I recently read the wonderful book How to Be Parisian, a sarcastic and funny guide from four Parisian women on how to embody the French girl’s way of life. While it can be satirical at times, it really does an accurate job depicting the French cool girl vibe, and brought back fond memories for me of my four month stint in Paris.
One of the things I love about Paris, and Europe in general is the sophistication and class that permeates everyday life. There’s the modest and effortlessly stylish way that people dress for one thing. When I lived in Paris, I saw mothers strutting down the streets in chic wrap dresses and heeled booties, hand-in-hand with their young children while a Louis Vuitton bag swung from one of their shoulders. I walked by well groomed men decked out in beige trench coats, shiny loafers, dress pants, and blazers on a daily basis. Even old ladies and little kids were decked out in stylish assortments. Gone were the daily sightings of Lululemons, Nikes, neon workout clothes, and sweatpants. You will only catch a Parisian in athletic clothes when they are working out, but sometimes not even then. (I remember a girl who wore a cute black jumpsuit to a Pilates class I attended. She came in with an oversized denim jacket and wedges that she removed right before class. You could imagine my dismay, being shoddily clad in a free t-shirt I got freshman year of college and some cropped leggings.)
Clothing aside, the Parisian way of life is just so much more elegant and classy than what I’m used to. And I loved it. Drinking wine and eating bread and cheese along the Seine or at a park or garden was an amazingly simple and enjoyable way to get together with friends. Reading a good book at a cafe by yourself while enjoying a cup of coffee is a common way to pass the time. People my age were also so much more mature and sophisticated than the ones I’m used to. They’ll go out and party, but they’ll also do things like host fancy dinner parties complete with home-cooked food, candles, and wine. I remember going to a dinner party at a friend’s apartment, and the classiness of the whole affair. We had bread of course and salad, chicken (I’m a pescetarian so my friend was sweet enough to cook me some salmon), and homemade sweet potato fries. We each brought over a bottle of wine and had some vin rouge during dinner. Afterwards we sat and talked over English biscuits (my friend from the UK hosted the dinner party), and then played Monopoly until 2 in the morning. I then biked home (on the sidewalk as I was too afraid to go on the street.) The feeling of the fresh air on my face and the peacefulness of the night air was amazing. It was so exhilarating to ride a bike through the streets of Paris at night.
Sometimes it’s hard to take a few minutes each day to forget about to-dos and slow down and live in the moment. Paris and New York are my favorite cities in the world, but they cannot be more different from each other. New Yorkers are always impatient, rushing from one place to the next, constantly on the move. Parisians take their time, strolling slowly through parks and gardens, stopping to enjoy their surroundings. I want to make a more conscious effort to be present. It’s so hard these days with the constant distraction of your phone, and it makes it worse when everyone around you is also always on their phone. But we cannot forget about “joie de vivre,” the joy of living, and truly experiencing it. Because after all, that’s what we’re all here for isn’t it?
She's Styling 
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