A lot of what foreigners think of as Parisian stylishness looks a great deal like conformism. When I first moved here, I thought the other mothers at my children's school were wearing a uniform. They weren't, not exactly; but they did all have the same coat. All the children also wore the same coat. If anything was different about it, it stayed the same color: navy blue or black.
Last winter, all the students in my bourgeois neighborhood were wearing this doudoune, from the French company Moncler [pronounced mon clair]. It costs only three or four hundred euros....
This year, Moncler is selling the jackets at a deep discount. Why? Because this winter, the thing to have in Paris, which is having a remarkably warm winter by the way, is a Canada Goose, created, according to the company's website, for postwar bush pilots in the Arctic.
But in black, of course.
This is funny! In Norway we have been using the Canada Goose for about 5 years, almost so they go out of fashion... The Moncler is still hot, mostly because in Oslo it's about € 1000.
Canada Goose is so unflattering though, the least feminine coat to wear. I am surprised Parisian women use it.
Posted by: Co | 11 January 2012 at 20:27
Ha ha! My friend from Taos New Mexico asked what to wear in Paris and more than one friend said whatever guys in San Francisco are wearing.
Very happy with this mild winter! Love the old French women in their furs when the chill hits. THEY at least stay true to the style that was in when they bought theirs. Nana
Posted by: Carol Morehead | 14 January 2012 at 12:06
I love this post! I personally think that Parisian fashion is so over-rated. The uniform in the summer seemed to be white shirt, well fitting jeans, a blazer and flat pumps. Classic but nothing amazing!
Posted by: anglo | 14 January 2012 at 16:38
i see this shiny shitty jackets everywhere, especially on rue de la pompe and i hate them!
i'm a new ex-pat in love with your blog!
xx
alyssa
we're au courant
Posted by: alyssa | 21 January 2012 at 12:39