Paris Street Style for Women Over 40 or 50
by Christina Gregoire
Whenever I go to Paris, I pack a lot of bright and light colored dresses. And, when I get there, I always say to myself, “What the heck was I thinking?” Well, if you are going to Paris in high summer, you can get away with more color, but if you are over 40 or 50, you should choose black (or some other dark neutral) for your main pieces.
Don’t Dress Like an American Tourist
I’m an American. I’m from the Pacific Northwest, so I’m used to seeing women out on the street in old jeans and jogging suits. Please don’t do that in Paris. And, don’t wear your fancy white Nike-style shoes. I’ve read that Parisians call them “marshmallows.”
Anyway, I’ve been to Paris a few times, and what you should pack depends upon what time of the year you are traveling. However, unless you are taking a guided tour where your “luxury coach” will whisk you straight from your hotel to your tourist destination, you can expect to be very hot and very cold, off and on, all day, almost any day of the year. And, to really see Paris, I suggest that you avoid the bus tour unless you have a disability and can barely walk.
What to Wear in Paris
On my last few trips to Paris, I concentrated on what “older” women were wearing. Of course, I only paid attention to women who looked like they were Parisian. So, here are the styles and trends I jotted down from my last two trips in spring and summer of 2011.
Pack Black Clothes as Your Base
It seems like such a cliché, but chic Parisians really do wear a lot of black. They wear quite a few other neutrals, as well, but I have a feeling that if you peered into any closet in Paris, you would find that everything goes with everything else because it’s all black. And, that makes sense because elegant Parisian women buy expensive designer clothing.
And, if you were going to buy something that could truly be called an “investment” piece, you would not want it to show dirt from the grimy Metro subways and you would not want it to go out of style…ever.
Dark Denim Jeans
Alas, it seems that Paris has gone downhill…maybe it is the economy or maybe it’s just the trend…but you will see more older Parisian women in jeans than you would have in the past. Therefore, I won’t disparage you for wearing dark denim bootcut jeans, but make sure they fit and they aren’t old and ratty. If you normally wear jeggings at home, and you’re fairly certain they look good from all angles, dark denim jeggings or skinny jeans are fine, also.
If my notes are correct, half of the women in jeans wear them with flat shoes (such as ballet flats or some European style that looks a lot like bowling shoes), and the other half of the women in jeans wear them with boots (either flat boots or high heel boots).
Wear Something Comfortable
If you are a typical American Baby Boomer (a bit chubby), you might be happier in comfortable, stretchy, black travel pants. As long as you cover up the elastic waistband and you choose a matte fabric, you can get away with granny pants. (Note: I wear stretchy travel dresses because I find them more comfortable.)
Other Neutral Colors
Parisians pull all their neutrals together in unique ways that somehow turn out gorgeous. I’ve seen several all-black ensembles worn with navy tights, so don’t be afraid to throw navy and black together any way you want. And, the Parisians do the same thing with brown, taupe, beige, burgundy, gray, navy, dark denim and any other color that feels like a neutral.
How to Add Bright Accents
Black can be worn with every neutral and every color as long as the outfit is mostly black and/or mostly neutral. If you want to fit in, only add one or two colorful pieces to your black ensemble. If you wear more colors, you will get more stares, especially when it’s winter, fall, or spring. Personally, I don’t always follow the rules, but I don’t care.
Here are some of the methods that Parisians (of all ages) add color to their basic neutrals:
- Red Shoes: I have no idea how this started, but older women (as well as teens) wear red shoes with all black outfits.
- Cool Shoe Colors: Women wear all-black or mostly-black outfits with purple, blue, metallic, pumpkin, cobalt, and other unique shoe colors.
- Colored Tights: Many older women brighten up their funereal-black outfits with royal purple, aubergine, or cobalt tights. Cheeky chicks of all ages wear beautiful lace tights.
- Colored Skirts: Some older women in all-black outfits wear colored skirts as accent pieces.
- Bright Coats: Beautiful coats in amazing colors punctuate many all-black outfits, such as cobalt, mustard, red, burgundy, or deep purple. So pack your red or pink trench or crushable raincoat.
Bright Accessories Like Scarves
Of course, most of you have been waiting for me to mention colorful scarves. And, Parisians do wear these everywhere. But, don’t worry about matching colors; it’s perfectly fine to wear a blue, orange, and yellow scarf with your black outfit.
Instead of matching colors, be more concerned with the total gestalt of your outfit and how your scarf balances your look. You should twist and tweak your scarf until it looks good in a messy way. Ask a salesgirl to help you.
Other than adding color with scarves, you can push an outfit into the chic zone with colorful:
- * Gloves
- * Hats
- * Boots
- * Flowered Pins
- * Large Leather Bags
Just remember to keep your non-black colors to a minimum. You’ll see what I mean when you get there, unless you’re going during high summer, when half the people are from China and the other half are from Florida.
