Category Archives: Style

Street Style in Paris, France

The Parisians love very classic clothes. Even the very young like to wear clothes that are well tailored and in a very neutral color like black.  Black was the favorite color of Coco Chanel.

 

A very common must-have winter item in Paris is the Pea coat. Many Paris girls are wearing very short pea coats that also tie quite high on the waist with a belt. Some girls substitute the plain belt for a leather one to punk up the outfit a bit.

 

The fat wide scarf that is wound several times around the neck is also in style.  The end of the scarf must never dangle and always be tucked inside the collar.  Yet another Parisian trick with the scarves is to take a large white cashmere scarf and wind it around the neck and then inside that cradle a patterned one

 

A big winter trending Paris is the large, round puffy fake fur hat. These look best in white, light pink or cream colors.  They are usually made out of faux furs.  These glamorous toppers are often worn with winter ski jackets, a long turtleneck sweater and shiny Lycra leggings.  The look is topped off with a clutch purse and colorful designer runners worn with white frilly ankle socks for more warmth.

 

Another strange trend, especially amongst young people is to wear white tattered Converse runners.  The back of the runners are ripped up slightly to make it look like the shoes have wings.

 

Shaggy jackets made with fronds of dangling fabric are also seen on the streets of Paris and accessorized with slouchy soft leather bowling bags and gloves in black.

 

Although there is more of a hipster element in Parisian fashion then there has ever been it is still quite common to see very chic French women wearing black jackets with padded shoulders, narrow peg pants, men’s style shoes and a wide leather belt. The look is paired with a crisp white shirt and looks great with glasses and a bun.

 

Not all Parisians wear black. Currently trending on the streets are leather jackets and peacoats in a warm tomato red color. This does contrast nicely with the black denim wide leg  jeans that are also currently in style. Peg leg styles are out of fashion.  Flashes of red denim are also seen on the streets and are often paired with Doc Marten style boots.

 

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Tokyo Winter and Spring Trends

Tokyo is one of the fashion centers of the world and many of the street fashions that happen there happen on the American continent within one or two seasons as well.  Seen often on the street there is the military jacket look.  Both men and women are wearing military green or military green camouflage jackets or hoodies.  They are not oversized but fit exactly.  The less pockets the jackets has the more fashionable it is there. It shouldnot look like a flak jacket.

 

Dark navy blue military coats that fit well are also part of high fashion there. The coolest look is the double-breasted look. That is true here as well but the main difference is that Americans are favoring brass or enamel buttons and the simple plain matching black or blue buttons are seen on the streets of Tokyo. Military brands that are often worn in Tokyo are Neighbourhood,  Sophnet, Bathing Ape and WTAPS.

 

Double-breasted coats in bone, mushroom and light olive colors are also very popular.  Many very young people are seen wearing British or Canadian military green style trench coats that have been hemmed from their mid-calf length to a length that is just above the knee.  Burberry trench coats are bought from second-hand stores and hemmed a bit shorter for a very street-wise look.

 

If you look like you are about to go mountain hiking then you will be right in step for style in Tokyo. The most fashionable people wear mountain parkas, mountain boots and a backback. The coveted fabrics are GORE-TEX and PERTEX, which help you survive any type of climate change. These fabrics are water-proof and can help in any weather.  Outdoor brands that are popular in Japan include The North Face, Mountain Research, White Mountaineering and Victim.

 

Another trend is towards the sweater vest with a very wide tie that is tucked inside the V-neck. This is topped with a gore-tex style zipped jacket and not the typical blazer that you would expect.

 

In the winter it is also very cool to dress in all black. Your boots, shoes and runners should be black and so should your scarf and trench or pea coat.  It is more permissible to have a baggier coat on if it is black. The longer the scarf, the more effective the look is.  Black bowler hats, dress hats and baseball caps worn backwards are also very much in style.

 

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Portland Oregon Spring Street Styles

Portland Oregon is the home of grunge and it has a bit of a warmer, rainier winter climate. The result is a hodge-podge of styles on the street.  This town, like Seattle, absolutely loves its vintage clothing stores and that often reflects in what you see on the street.

 

One winter trend that is evident is women buying larger men’s blazers and wearing them as a winter coat over a heavy blazer. Some women go as far to have the blazer lined so it can be worn as a coat. This, in turn is worn with a very large silk or cotton scarf.  The longer and silkier the scarf is the more elegant it is considered to be.   The scarf is usually tied so that it looks like a cowl neck.

 

Long sloppy shirts, particularly denim ones are worn over black denim straight leg pants. It is very common to see a fishermen’s sweater in beige worn over a shirt that has the tails of the shirt peeking beneath.

 

Purples and greys are seen on a lot of people, which are colors that match the cloudy skies. Very few women in Portland are seen in anything else but black opaque tights if they decide to wear a dress or a skirt.  Punks and Goths in Portland are still wearing laddered lacy tights, even in the winter.  Another punk look still worn is cotton shorts with black tights and a white shirt.  This makes you look like a circus lion tamer’s assistant.

 

A color combination that is often seen in street fashion is canary yellow paired with black. The little yellow wool vintage coat is a much-coveted item. This is worn with black accessories, preferably of an eighties vintages.  Ruched belts with large circular fastenings and slouchy bags with many ripples are a popular look.  It is also quite common to see women wearing boots with rounded toes and a high waist, which is the exact opposite of the pointy toes you would see worn in New York or Toronto.  Most boots worn here are big, sloppy and brown in color.  Boots with natural wrinkling around the ankle or cuff are also popular.  This is also one of the few cities in North America where people still wear brown Frye boots with a flannel granny dress. This is a look that was popular in the early seventies and still has survived here in Portland, Oregon.

 

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Very Cool Belt

cool belt

Here is a very cool belt available at LoLu. It’s a black Leather belt with a Silver Horse Bit buckle.