Express Yourself... - Paris

You are one lucky bastard if you had a chance to live in Paris as a young adult, should I paraphrase Mr Hemingway. Because Paris cultivates you in a sophisticated manner during your formative years and because ''…Paris is a movable feast.''

Quotes and stories like these, films and images helped to establish the Parisian mythological dimension. And because of the ‘realistic’ Paris, some first-time visitors stay disappointed - ''Everything is dirty, expensive and pissed all over'', so they say. But, the city is more than a splendid image, it is an enlightened city of freedom, and reason, and friendship, and culture, history, science and art... A place where all the refinements of human civilization enshrine in their full... together with other polarities. Anyway, realists tend to love it because of its imperfections - C'est la vie.

Fashion - oh that frivolous thing!

Odd popular opinion says that fashion is not a necessity. It is wasteful, frivolous and a 'girl's thing'. Not to the Parisians who very much appreciate beauty's ability to create pleasant experiences. The fact is that aesthetically pleasing things improve our well being, out mood and behaviour.

Coco Chanel said that 'fashion’ is everywhere. In Paris, yes. The city vibrates with Art de vivre concept. In the way that clothes, shoes, antiques, chocolate and bread are presented in shop windows. In the way that the smell of newspaper mixes with the smell of coffee early in the morning. All the cafes look the same, with those type of french bistro chair which I think is Michael Thonet in rattan look alike, arranged tightly just next to the street's walkways so you enjoy your café crème and the scenery of the streetlife. Maybe the thé would be a better option when in Paris.

Parisian Café

To understand why Paris is ‘Capitale de la mode’, we need to take a look into happenings of the 17th century and credit Jean-Baptiste Colbert, then minister of finances. He figured out how to utilise the economic potential of fashion, and brought it from the Spanish court to French. Paris soon became the fashion's centre, the industry quickly flourished, and numerous craftsmen, shoemakers, milliners, tailors, fan makers, merchants and shopkeepers emerged. French association promoting the concept of luxury is called Comité Colbert.

Fashion and its meaning, like any other cultural concept, evolves over time. Révolution française liberated the human expression, which by then belonged to courtiers only. Common people are encouraged to express and not to hide themselves nor their insecurities, because insecurities are also part of the life. That's what's so charming about Paris (from a perspective of someone coming from the regime of oppression) – being charming in imperfection.

They smell good!

Frenchmen have a special relationship with the scents. Only in Paris, one can enjoy the stunt of street scents - to follow the smell of most pleasant perfume and meet with the smell of urine around the corner. Their olfactory system is delicately developed. At least according to my landlord to whom I once said I do not sense the odour of cat piss, and she responded: ''That's because you aren’t French!''

There is a well-known stereotype of La Parisienne, the fashion role model with flawless skin and unkempt hair and the famous ‘je ne sais quoi’. But, La Parisienne simply doesn’t fit into other people's beauty standards. She is clear on her own idea of beauty and emphasizes what is best about her - her character.

Bestseller How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are (Berest, Diwan, de Maigret, Mas) claims that some stereotypes are true. La Parisienne wears few pieces of jewellery, inherited in most cases. Every piece has its little story. The rules are simple - the fancier the clothes are - the less jewellery one wears. Also, jewellery stays in bed with you whether for sleeping or lovemaking.

As for the make-up, French woman likes to emphasize only one part of the face: lips with red lipstick or eyes with eyeliner.

Established Fashion

In Paris, there are many institutes dedicated to 'La Mode'. Palais Galliera is a famous fashion and costume museum. Yves Saint Laurent a museum dedicated to the designer from Oran. Musée des Arts Décoratifs owns the largest exhibition space of fashion and textiles of the world. Cité de la Mode et du Design is a youth centre, and there are many exhibitions throughout the year in random coffee shops.

IFA, Istituto Marangoni, PAA, Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne and École du Louvre are Parisian fashion schools.

The Fashion Week is staged every 6 months since 1973., including RTW, Cruise and Haute Couture collections. Major brands display their clothes around the Avenue des Champs Elysées and Opera, or in department stores like Grand Magasins of the Avenue Haussmann. There are also second-hand stores like Reciproque, specializing in luxury brands.

About 1500 fashion companies operate in Paris. Designers from all over the world come here to tell their unique stories. Louis Vuitton grew up in the province and came to Paris by foot during his fragile teenage years. His trip lasted several months during which he learned the craft. YSL was a strange young man from Oran, often a bully's target, and his fantasy world was a way out of the real-life drudgery. Jean Paul Gaultier did not go through the formal education but he sent his sketches to the famous houses.

Emerging designers and brands worth checking: Alexis Mabille, Julien Fournie, Anthony Vaccarello, Y/Project, Koché, Lea Pecre and Pallas.

These images are not mine, and currently, I have no idea of the source
Street style Paris

These images are not mine, and currently, I have no idea of the source
Established Parisian fashion identities: La garçonne androgine by Chanel, La vraie femme by Lanvin, Belle de jour of YSL, La romantique by Christian Dior