When I prepared to go to Paris, I read a few things I found on Pinterest like "How to dress in Paris", "How not to look like a tourist in Paris", and "Things Parisians do not wear". You have to take those posts with a grain of salt. I mean, I am a tourist and I will be walking around all day, and Parisians are not necessarily doing that. Plus they aren't super into air conditioning there, so they may be used to being hot, but I am not, and there have to be adjustments to what the locals wear. That being said, I did want to look nice and while I was there, I did find that many tourists were trying to look their best.
Comfortable shoes - For me, I need to wear sneakers if I am walking around all day, I need the support and I don't like my feet to get dirty from the streets. I wore brand new white Nike sneakers. I have a few pairs of these. Many people were wearing clean, good condition sneakers. Some of those Pinterest posts say "don't wear flip flops". I would agree but that's less about fashion and more about being practical; flip flops will not provide the best comfort and support you need to walk around all day. I also brought Birkenstocks to wear if we were going somewhere close for dinner.
Crossbody Bag - All of us girls had a crossbody bag from Poppy and Peonies (all different colours so we weren't too matchy matchy, mine is cognac). This bag was a good size to carry our wallets, phones, sunglasses, etc. and not too big to hurt my shoulder. I really didn't feel threatened by pickpockets, but when we were in a crowd, I felt safer with this bag as I could keep it close to me. When Dave and the boys came, we did bring a backpack since we had waters, umbrellas, and sweaters. The Pinterest posts say "don't wear a backpack" but whatever, if it works for you, do what you want.
Striped shirt - You must have a striped shirt if you're over a certain age and going to Paris. I got mine at Athleta.
Dresses - I like a dress, it elevates your look and is usually comfortable for walking around all day, and can transition to a dinner. I got my dresses at Aritzia and Athleta. Cindy got some of her dresses at RW& Co. Something that was absolutely necessary for me to enjoy wearing a dress all day were the Original Shorts from Thigh Society.
White Pants - White pants are a great way to look put together. I wore mine with t-shirts and sneakers.
Linen blouse - This was a great purchase from Aritzia. It's a perfect item to look put together and keep warmer in the evenings. I had also brought an oversized blazer that would have gone well with a few different looks, but it was too hot for a blazer most days.
Pashmina - It has recently come to my attention that the "young people" don't know about pashminas. I don't often wear a scarf anymore, but I still think they are a good thing to bring along when travelling. I needed mine one day when it was raining, another day to respectfully cover my shoulders when we went to Notre Dame, and it was also useful as a picnic blanket at the Eiffel Tower.
Shorts and Tanks - This is another 'no-no' according to Pinterest, but guess what? I wear shorts and tank tops when it is hot out, and it was hot on a few days. My shorts are from Athleta and kept me cool.
Kids - My kids just wore their normal clothes, but something fun we picked up for Q was a Mbappe France soccer kit. A Messi kit is standard issue with his friends, but it was fun to get a Mbappe one too.
