Une recette parisienne.

‘We can't have you walking up and down the Champs-Élysées looking like a tourist undertaker!’

Sabrina Fairchild in 'Sabrina'

Non, we certainly cannot!

One of the things I looked forward to when planning my recent trip to Paris, was adopting the un parisienne style—even if only for my short stay.

With this in mind, I curated a day-to-night wardrobe, complete with shoes, jewellery, and accessories that helped my avoid the not-so-chic ‘touriste’ look. And yes—drumroll please—it all fit in my carry-on luggage (which may on may not have included a ‘handbag’ that weighed more than my carry-on suitcase)

La recette:

🧣6 scarves - 4 printed silk + 2 cotton

👘 2 belts

💎 10 pairs of earrings + bracelets

👩‍💼 3 blazers - versatile colours and lengths that mixed and matched with the rest of my wardrobe (1 white and 2 black; 1 cropped + 1 longer)

🧥 1 trench coat

👗 5 dresses - I opted for medium lengths including 1 special occasion dress

💃🏻 2 skirts - 1 short and 1 medium length

👖 3 trousers - 1 pair of black (dark wash) cigarette jeans, 1 pair of black dress pants (also slim fit), 1 pair of navy capri trousers. All high-waisted.

👚 6 tops - 2 casual long-sleeves, 3 blouses, 1 cropped ‘la marinière’,

🧵3 sweaters - including 2 cropped cardigans

👠 5 pairs of shoes - 1 little white sneakers, 1 sandals, 1 black low pumps, 1 high black strappy heel, 1 black patent leather flats (I also bought a pair of slides as aforementioned little white sneakers gave me blisters on day 1! To avoid my rookie mistake, only bring shoes that have been worn in.

💁🏻‍♀️ 0 leggings or athleisure wear

I wore about 70% of my wardrobe and felt like I had plenty of options to coordinate and choose from depending on the weather, occasion, and mood/style of the day.

Here’s to dressing for Paris, when in Paris, and avoiding the ‘tourist undertaker’ look next time you travel.

Bon voyage!