This posting is certainly not meant as an attack on the French, for I greatly admire their traditions of gastronomy and viniculture, and their general ability as a nation to go their own way (sometimes, with a degree of flair). However, somehow I can never think of them as a well-dressed nation - even by comparison with the worst excesses one sees on this side of the Channel. A few notable exceptions notwithstanding, their general mode of everyday dress tends towards a utilitarian drabness, epitomised by the navy drill uniforms of their pensioners. Their occasional efforts to 'cut a dash' always strike me as gauche, or just weird; two examples, recently seen in the Rue Faubourg St Honore: one a lemon yellow saddle, in Hermes, with matching bridle (all beautifully constructed, by the way) - this surely can only have been inspired by much over-enthusiastic ingestion of mind-altering drugs; and displayed in a nearby shop, a strange PoW tweed double-breasted check suit, everything about it exaggerated to the level of caricature, with a pair of co-respondent shoes and hung with a placard entitled 'Le Style "Snob"'. What do they mean by that?
French style
Centaur
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This posting is certainly not meant as an attack on the French, for I greatly admire their traditions of gastronomy and viniculture, and their general ability as a nation to go their own way (sometimes, with a degree of flair). However, somehow I can never think of them as a well-dressed nation - even by comparison with the worst excesses one sees on this side of the Channel. A few notable exceptions notwithstanding, their general mode of everyday dress tends towards a utilitarian drabness, epitomised by the navy drill uniforms of their pensioners. Their occasional efforts to 'cut a dash' always strike me as gauche, or just weird; two examples, recently seen in the Rue Faubourg St Honore: one a lemon yellow saddle, in Hermes, with matching bridle (all beautifully constructed, by the way) - this surely can only have been inspired by much over-enthusiastic ingestion of mind-altering drugs; and displayed in a nearby shop, a strange PoW tweed double-breasted check suit, everything about it exaggerated to the level of caricature, with a pair of co-respondent shoes and hung with a placard entitled 'Le Style "Snob"'. What do they mean by that?
I'll freely admit that I've not spent much time in France, but the time that I did, I got a very different impression. It seemed to me that everyone was well put together with interesting pieces of clothing that they had combined in unique (to my eyes anyway) ways. I would love to emulate it for my casual style, except that I couldn't seem to find any commonalities to mimick. I can't even really describe it because everyone looked different, but everything was unique. I kept looking around me thinking "where are they getting these clothes? Everything looks like its a one of a kind item". I'm sure that's not the case, but it seemed that way to me. I found the French to have a bit more flair that the British or Americans with their style. I picked up a few shirts while I was there and I'm quite sure that if someone stepped into my closet and I tasked them with finding the two, they could do so based on the fact that they are somewhat unusual in texture and shape, yet still work for business settings.
But, as I said, my experiences are limited.
But, as I said, my experiences are limited.
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See, e.g., Citroen.
Once I eliminated that possibility, I didn't find any point to the post.
I can't find any to yours, if it comes to that.
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To many French is Paris , a wonderful city. As London is a man's town Paris is a women's town.
The atmosphere is romance , flowers , with a wonderful history on the side.
The left bank is like nowhere else in the world , well than so is the right bank.
I also enjoyed the south of France , very different but very French. I hope one day to attend Le Mans.
I have drove and been driven across France an excellent experience, as for as men's clothing it's little
more Latin, than the more northern or heavier dress by the British or Germans.
My wife as most women enjoys Paris. I enjoy listening to the French speak , not as colorful as the Italians but to me so romantic.
The french certainly dress as well as Americans and or not as extreme in dress as are many young Londoners.
The atmosphere is romance , flowers , with a wonderful history on the side.
The left bank is like nowhere else in the world , well than so is the right bank.
I also enjoyed the south of France , very different but very French. I hope one day to attend Le Mans.
I have drove and been driven across France an excellent experience, as for as men's clothing it's little
more Latin, than the more northern or heavier dress by the British or Germans.
My wife as most women enjoys Paris. I enjoy listening to the French speak , not as colorful as the Italians but to me so romantic.
The french certainly dress as well as Americans and or not as extreme in dress as are many young Londoners.
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I've only been there twice, but each time I was struck by how dressed and put together the women were. Even a woman with an ordinary job, looks like a upper east side model. They must get up at 5am to get dressed.
The men, not so much, but there is a huge difference in styles.
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I've spent a lot of time living in France, and I would concur that the women outclass the men. The women seem to really put a lot of effort into looking good. They cultivate femininity, at least a lot of them. And not just the young: One is much more likely to find attractive and attractively dressed middle-aged and older women in France than in the US. American women seem to take shelter in maternity and move from attractively cut clothing to Eddie Bauer and Talbotts. Frumpy. Formless. Matronly. Blah. As for French men, they're much less impressive and unworthy of their females, although on average they're much better dressed then American men. Of course, that's not saying much. Well dressed Frenchmen are certainly better dressed. More color. More panache.
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I've been to France once, and from what I've seen, neither women or men were dressed well. Most people were dressed like they would dress here in the US i.e jeans and a hoodie.
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^^
Not intending to throw stones but, on my last extended visit to France (perhaps 18 to 19 years ago), most of the women chose not to shave their pits and neither men or women seemed inclined to use deodorant/anti-perspirant. The onion like odor and the ever increasing wet spots, emanating from their armpits, rather took away from any appeal presented by the clothes they were wearing. Does this continue to be the case in present day France? :icon_scratch:
Not intending to throw stones but, on my last extended visit to France (perhaps 18 to 19 years ago), most of the women chose not to shave their pits and neither men or women seemed inclined to use deodorant/anti-perspirant. The onion like odor and the ever increasing wet spots, emanating from their armpits, rather took away from any appeal presented by the clothes they were wearing. Does this continue to be the case in present day France? :icon_scratch:
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Also most women did not wear any underwear :icon_headagainstwal
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There we have a cultural difference, the French tend to be more natural , Americans generally smell like a drug store and are more likely to be driven by advertising promotions. Many southern or latin Europeans
are less effected by the advertising executive.
What do you expect me to do, ship them all off to the Outer Hebrides?:icon_smile_wink:Centaur - unless and until you can figure out how to get rid of the chavs and the neds, you have no standing to criticize other countries over their dressing habits
I think my first post did refer obliquely to the UK's assorted misfits. But an Englishman remains perfectly entitled to criticise and comment on the French, and various other nationalities too, on the basis of their dress and general taste.
On the subject of French women's under-arm hair, I'm happy to report I've always found it quite a turn-on.
Not intending to throw stones but, on my last extended visit to Indiana (perhaps 18 to 19 months ago), most of the women chose to eat junk food in excessive amounts such that their arm pits were not visible anymore. The view of this rather took away from any appeal presented by the clothes they were wearing. Does this continue to be the case in present day Indiana?
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Isn't that the case all over the US? :icon_scratch: You're talking like people are very thin down south.
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Throwing stones
The onion smell is still there if you take the metro (subway) during the rush hours or when the weather is hot!!!
Paris has changed a lot now... cleaner even on the streets, no more sighs of dog poops.
Eagle, you are too old now
The onion smell is still there if you take the metro (subway) during the rush hours or when the weather is hot!!!
Paris has changed a lot now... cleaner even on the streets, no more sighs of dog poops.
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I don't know what the current underwear or underarm situation is, but the president's wife, Carla Bruni, has to be on anyone's short list of hot first ladies. She is even rumored to have had an affair with Mick Jagger which is unusual for the average first lady. The last US first lady to be in the same style league was Jacqueline Kennedy and before that who?
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