This post is going to be about winter because visiting family in France for the first time over the holidays really opened my eyes up to how differently people dress. My observations are based on Paris and I know there’s quite a spectrum of societal expectations when it comes to how to dress in whichever country you might be from. English speaking america (USA + Canada) is going to be what I mean when I say America because I haven’t been to south america and the climate is vastly different so what I say broadly doesn’t apply.

America and Europe are very different in terms of fashion, not just because the Americas have a much different climate but also because of a more monocultural state of being. People in Greece dress very differently from those in Sweden as an easy example because of their climates but cultural influences as well. 

Paris, as we all know, is very famous for fashion. Seeing the amount of people there that were well dressed was a pleasant surprise compared to back home. While not quite the standard across all of Europe, I would say the style differences do perpetuate across all of Europe rather than being solely concentrated in just Paris. They may not be all the same but there are common trends.

Obviously this post is mainly going to be observations on people I noticed who were trying to look nice. There were still a large portion of people dressing for comfort and practicality without any intention for details. This also is going to be city exclusive so my condolences go out to those in rural areas.

I’ll break it down by going from head to toe so it has a somewhat coherent structure.

• General observations 
• Hats and Hair
• Coats / Jackets
• Tops
• Accessories
  • Jewelry
  • Bags
  • Belts / Gloves / Scarves
• Bottoms
• Shoes

General 

America has a tendency to be more flashy about material wealth and so you will often see a lot more colors and prints. People also dress a lot more casually in America since most people get around using their car and aren’t actually outside for that long. A bigger focus on function (movement and comfort) over form (swag) is super clear. 

It was rare to come across people wearing clothes that didn’t fit them properly. The stereotype of French people being slim really comes through because of how the clothes fit people. Oversized or baggy clothing didn’t really exist outside of teenaged sized people and so people look a lot less bulky when the trend is form-fitting clothes like this

Europe tends to be more subtle and thoughtful about how they wear things. This is because European apartments are comparatively tiny, so they need to be more mindful with what they actually have room for in their closet. 

This is why, on average, Europeans wear neutrals far more. When standing in a line of hundreds of people either for the subway or a museum, I’d often be the ONLY person wearing a colorful pink jacket. My theory for this is both because color is seen as being flashy here but also that the limited size of closets here means everything needs to match with one another and neutrals are the easiest way to do that while keeping your closet compact.

The patterns and prints they chose to wear are also a lot more classic options. Hounds Tooth and Plaid were rather ubiquitous in addition to woven patterns like tweed or a jacquard.

Fashion in Europe is also treated a lot more seriously in general, with how you will appear to others rather than how you feel about your outfit. There is a huge focus on looking elegant / well put together. People have a lot more accessories in general and every piece matches with the others. I simply don’t have enough accessories (bags, scarves, jewelry, etc.) to demonstrate this so here are examples. Color blocking was something I saw very frequently compared to in America although a lot more toned down. Color blocking is when you have a main color and pick analogous (similar or matching) colors with your primary piece.

Layering is practically expected. When getting dinner with people it wasn’t out of place for someone trying to dress nice to have a blazer, sweater/vest, collared shirt, and undershirt on. The milder weather really helps with this because it isn’t too hot or cold, and not particularly windy in Paris. And even when layering wasn’t done, the clothes will still fit people near perfectly.

Natural fabrics seem to be the norm which is great because America is riddled with plastic clothes that suck. Wool coats were everywhere which is nice to see because they always look nice when they fit the wearer and won’t go out of style, leather jackets were also fairly common.

Hats and Hair

Now this could just be because I was coming from far colder weather and so 45°F (9°C) is nothing to me but people wear hats far more. Not beanies but actual hats. The stereotype of berets doesn’t seem to be true either.

Hat culture has seemingly died in most of America (within coastal and northern regions) which is sad because it really adds a finishing touch to many outfits but instead we’re stuck with beanies and baseball or trucker hats. Obviously there’s still western styles that use hats quite heavily but it is far more regional, which could also be the case in France and Europe.

Hairstyles were a lot more classic. It’s possible I didn’t pay much attention to it but most people wore their hair down naturally. Not a lot of dyed hair at all so my family would constantly tease me for my hair being a dead giveaway that I’m not a native Parisian and instead a caricature of a woke liberal American that has blue and green hair. Overall just very plain/regular as people would let the clothes do the work, but decently styled.

