Paris Shopping: Seen on the Streets of Paris

There is something so right about wearing black in Paris. Maybe it’s about fitting in, but maybe there’s something about black that forces one to concentrate on silhouette and texture by eliminating color. I often come back from my street-style prowlings with many photographs of beautiful black-and-white ensembles that women out doing their Paris shopping have thrown together, but I can’t discuss black outfits in these posts every time, can I?
First of all, I must talk about the girl wearing the black dress near the Champs-Élysées. She designed the beaded A-line dress she was wearing and found the perfect accessories in the perfect color—black. I asked her to contact me when she had her own fashion house. Cool and beautiful: a simple concept perfectly executed.
Someone once pointed out to me that if one were flying somewhere and one packed all black, everything would always match. Needless to say, she was a big fan of monochrome. I have tried this technique and what I found surprising was how many things I own that are black. Black tights, for example. Sheer or opaque, they keep the perpetual noir wearer warm without breaking the color code. Sunglasses, black-rimmed glasses. I saw both on the streets of Paris. Black bags as well… one always has a little black bag.
Back in the streets of Paris, one girl teamed up many textures of black: fur, leather, the reflectiveness of her sunglasses. Another wore ripped jeans and well-polished leather shoes. A wonderful thing about wearing all black is that if you do decide to add a splash of color, you’ll be guaranteed it will fit. Like the plum hat and lips, for example, on the girl I caught in Belleville.

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