Wardrobe for Paris (It's never too early to think about clothes!)

Some of you may already be wondering what kind of clothes people wear in Paris. I found some websites that will be helpful in helping you decide. I can tell you from my own experience in traveling at the exact same time of year in 2006 that it will be about 50 degrees, plus or minus ten degrees in early mornings and at night. This is about what our average winter temperatures are here.

So what do people wear in Paris, the fashion capital of the world? They wear mostly black pants and shoes, definately a snazzy wool coat, scarves are a MUST (male and female) and layers of clothes underneat the coat. You can pull off jeans one or two days but won't be welcomed with fondness into a restaurant in the evening time in jeans so plan carefully. If wearing jeans, your best bet is to really choose your snazziest shoes, hip shirt and nice wool pea coat and scarff so you don't look frumpy at all. Shoes will be your most important decision. If you want to offend Parisians and scream "I am an American tourist!" then be sure and pack your baseball hats and white sneakers. Parisians are quick to judge so I wouldn't advise any such thing and you won't be allowed inside most establishments with the hat. As your tour leader, I will likely tell you to not pack one. Shoes that make EXCELLENT choices are sketcher type shoes (winter varieties) that lace up, are comfy like tennis shoes but aren't tennis shoes. Also, your feet will get cold so wearing a shoe that requires socks, is a good choice. In an effort to keep your feet from aching, I'd recommend at least 2 pairs of shoes, three will be optimal if you have room in your bag. Two casuals you can swap out and one a little dressier but still sensibly comfortable. For everyone over 30 going on the trip, I'd recommend a good pair of Merrell's or Clarks to get you going without foot pain. I personally will be taking three pairs of shoes, one sketcher, one merrell and one clarks.

Coat tip: Buy your coat at a resale shop right before we go. You are likely to only spend a few bucks (under 20) for a good wool coat and then you can leave it in your hotel room when we return to make room for your souvenirs. This is what I did and it worked GREAT!

Clothes: If you need to pick up some clothes for this trip, wait until our winter is over and they are all on the sale racks before we leave in March. There is no need to break the bank for your clothing.

In case you want a second opinion, I have posted some helpful links here to see what people in Paris are wearing.

http://www.myparistrips.com/what-to-wear-in-Paris-France.html

http://www.journeywoman.com/girltalk/paris/paris_packing.html

Here's a great picture of what to expect when we pass people on the streets there.
http://www.wagner.edu/departments/languages/sites/wagner.edu.departments.languages/files/images/Madrid%20255.jpg