What I Wore In Paris, Two Years Ago

The outfits and itinerary still hold up

“Two years since our delicious French meal,” Shelby texted me and Brian Monday. Our first sibling trip. We’d gone to Paris. It was Shelby’s idea. “I’ll be there for work. You and Brian should join me.” The trip was an easy sell. I was traveling a lot then and B was in London.

The last time I visited Paris I was 20. Now I was 32. It was the first place I’d traveled to in Europe. Went for ten days to visit my best friend Caitlin. She was living there at the time. “I want you to see Paris,” my Grandma said. She got me the flight. I’ll always be grateful for her starting my travels.

Me and all my clothes flew out of the Lynchburg Regional Airport after Christmas. I packed my entire wardrobe in two checked bags. Forever 21 stuff, some clothes I’d bought at the J. Crew warehouse. The J. Crew pieces were the nicest I owed. Almost all of them had a thick black line through the tag, which bothered me because it was a reminder they were rejects, but I tried to ignore the slash because they were still good quality.

Caitlin greeted my at the airport and shepherded me through public transportation. I can’t believe I packed everything I owned. She didn’t say a thing about my luggage. If someone showed up to visit me in New York with all their stuff, I’d silently freak out. Don’t you know anything about packing? But I didn’t at the time. I have to remind myself that.

Now I had twelve years of traveling experience. I’d visited every continent except Antartica. My closet was looking real good. I knew what to wear and do in cold weather. Paris is not that different from being in New York during the winter, but I still wanted to “dress” for the occasion. I styled all these outfits ahead of time, and then wore none of them, but that’s okay because one of the best parts of traveling is getting ready for the trip. I forget that sometimes. Best not to cheat yourself out of the anticipation.

My friend

Rosalee

sent me her recommendations. You can glimpse a few on her blog. From there, I planned shopping for me and Shelby, and food, with some art, for the three of us. Two years later, the outfits and itinerary still hold up. When you’re focused on what you like versus trends, they usually do. Below is what I wore and did on our four day trip to Paris in January 2023. I’ve included the Google list too. Enjoy!

Wednesday

Shelby and I stayed at a hotel I read about in The Colourist Issue 7: Hôtel Les Deux Gares. I wanted a beautiful room for us. The fixtures were a worn, but I appreciated the rich colors and personality of the place for the price.

We spent the first few hours trying on clothes. lol. This is why my outfit planning went by the wayside. Shelby’s got a great wardrobe, and she borrowed some pieces from her friend Lucia. (Shop her stuff. It’s so darn good.)