Coats and jackets

I’d even say that the split between people wearing coats vs. jackets is a lot higher at maybe a 60% coats to 40% jackets  ratio depending on where you are, vs in America it’s closer to 80% jackets 20% coats (if even).

This is what I think an average fashion conscious Parisian dresses like (in winter)

Contrast this with what I usually wear (depending on how cold it is)

Another thing to note was that I saw lots of people using belts with their coats, not that the coat they had came with a belt but rather an added accessory. It was also more common to see people wearing their jacket/coat off the shoulder. So it could be wrapped around the waist or simply not having your arms in the sleeves, but doing this makes you look like a fashion tryhard.

Tops

Dresses were probably the biggest standout here. Where I live in America Dresses are mainly for going out or special occasions but it seems like people wear dresses as everyday pieces.  This could just be a difference in climate but that old style of not being caught outside in a bad outfit from the 50s seems to have persisted. Throwing a coat on top of the dress with a scarf may as well have been a uniform of the chic. 

Unless you were somewhere with a warm climate it would be quite rare to see someone going grocery shopping while wearing a dress in America. Fashion doesn’t stop with chores here, it’s a round the clock mentality for lots of people, not quite the majority but I also never saw people shopping in pajamas. 

Other than that there was far more diversity in the tops people chose to wear, both in sweaters but also in shirts/blouses. The main thing to note was how it was far more conservative than where I live, so hardly any crop tops (in winter I still see them back home). Necklines are far more diverse with the stereotype of turtlenecks everywhere ringing true, but also lots of v necks, collared shirts, boat necks, etc.

Tops tended to be a lot more classic and chic, so no flannel, graphic tees, crop tops, etc. Everything was a step up. Even during winter I tend to stick with the same tops I wore during summer but I wear a hoodie overtop and either fully zip it or do it halfway depending on the weather. Hoodies were far too casual for most of the women I saw there unless they were at home and instead opted for sweaters.

Accessories 

Jewelry was A LOT more lavish than I was anticipating as well. My guess is this has to do with older families being present and the passing down of heirlooms but all the jewelry was bigger, from rings to earrings, bracelets and necklaces, it felt like anyone wearing jewelry wore it to be seen. Statement pieces were the name of the game and people often adorned their coats with broaches, something I practically never see in America other than flag pins. I’m sure safety plays a large factor in it as well. Paris is very busy and pedestrian heavy so I never felt unsafe compared to a place like Chicago where it can feel sketchy sometimes. Although the common announcements in the subway telling people to beware of pickpockets was quite something as well.

Jewelry in America tends to be a lot more centered on novelty or quantity. I always wear either 3 or 5 rings, 3 necklaces, 3 pairs of earrings and 1 or 2 bracelets. Costume jewelry didn’t seem to be as present in Paris at all as fine jewelry dominates what I saw. European/French = Minimalist    American = Maximalist/Novel

Bottoms

Pants were surprisingly not that different with the exception of no leggings to be seen. Jeans are just as popular with trousers being the runner up. The key difference in differentiating the two styles were the shoes people paired with the outfit.

These are the more American looks

Skirts were far more common here than I expected compared to back home. Although nearly every time I saw people wearing a skirt they were also accompanied by stockings! While seeing that isn’t terribly uncommon where I live during winter, skirts and dresses seem to be a year round piece. Kneehigh boots seemed to be the most accompanied shoe with skirts.

Shoes

Shoes were interesting to see because there is no snow here which means people can wear things that aren’t winter boots. The standard seems to be leather ankle boots with a short heel or a fashion sneaker.  

Taller boots such as riding boots also seem far more popular in Paris. Tucking your pants into them for a slimmer silhouette seems to be the way to go.  

Having done some shopping myself it’s truly amazing how cheap high quality shoes are here so I can see why everyone wears boots. Being close to Spain and Portugal (which both are known to produce high quality boots) seems to really help affordability. 

America tends to be dominated by work boots as opposed to here where there’s a lot more suede, lamb leather heels, riding boots, etc. The diversity was what struck me. However there is a distinct lack of color on all shoes. All you had was black, brown, maybe navy or maroon. 

Geography and weather play a big role into how people dress but the culture also plays a big factor into the more subtle details. Europe is more conscious of what they wear with a heavy emphasis on coherence with all their pieces and silhouettes. America tends to be whatever the weather is suited for and more focused on expressing your individuality (which took off from 90s/2000s marketing). 

Hopefully this provided a bit of insight for the 29% of viewers not from North America as I’ll try to provide a greater balance of how to adapt based on where you live 🙂