Hello my loves! I hope you’re doing well?
So today I wanted to come to you and talk about packing for Paris in the winter time. This list is perfect for you if you are in the beginning stages of planning a trip to Paris for Thanksgiving, Christmas or anytime around the holidays. I will talk about what local Parisian women are wearing here on the streets of Paris and also what I’m wearing as well as telling you about products that I think will make your trip seamless here in Paris.
Obviously if you want to fit in there is a traditional French girl Style but I also suggest that if you have your personal style you just really need to feel confident in whatever you’re wearing to carry off this sort of French woman je ne sais quoi look.
I’m presently wearing a mixture of timeless classics and a lot of vintage. Over the years I’ve also found a lot of timeless classics at vintage stores but also some really super fun seasonal items as well. Recently I found some Zadig and Voltaire boots at Guerrisol. I also found a Fusalp puffer Jacket. The great thing about living in the 18th arrondissement / Montmartre is there are no shortage of quality vintage shops. Really cool items that I think are both fun and timeless – are always about 4 shops away from my home.
Personally I love to mix up my style and wear way more color than the regular french woman.
(A note on packing for Paris – it’s good to not stick out because Paris has lots of pickpockets. If you “look Parisian” it’s harder to be targeted.
Obviously some simple practical safety tips are to be considered – never anything of value in your back pockets and never put your bags or phones down anywhere.)
Here’s what I’m seeing on my friends and on the streets of Paree; that you can pack and fit right in!
1 – Wool coat
Nothing beats a classical wool coat! Let’s talk about wardrobe staples and immediately a camel coat comes to mind. It may seem a lot of women on the streets of Paris are wearing oversized long black wool coat too, I think that has a lot to do with the whole Frankieshop trend right now, but a classic Maxmara is a good investment coat in paris or any city where winters are harsh and you always want to look pulled together for years!
2 – Chic sneakers
You simply can’t go wrong with a super simple yet chic pair of sneakers. They go well with everything! They will go well with a pair of pants, denim or skirt and they’re super comfortable to walk these cobblestone streets of Paris. On your packing list at the top should be very comfortable shoes because you’re going to be walking around a lot in Paris. Paris is a walking city and what better way to look good, feel good and still come off as chic but with super cute sneakers. Right now a lot of people are very much into the Veja brand. I personally love Vejas too, but my traditional Converse and Nike are still in heavy rotation. A lot of my more trendy pals have Solomon and Hoka right now.
3 – Straight leg (high waist) jeans
The great thing about straight leg jeans, I feel that they fit almost any body type and that’s what we’re seeing a lot of on the streets of Paris. People are wearing straight leg jeans and specifically also more high waisted straight leg denim a lot. If you think about French influencers like Jeanne Dumas who has the brand Rouje, has always been wearing these kinds of straight leg high waisted jeans and very tight skinny cropped cardigans and with midi heels or ankle booties.
I love them because they can easily cover my belly if I’m bloated, they kinda flatten that situation right out 🙂
4 – White button down shirts
Women everywhere love really nice crisp button down white shirts, as we should! They pretty much will pull together any look. It fits really well under a tailored blazer, you can tuck them into your denim pants, half tuck, full tuck, wear them over-size as a dress with knee-high boots… a white poplin button-down shirt is essential in every woman’s wardrobe and it’s also everywhere here on the streets of Paris.
5 – Classic cotton white t shirt
Nothing beats a simple white cotton t-shirt. It goes with everything, goes under everything and is perfect for layering. You know it also gives this allure of a very relaxed confident woman who can just go out in a white T-shirt or white T-shirt in a pair of denim pants. Looks great under a statement wool coat or trench coat.
6 – Tailored vest (fittered or oversize ) / Blazer
A tailored vest or blazer will make any outfit pull together effortlessly. Something I’m seeing a lot of right now is a lot of oversized yet still structured vest and blazers on the streets of Paris. There has been a trend for a few seasons now of oversized vest and jackets and also even oversized or I should say like a world wear of wide leg pants.
The great thing is if the weather is mild all you really need is a really nice wool vest,and if the weather gets more harsh you can layer it under an overcoat or puffer coat.
7 – A winter dress – mini, midi or maxi
Just because it’s ‘froid’ doesn’t mean that we don’t like to wear dresses here, in the winter time we’re wearing dresses under statement coats.
Also we are seeing lots of midi dresses with knee high cavalier boots.
