Street Styles of Paris
By: Lauren Waksman
Y2k Flashback
23/4/2024
Sitting in a Parisian park, people watching, I saw a very fascinating outfit. A teenage girl was wearing a skirt over jeans, platforms, and ribbons in her hair. These popular trends are very representative of the ones in the 2000s and 2010s. In the 2000s, interestingly on the red carpet, it was very common to wear skirts or dresses over a pair of pants. Personally, I don’t like the style I think the pants adds too much bulk to the skirt or dress worn. Platform shoes have been popular since the 1960s and 1970s, then became popular again around the 1990s and 2000s. Another trend in this photo from the 2000s is the ribbons or string in her hair and the baby tee she is wearing. Trends have always found their way back into fashion but the 2000s was only 20 years ago and it has been discussed that trends are coming back and cycling through much faster nowadays than in the past.
So much denim!
16/4/2024
Once again this photo was taken on the Paris metro, and in the frame of view there are so many casual everyday outfits. Basically, denim! So many jeans on the streets paired with sneakers or boots or loafers topped with jackets or coats or sweaters. Jeans are so versatile and look good in every outfit which is why they have become more popular. The blue jean was first popular in the US, considered for farmers or the working class, until the 1950s when jeans started to be associated with greasers and young teenagers. The 1970s it started to become more stylish for the average person to wear, including women. Around this time jeans begin to transform into different silhouettes and structured, since denim is so versatile it can look good styled so many ways. The jean became extremely popular in the US and spread so many countries around the world. Throughout many styles, jeans are still heavily worn today just as they were 50 years ago.
Cow Print?!
9/4/24
Casually walking along the street I had to take a double look when I saw these cow pants walk right past me. I love to see colorful styles and prints worn in public and to see people express themselves and their individuality. Gen Z fashion and the end of the pandemic is bringing a lot of bold maximalist looks into the 2020s. The emphasis on wearing clothing to express oneself and wearing more exciting pieces has been brought to the fashion world in contrast to the quarantine outfit containing no individuality and mostly loungewear that leaves little to no experimentation or imagination. Coming out of the pandemic, styles of the teenage generation, gen z, continue to get more wild and creative, in a way that makes teenagers stick out and make themselves known after hiding in quarantine for many years.
A Touch of Vintage…
2/4/24
Often times when looking for stylish clothing, fashion experts look to the past to recycle old trends. In Paris, I’ve noticed some of the most stylish people in the city are apart of the older generation. I’ve noticed that the elderly in Paris dress in elegant and classy ways of the past including a hat with every outfit, while many choose to remain present with the times and dress very similarly to teenagers I’ve seen. This gentleman in the photo represents the elderly who choose to dress very presentable and timeless along with a nice coat, hat, and trousers. Those I’ve seen who dress very similarly to him often have hats, dresses, trousers, coats, and nice shoes. However, the smaller part of the older generation who tend to dress like teenagers I’ve seen wear band t-shirts, leather jackets, scarves, jeans, and sneakers.
Casual Trends for Spring
26/3/24
The warm weather taking over Paris is leading to more flowers and inevitably more tourists, specifically Americans. When arriving to Paris it is difficult to spot out the tourists, especially if you are a tourist yourself. However, the more time spent in Paris the more obvious the tourists become. American tourists tend to wear the stereotypical “Parisian” styles mixed with American trends and more simplistic, minimalistic, and mass produced clothing pieces. Parisian clothing tends to be more detailed, stylistic, and thought-out with different colors, patterns, and statement pieces that are not mass produced. The two outfits in this image are worn by American tourists and they do represent the more simplistic clothing pieces and trends of American clothing trends such as the sweater vest, the cross body bag, and the chunky sneakers. Nonetheless, they are still stylish and welcome to Paris!
Colorful outfits for Spring
19/3/24
The warm weather is heading to Paris, and with that comes more creative and colorful outfits. Walking around the Marais after school, I saw this man wearing a very colorful and patterned outfit with matching top and bottom as a matching set. With the short sleeves and fun appearance to the outfit, its very representative of a spring outfit. The shirt is very oversized with the short sleeves going below the elbows and the hem of the shirt going down to right above his knees. The pants are perfectly fitted and this adds to the silhouette, to not drown out his figure. I personally love this outfit because of all the different patterns, but also how the two pieces are a matching set, which is seen more often nowadays as well.
Fur Coat in the Marais.
12/3/24
Frequently walking around the Marais due to the location of our school, it is always interesting to look at the outfits people are wearing in one of the biggest shopping areas of Paris. Especially on the weekends, you will find many stylish outfits with unique pieces. This woman crossing the street in the Marais, is wearing a maroon fur coat with a light blue turtleneck sweater dress, black tights, red boots, and a matching maroon bag. I thought it was interesting to include this outfit in the blog because of the contrast of colors, she incorporates cold and warm colors with different shades of red which are representative of winter/autumn styles and then combines it with a light baby blue which is very symbolic of spring/summer. Then of course the little maroon corss body purse completes the look as it matches the coat perfectly.
Monochrome brown outfit on a rainy day
27/2/24
As this Parisian lady was walking off the metro I stopped to take her photo because I loved the combinations in her outfit. She was wearing a full brown outfit with loads of little accessories, but dressed for winter and the rain in Paris. She is wearing a cropped brown coat with a white long sleeve underneath, and a long plaid skirt. I’ve noticed that in Paris, skirts tend to be longer, this could be due to the weather or the style of Paris, but there are little to no mini skirts compared to the US. Her accessories complete the look. She has a brown scarf to match, a little brown purse over her shoulder, silver rings on her fingers, un upside down umbrella, and chunky brown boots. This is definitely a well coordinated outfit that looks as though she just threw it on, while still being stylish, trendy, and fit for Paris in the winter.
Walking in the Marais on a Saturday -
20/2/24
The streets of the Marais are not only beautiful and filled with many sights along with good food, but the streets were also filled will very stylish Parisians enjoying their Saturday. Young teenagers, adults, and even the elderly. Due to the cold weather, I mostly noticed pants and jackets. Interestingly enough, the elderly and the teenagers were almost matching, wearing hats, interesting pants with different textures or patterns, graphic shirts, and usually leather jackets. The adults in between these two age groups were dressed the most casually and seemed to be the generation that focused less on their outfit and the trends. I find it interesting that walking around Paris, you can see the trends that used to be popular for the elderly come back and be trendy again with the teenagers. I saw one older man wearing a hat, dragon graphic tee, jeans, and a leather jacket, this outfit could easily be worn by a teenager nowadays and be in style.
On the metro…
13/2/24
Other than walking, taking the metro is the most common way of transportation in Paris. It’s how Parisians get anywhere and everywhere very quickly. While you are standing there waiting for your stop, one of the only things to do is to observe the people around you. Parisians on the metro in the winter, are wearing a lot of long coats (trench, leather, etc), scarves, gloves, hats, jeans, sneakers, boots, with usually multiple bags strung around them for their backpacks, groceries, money and keys under their arms safe from pickpocketers.
Walking the street in the 6th Arr.
6/2/24
Walking in one of the biggest fashion shopping areas in Paris during Paris Fashion week, you are bound to run into many models and generally very fashionable looking people. Most of them were strutting by in their tall boots to fast to snap a photo, but these two casually strolling down the streets of Paris and I was able to take a photo of them. They are both seen wearing boots, baggy pants, and big jackets for the cold of Paris in the winter. The effortless style in both of their outfits seems to be a common trend in Parisian fashion. Somehow Parisians can make the look of just getting out of bed and throwing clothes on into a chic and stylish outfit.
