C’est La Vie: The Americanization of Fashion in Paris
By Sarah Cortina
C’est La Vie: The Americanization of Fashion in Paris
Byline: Sarah Cortina
When the show Emily In Paris premiered last year, many Parisians disliked the program, in which an American girl (Emily) starts work at a Parisian marketing firm and begins to make things ‘better’ for them by simply Americanizing their advertising practices. While a gaff in the show, it seems this trend of Americanizing everything from food to clothing has, for better or for worse, risen in prevalence throughout Paris in recent years.
Paris is ubiquitously known to be a mecca of culture that echoes worldwide. From architecture to art to food, French items of culture are instantaneously associated with their place of origin. One of the most recognizable elements of French culture is undeniably fashion. The major fashion houses Christian Dior, Chanel, Lanvin, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton were all founded in the City of Lights. The classy, darkly colored, and simple daily outfit of a Parisian woman, often consisting of blazers, long coats, and dress pants, are timeless. Wearing these items are, quite frankly, not just a stylistic choice, but often a identifier of assimilation within the country.
While studying in Paris during my freshman year, I was sternly advised that casual attire, such as athleisure and branded t-shirts, was something to avoid wearing because of its association with Americans. To pickpockets — and all Parisians — it’s an easy tell as to whether or not you belong. Parisians are classy and put together; dressing in sweatshirts and leggings makes you stick out like a sore thumb. However, in recent years, American styles have risen in popularity among youth in Paris. Thrifted clothes, name brands and even athleisure seem to be making a rise to prominence.
Growth numbers strongly indicate this. The market growth rate for the Europe Sustainable Athleisure Market is predicted to be 9.6% between the years 2020-2026, with the sportswear market in Western Europe predicted to be worth $74 billion by 2023 (it was valued at around $63 billion in 2018). Although while I lived there I made efforts to stray from wearing leggings and sweatpants, I saw many stores selling clothes similar to American fashion I donned in the American summer prior to my year abroad.
While passing down the streets of the Marais, a neighborhood often full of young and artistic people, I would browse the shops that lined the narrow streets. Thrift stores were stuffed to the brim with Levi jeans and shorts, branded Nike shirts and more clothes of the like. I never seemed to get looked at twice for wearing graphic tees as long as they were paired with nice jeans or other classier pants. The advice I had been given by the French man in my orientation, while definitely applicable, seemed like it had more flexibility than his rhetoric had let on.
Paris consists of a classic culture that, at its core, will not change. However, it is also abundantly clear that the youth of Paris has a more fluid concept of what fashion looks like. As visualized on the aforementioned program, Emily in Paris, older Parisians often grumble and growl about sticking to the old ways of France. However, it is undeniable that there is currently a shift in the personal style of Parisians, particularly within its youth. Parisian fashion will always remain markedly classic, but variety in what they are wearing is not just coming, but may already be here.
Paris is ubiquitously known to be a mecca of culture that echoes worldwide. From architecture to art to food, French items of culture are instantaneously associated with their place of origin. One of the most recognizable elements of French culture is undeniably fashion. The major fashion houses Christian Dior, Chanel, Lanvin, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton were all founded in the City of Lights. The classy, darkly colored, and simple daily outfit of a Parisian woman, often consisting of blazers, long coats, and dress pants, are timeless. Wearing these items are, quite frankly, not just a stylistic choice, but often a identifier of assimilation within the country.
While studying in Paris during my freshman year, I was sternly advised that casual attire, such as athleisure and branded t-shirts, was something to avoid wearing because of its association with Americans. To pickpockets — and all Parisians — it’s an easy tell as to whether or not you belong. Parisians are classy and put together; dressing in sweatshirts and leggings makes you stick out like a sore thumb. However, in recent years, American styles have risen in popularity among youth in Paris. Thrifted clothes, name brands and even athleisure seem to be making a rise to prominence.
Growth numbers strongly indicate this. The market growth rate for the Europe Sustainable Athleisure Market is predicted to be 9.6% between the years 2020-2026, with the sportswear market in Western Europe predicted to be worth $74 billion by 2023 (it was valued at around $63 billion in 2018). Although while I lived there I made efforts to stray from wearing leggings and sweatpants, I saw many stores selling clothes similar to American fashion I donned in the American summer prior to my year abroad.
While passing down the streets of the Marais, a neighborhood often full of young and artistic people, I would browse the shops that lined the narrow streets. Thrift stores were stuffed to the brim with Levi jeans and shorts, branded Nike shirts and more clothes of the like. I never seemed to get looked at twice for wearing graphic tees as long as they were paired with nice jeans or other classier pants. The advice I had been given by the French man in my orientation, while definitely applicable, seemed like it had more flexibility than his rhetoric had let on.
Paris consists of a classic culture that, at its core, will not change. However, it is also abundantly clear that the youth of Paris has a more fluid concept of what fashion looks like. As visualized on the aforementioned program, Emily in Paris, older Parisians often grumble and growl about sticking to the old ways of France. However, it is undeniable that there is currently a shift in the personal style of Parisians, particularly within its youth. Parisian fashion will always remain markedly classic, but variety in what they are wearing is not just coming, but may already be here.