Paris Shopping: Seen on the Streets of Paris

As we begin our warm-weather Paris shopping—and ask winter to kindly leave as we beg spring to spring—we have to admire the cold-weather ensembles that the ever-chic Parisians have put together in these frosty months. Here are a few of my favorites…

First, a romantic look in Pigalle that proves winter doesn’t have to mean wearing dark colors. A mid-length wool skirt in sky blue paired with a buttercup yellow jacket made me think of spring in cold February. My favorite touch? Definitely the plaid scarf that matched her other brown accessories. That’s how to do romance and still stay warm.

I saw a host of colors in Jardin des Tuileries on a lovely lady, all set against the simple black backdrop of her leggings. As with my fashion find in Pigalle, the coordinated socks and gloves were wonderful. Matching the accessories on the extremities is an odd but effective practice that I noticed a lot of stylish Parisians wearing on the streets. It seems to bring everything together.

The thing I love about the busy outfit in the Tuileries is that everything you need to keep warm was there: scarf, headwear, gloves, boots and warm socks—yet each individual item did not stand out. They were undetectable and they seemed to belong together in that outfit. A lot of winter ensembles really look like keeping warm is an afterthought, so the fluidity of this one was impressive.

Oversize coats and draping were worn by my next two street dwellers. The lady in black and white was ridiculously cool: all clean lines and immaculate red lipstick (the Parisians do daytime red lipstick so well). The thick-heeled black boots went with the blocks of black and white while being, I imagine, wonderfully practical.
Sparkly Wellington boots and purple draping was my next find. Draping is something that I’ve see a lot in the City of Light. It is flattering and a little bit different from your standard coat. The piece that stole my heart was the boot, though. A little bit of statement sparkle is just what is needed on the wintry streets of Paris.

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