will invest in a beautiful coat (MaxMara, anyone) and wear it forever. And they will still purchase accessories and other fun things, which are often inexpensive, to tweak the basics. So I have my LLBean coat for everyday (let's be practical here) and it has done its job for years but I also have my lovely cashmere blend coat for when it's horribly dark and cold and I want to be warm and feel good and look like a million euros.
Of course Michael Kors would say that, as would most hoity-toity designers. :)
Clothes in Europe are much more expensive than in the US, so it makes sense to buy one decent coat a decade rather than a new one (or more) every year. Obviously, that also depends on your income bracket, but Max Mara is not a standard fare for an average European.
As someone who spent half of her life "over there," I can honestly say that a fashionista who does not want to blow her budget on clothes can have more fun assembling her wardrobe in the US than in Europe. I'm talking about cost and variety available to someone who is not hung up on designer labels and who has to work for a living.
I think that American women are so impressed with the style of their European sisters because, first, indeed European women do dress better, and second (related to the first), a European street, and culture in general, is very different from American: people walk more and there is the standing expectation that when you leave your home, you're entering the public sphere where you are to be seen and see others. Going outside of your home is a social experience, no matter the occasion, and you carry yourself appropriately. In America, not so much. Here you can see women running errands in sweatpants and sport shoes -- something unthinkable in Europe.