Style Differences: West Coast and Paris

Article and Photos by Maisy White

Being raised in Los Angeles, I was surrounded by an environment brimming with flip flops, daisy dukes, and crop tops. Recently to the third fashion capital of the world, Paris, I’ve been enamored with the stylistic choices of those residing here. Throughout my initial fashion awakening in high school, I found myself spending hours on Pinterest, scrolling through boards and various aesthetics, trying to find the one that would work for me. Moving here has shown me major differences in the presentation of the body, making it hard to adjust to the foundational fashion choices that were drilled in my head.

Along with the outfits themselves, there is crucial differences in the way that Parisians accessorize. It would be a crime to be caught wearing a hand-made crocheted purse, for reasons pertaining to pickpocketing, yet also for the designer aspect of the outfit. As the outfits in Paris are typically monotone, finding cool colors and simple presentations, the only aspect that will set one apart from someone else, is how they accessorize. Coming to Paris with my chunky silver Tiffany necklace, expecting to see a handful of the same, I was met with simple gold layering pieces. Although it pertains to personal preference and not your geographical pin-point, gold has always been a symbol of wealth and status, explaining why Parisians dress up their mundane outfits with an emblem of prosperity.

Going out on a day where the peak temperature is 60 degrees, I find a cool and comfortable outfit, pairing a mini skirt with some tights, along with a knit sweater. Making initial comparisons to those around me, I find that I am surrounded by knee-high boots, trench coats, and wide-leg pants. In contrast, a typical Los Angeles outfit would consist of a jean jacket, flare pants, and comfortable sneakers, showing that the standards for daily wear are dramatically increased as we are surrounded by the top designer brands of the century.

Noticing that the way that Parisians dress, clearly representing levels of luxury, it correlates with the differences in shopping habits. In Los Angeles, you can find a thrift store on nearly every block, advertising cheap prices for authentic vintage pieces. While being here, one may notice a minimal amount of thrift stores, being mainly kilo shops if anything, making it very difficult to shop sustainably while maintaining the affordable aspect of style. Growing my closet from only a few pieces of “fast fashion” clothing, now converting to frequently buying from big brands like Zara and Bershka, shows internal flaws of the fashion industry, making it difficult for those living in a fashion capital to display “low-end” pieces.

Overall, there are major similarities between West Coast style and Parisian style, yet the standards of appearance remain split. Moving from a city where Lululemons and rainbow flip flops were an everyday essential, to a city where you would only be seen wearing that if evacuating from a building fire, shows the juxtaposition of style that Parisians and Americans display.