Hair Today, Hair Tomorrow: An American Girl in Paris; Thoughts on Parisian Women's Fashion

Bonjour!

I have just returned home from my trip to Paris and as cliché as it is may sound, I fell in love with the city. In one week I managed to see so much from the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Louvre to Versailles. While exploring the notable sites I also did some observing of my own on the fashion and personal style of French women and have come to several conclusions.

Conclusion 1: "They love the color black"

This is not a surprise since French designer, Coco Chanel invented the little black dress. Most of the women wear a clothing color palette of dark tones from black, gray, to navy.

Conclusion 2: "Scarves are wardrobe staples"

Scarves were everywhere in Paris and I loved it. I am pretty sure the ratio of women wearing scarves to not wearing scarves is 100 to 1. Needless to say, if you want to rock French fashion wear a scarf every day. This is also the one time that color is used in their wardrobes, from bold printed scarfs to bright colors.

Conclusion 3: "They like the idea of less is more for hair styling"

I'm not saying they do not do anything to their hair, I know they wash it and probably put in a styling product but the look is low maintenance. The hair is mostly worn down with natural hair texture being shown off, no curling irons or straighteners look like they are put to use. French women also keep coloring their hair to an easy and effortless look. I noticed a lot of balayage highlights and hair color as close to a natural tone as possible. My blonde-American-self stuck out just a bit in Paris.

Conclusion 4: "Minimal make-up with a bold lip is a must"

I think Sephora might be going out of business in Paris with the amount of make-up I did not see being worn. However, French women have beautiful skin so I am sure they are purchasing quality skin care products instead of make-up. A basic make up regimen would include; tinted-moisturizer, mascara, eye liner and lipstick. I noticed a lot of bold lip color choices from reds to plums.

To sum it up, French women have a style and sophistication to their look that is incomparable to that in the states. My new daily reminder is W.W.F.W.D...."what would French women do."