On Fashion, Part II

As promised, a part II to last week’s fashion post. Slightly delayed but that is because I was moving apartments !!! Yes, for this keeping track at home this is my third move since getting to France. No, it does not get any easier but yes this apartment seems like it’s a keeper. I also have a roommate now and we do fun things together like eat baguettes while doing barre, cooking bomb meals made with fresh French ingredients, and puzzle while watching French TV. But since the delay in posts I also bought a FEW more soldes purchases, therefore ensuring I have a few more mirror pics to add to this week’s list (and a new mirror from which I am taking said pics).

This outfit was also mostly comprised of soldes purchases and a very old scarf from Madewell in literally 2010.

I am still loving French fashion and since I last blogged I picked up a very fun and affordable teal corduroy jumpsuit that I would NEVER buy in America but which I love and I think suits me quite well. Margaret and I also went into this famous French ballet store (Repetto for those in the know) and bought ourselves barre outfits that are so freaking adorable. Also in classic French style the bags they came in are so cute and complete with ballet pink satin bows so I have rechristened it my lunch bag.

This dress and belt combo gives me all the southern France vibes.

And now to the real interesting part - the next four principles. To be fair, I am sure there are SO many more. But this is what I’ve learned and what I’ve deemed to be the most important ones. Again, not an expert. Merely observing what I see and experience.

Sometimes the most classic looks (French navy stripes and camel colors) are the best.

Athleisure is not really a thing here. While I feel like athleisure clothes honestly make up half my wardrobe at home and I have been wearing leggings as pants since legit eighth grade, here that is not the case. Of course my teachers don’t, but out and about I never see French people wearing leggings and quick dry zip ups à la Lululemon. Even for working out, I feel judged when I wear leggings or shorts on a run. It’s funny to think about how in my day to day life in America, I would wear leggings as pants on the weekends to go grocery shopping or run out and get brunch. Here, I get stares if I walk into the grocery store in my workout outfit despite having just finished a run. Fitness is definitely becoming more of a thing here, and I see plenty of people (mostly men to be fair) when I’m on my runs in Avignon. But it’s definitely younger people that are bringing that here. I also was talking to two of the teachers with whom I work about their children’s experiences in American high schools and one of the things they pointed out was the fact that American high schoolers show up to class looking like they just rolled out of bed. I explained that that is for sure a thing and I can’t really justify it (although I would like to point out that I really tried to keep it ~stylish~ in high school and only allowed myself lazy sweats days once a week). Also I wondered how said French kids would feel showing up to a college final, where kids actually do wear their PJs. But alas, I digress.

Aforementioned Repetto leggings complete with a wrap makes my barre outfit! Roommate and I have been doing it about 5 times a week and now we look the part.

Shopping. For starters, as I’ve mentioned previously, this wonderful and bizarre phenomenon overtakes French stores for a month around January and a month around July known as the soldes. This is a time when nearly ALL the stores (both big box retail fast fashion and adorable boutiques and even market stands) put their stuff on MAJOR discount. For a month. And there’s usually a second markdown halfway through. I’m not entirely sure where it stems from but it is government regulated to an extent (hello pseudo-socialism), i.e. it can only be the days the government declares are the soldes period. The discounts are insane and it is not abnormal to find French people rushing out on their lunch breaks to peruse the offerings. You can find incredible deals on classic pieces. Even the luxury brands partake, which is super nice. There’s no real American equivalent because it doesn’t have the frenzy of Black Friday seeing how it lasts a month. Also, it’s usually a huge portion of the stock instead of just a small sale rack. And it’s not always just last season’s fashions. It’s amazing. Moreover, the shopping experience in general here is so different. There’s sort of this culture of taking your time, trying on tons of stuff (and the salespeople not giving you evil eyes if you buy nothing), and finding things you really like. French people have such great fashion maybe in part because the experience of acquiring clothes itself is so much better than in America. I walk into a store here and after exchanging the obligatory “Bonjour, comment ça va ?” the salesperson will ALWAYS ask me if they can help me find anything. I usually say no I’m just looking thanks. But if I am looking for something in particular they gladly offer suggestions out the wazoo, show me their favorites, and opine on what I’m trying on. Compare this to how impossible it often is to even find someone who works at a chain store in an American mall…. And then there’s the wrapping up. They often ask if you want it gift wrapped, and take the utmost care in packaging your purchases. If you say no, they still will gently and gracefully fold and place everything. It’s just so graceful and the opposite of rushed and really nice.

I bought this teal corduroy jumpsuit during the soldes and it gives me insane amounts of confidence.

Confidence is key. People think French people have this insane innate sense of style, which very well may be true. But I’m here to tell you that I think a huge part of that is confidence. I remember being so stressed about my program and my teachers liking me and everything and an American who had lived in France for a while reminded me that French people are too focused on their own lives to really care about strangers or anyone else. This holds true with respect to fashion I’ve found. The teachers I work with and the French people I’ve met and the French people I observe on the street have such a confident nonchalance about everything, but mostly fashion. They wear what they want and don’t care what others think. They walk proudly and unhurriedly, and also with that air of je ne sais quoi that I think just exudes confidence. Being surrounded by this has rubbed off on me. I take more risks with what I wear. I don’t care if something doesn’t look PERFECT because I know no one will notice. When it was cold earlier this year I would wear leggings under my dresses and three sweaters and not care how clunky it looked because they were all doing the same thing. It’s so refreshing to be around rather than Americans who are constantly adjusting their outfits and commenting on how they look.

It's funny because all of the high schoolers here wear this style of jeans but it's so long on them and they look like they're always about to trip.

Fast fashion vs. boutiques. This is a huge one for me. It could be due in part to where I am placed though I remember Angers having a ton of individually owned boutiques/businesses and I know in Paris the little boutiques in the Marais and Montmartre are the GOAT. So I think this is true of a lot of France, that boutiques are still very much a thing here, which is not really the case in big cities in America. I feel like you can hunt for them and occasionally find some good ones, but on the whole it is mainly chain stores, many of which are selling fast fashion (which as we know is terrible for the industry and the environment and the small business economy). I love that in Avignon I can walk around all the small boutiques and find unique dresses and shirts. In L’Isle sur la Sorgue the boutiques veer towards the home decor side due to the antique market, but I love it nonetheless. It is such a change from walking into a giant American shopping mall and seeing the same things you saw from the marketing email you got from that company for whom you once signed up for rewards. It’s refreshing and is something I am absolutely going to miss. I also think it’s a huge reason why French people have good fashion - they don’t all always look the same. Yes, H and M are Zara are big here. But the difference is is that they seem to coexist healthily (to the untrained eye) alongside the standalone boutiques. I wish we had more of that in America. Growing up, I remember the individual small businesses on the main streets of Rye and Larchmont. Those have been replaced by Starbucks and other chain restaurants, because now so many people either shop at the mall or online. Shopping online is so not a huge thing here. Which is amazing because it also means when I see the clothes in store, it’s the first time seeing them. Compared to shopping at home, I always look at the clothes online and either order them there or go into the store and buy what I saw online. But regardless, I’m buying clothes based on what they look like on a model, not what they look like on me. It makes a massive difference in confidence and style and I’m here for it.

Shorts over tights are a look here and probably coming back to the US soon.

I feel like many of these tenets are very similar. I also feel like perhaps what I’m writing could make zero sense and be completely false. Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts ! Because that is all this blog is really.