Sezane and Sezane again 🙂
8 – Trench coat
A really well cut beige trench coat will go well with any outfit and is also great to pack because it’s super light. My favorite will always be hands down a Burberry trench coat but last season I saw Sandro put out this amazingly cut pleated trench coat that literally won my heart!
9 – Oversized wool scarf
For practical reasons you’ve got to protect your neck! One of the great things about an oversized wool scarf is if you’re more minimalist you can add color with your accessories. Adding color with your scarf or your beenie is a great way to uplift your wardrobe. Right now we are seeing many women wearing very bright color accessories here. Bright greens, fuchsia, and multi coloured.
10 – Soft cardigan
To get the feminine touch to your winter wardrobe a lot of the women here are wearing supersoft button front cardigans. They can even be oversized or more slim fit into the body. Cardigans are great to layer in the winter time and I see a lot of Parisian women wear these every winter season.
Many of my cardigans are actually from vintage shops here.
11 – Breton striped sweater
So contrary to what everyone thinks that French people walk around wearing berries, they don’t however almost every single French person owns at least one Breton stripe sweater man or woman. What’s up with that!? I don’t know if they seem to go hand in hand with a pair of jeans and walking to the market or hanginout on the terrace for a coffee.
The store have great quality sweaters
12- Leather gloves
Another one for practical reasons and they look superchic. I mean I’m all for wool gloves as well. I’ve got a few pairs but nothing says they are also pulled together as nicely as really well made leather gloves. Maison Fabre is the best place to get them here – but they can also be found at the departments store Printemps.
13 – Comfy Beanie/ bonnet
Don’t forget to pack your traditional super comfy beanie! I’ve also been seen these really colorful Cagoule on the streets of Paris. Probably has something to do with the recent fashion shows.
14 – Knee high boots
Riding boots will never ever go out of style! You can dress them up with a beautiful simple little black dress or you can dress them down with just really simple denim shorts. Whatever your style, knee-high boots are cavalier boots as we know them. I have been popular with brands like Chanel to H&M.
15 – Chelsea boots / ankle boots
I think I mentioned before that Paris has lots of cobblestone streets so a lot of people actually wear flat shoes here. not everyone runs around in high heels contrary to what we may see on a lot of the popular TV series (emily in paris) or films comfort is definitely a thing here because Paris is a walking City. So french women have mastered the art of chic flat ankle boots – but also they love a goof Doc Martin!
Doc Martin
Sezane
&otherstories
16 – Turtleneck tops
Turtlenecks are perfect for layering! Some of my favorite turtlenecks are actually from Ralph Lauren because the quality is exceptional. But a good cashmere or even cotton turtleneck is a staple in many women’s wardrobes here.
17 – Wide leg wool blend pants
When it’s freezing out and you really want to have all of your body covered in still look chic I love a very nice cut wool wide leg pants because I can have my leggings under their I can have super thick wool socks really nice Chelsea boot and feel elegant and warm.
COS make some of my favorite pants in general and every single year I get one of their wool wide leg pants
18 – Fedora wool hat
Ok so not every frenchwoman wears a fedora wool hat, but it’s definitely a thing here where we do see a lot of women wearing fedoras. I personally wear a lot of fedoras, I have a huge fedora collection and it pulls together any outfit mickey. especially when you’re having a bad hair day! ) and it makes you look like a superstar
19 – Cross body bag
If you’re coming to Paris you need to know that a cross body bag is essential because Paris is full of pickpockets. The great thing about a cross body bag is that you can buy a super cute budget one or even a really luxury bag but as long as you keep it in front of you you’re good to go.
Polene
See my list of French Handbag designers to everyone is wearing now;
YSL, Polene, Chole, Sezane, Celine, Azzidine, Jerome Dreyfus, Zadig & Voltaire, Sandro, Chanel
20 – Oversized sweater
Nothing says cozy warm more than an oversized sweater, you can wear it over a dress, pants, skirt, anything! so we actually shop for a lot of or sweaters at Monoprix which is kind of like the French equivalent to target because they have an amazing selection of Cashmere’s sweaters but I’ve also found great oversized sweaters at the thrift store and at &Other Stories
21 – Leather loafers & Mocassins
Going back to comfy flat shoes, leather penny loafers are a great pair of shoes to have in your wardrobe. You can wear them in the winter time with socks but you can also wear them in the summertime with skirts. They go pretty much really well if you have a minimalist wardrobe.
These days we’re seeing lots of chunky options like the Sandro type but the classic Gucci loafers are timeless.
Some Fast and High Street Brands Parisians love
- Zara, Promod, Maje, Bash, Sandro, Zadig & Voltaire, Polene…