Dear Mom,

Parisian fashion is much like American fashion. They have the tight skinny jeans and the t-shirts, and they even have the scarves that we like to wear, but there are a few differences.

It is fashionable for men here to wear an earring (usually a diamond) in their right ear, whereas it is popular for women to have a ring going through their bottom lip/through the area just under their bottom lip. I am personally not a fan of either.

I have noticed that both men and women dress very nice here, and I wonder if that is because many people work professionally. By nice I mean that men wear shiny shoes that look new, as well as what look like tailored suits. The women wear suits as well sometimes, but sometimes it’s a dress. Their clothes all look well cared-for.

In America leggings are the big thing, but here it is tights. Women wear tights with pretty much everything except pants, and sometimes they were tights with short shorts. In this regard I have been grateful for the cold weather—it has forced the women to cover up a little more than they might otherwise.

You mentioned to me that you saw women in dresses riding their bikes around. Today it is more likely that you’ll see a man in a tailored suit riding a bike, but you also see women in skirts riding their motorcycles. Also men in suits riding motorcycles.

As far as color goes, most Parisians wear dark, muted colors. I thought that this was an exaggeration, but it is not. I feel very self-conscious on the metro when I wear my electric blue jacket and was somewhat relieved when I bought my grey sweater. However, sometimes they do wear an article of clothing that will “pop” out from the rest of their outfit, like a bright scarf or something. I have also spied two colors in the stores that look like they will make it big this season: a vibrant maroon tone and a dark turquoise.

I hope this has satisfied your desire to know of the ins and outs of today’s fashion in Paris, and I apologize that there are no pictures. But it does feel a little awkward sometimes to take pictures of complete strangers. I hope this finds you in good spirits.

I love you,

Sarah