Tweak What You Have
You don’t have to go crazy and buy a totally new wardrobe for your trip to Paris. However, make sure that what you pack is comfortable...and make sure your clothing looks like it has been tailored to fit. And, bring flat shoes or boots (with cushioning) for daytime because you will be walking up and down stairs all day. Needless to say, your footwear should be well broken-in or your trip could be a disaster.
If you don’t want to look out of place, wear mostly black. If you don’t like black, navy and other dark colors are good options, too. But, unless you are in a cast, keep those marshmallows off your feet.
What do you think of this article?
Leave a comment at the bottom of the page. We never publish your email address. We just need to know you're human.
More Articles for Baby Boomer Women:
Best Fall & Winter Coats for Real Women Over 40
How to Wear a Peplum If You Have Curves
How to Wear Leggings if You're Over 40 or 50
Resources:
Photo and fashion info are from Boomerina.Polyvore.com.
christine ward
i love your site...just what i was looking for (i'm 60) and also a northwesterner. just have to figure out how to pull off steampunk tastefully at work.....and leggings in black (of course)
Christina Gregoire
Christine,
Thank you so much for your comment. Steampunk is hip and can be cleverly disguised as Victoriana. You can wear a bit of the trend almost anywhere, with a smidge of imagination. And, all women of all ages should have black leggings...well, maybe women can live without black leggings if they reside in Hawaii.
But, women in the Northwest probably should have one set of black everything: a pair of black boots, a black sweater, a black tee, a black skirt, a pair of black leggings, a black coat, etc. The beauty of black is that it goes with black. While there are subtle variations, most shades of black are close enough to go with each other. And, you can wear black with other neutrals...brown, gray, even dark navy...black and navy together was considered to be a fashion faux pas when I was young. Hey, if they do it in Paris...that's good enough for me.
Personally, I'm too pale (vampirish) to wear black next to my face. I can wear black at night or if I take the time to add blush or lipstick. Actually, I'm kinda unique. I consider dark, grayed purple to be one of my neutrals. Also, any color that looks good on me is (in my mind) a neutral. Can fuchsia be a neutral?
Tina Boomerina
BC
I can't wait to go to Paris next spring.
Barbara Bell
Yours is the first advice on what to wear in Paris that actually matches what I saw this September when I was there. I brought an all-black wardrobe with lots of colorful scarves on the advice of several travel websites, and when I got to Paris I saw lots of jeans, lots of color, and sneakers! On Parisians! The only women my age (60+) in all-black were the Muslim women, elderly Italian or other European women, and the shop clerks.
However, I was not able to find flat shoes that would be comfortable so I wore black suede "sneakers" (walking shoes) and they saved my feet. I've never climbed so many stairs in my life as in the Metro! And with several walking tours and the Louvre, I could not have survived in sandals or ballet flats. Thanks, Tina! It's all true!
Tina
Barbara,
From what I've seen, and I've never lived in Paris although I've been there at different times of the year, people wear different things during different times of the year. Hey, it's the same in the US and Canada.
When it's cold (about October - March-ish), everyone wears black and dark neutrals and jeans. In the tourist season (about May-September-ish) you can wear colorful stuff, but you can also wear mostly black if you want. Barbara, you may have felt out of place, but Parisians probably thought you were a local... until you opened your mouth (and they heard your rusty French... or if you're like me... your horrid French accent). lol.
However, if you wear a lot of color when there are only Parisians and few tourists (in winter), you'll look like a tourist and gypsies will try to bug you...and you will feel a bit out of place. In winter, you DO want to wear dark stuff or mostly black and dark neutrals with a bit of color (if you want to) in one thing...like your shoes, your scarf, your purse, your coat.
Hope this makes sense. I think the other websites were either written by people who copied others... or written by people who have lived there in the non-tourist season. Of course, things might change over time, so if anyone sees something different, let me know.
Tina
Actually, I should not say that fashion in Paris has gone to the dogs. It's still the most elegant place I've ever seen for women's fashion... even for casual women's fashion. However, I know that the Japanese are big on clothing, so I will have to check out Tokyo someday. London has nice clothing, especially men's clothing. And, I've heard that Milan is great, but I've never had the good fortune to check out Milan.
Lbui
Love your site, i m glad to find it before the trip, will share with my sis. Your experiences are great to share with us! Thanks.
Tina
L,
glad you like.
Cheers,
Tina Boomerina
Tina
ps Colors are brighter in high summer, but that may be because everyone's from China and the US. Have a fab trip. Hope you are going with your sis.
linda
I have been to Paris in the spring and agree with all that has been said. Coming from San Francisco, my already black wardrobe did fit in. I could tell the tourists for sure, and was glad I did some research before my visit. I love the way Paris women embrace their age.
Tina
Linda,
I totally agree with you about the way Parisiennes embrace their age. I'm not sure what it is. To me, it's that Parisian women continue to be stylish, they don't get facelifts, and they don't wear much makeup.
However, they don't wear only black. Sometimes, they wear black with a pop of color, like purple tights or red shoes. Or they wear dark denim with a black sweater and a greige coat.
Cheers,
Tina Boomerina