3 French fashionistas gave me the cheat code for dressing like a local in Paris see the comforta
- On a recent trip to Paris, I wanted to dress less like a tourist and more like a local.
- I turned to style icons Mélodie Bance, Pia Moubayed, and Marielle Haon for advice.
- Each of them shared inspiration for classic Parisian outfits — which I tried to recreate on my visit.
I am, by my admission, not a fashion girly.
Perhaps it comes with growing up in Montana, far removed from any cosmopolitan hub; I just don't have a natural eye for style. So when it came to packing for my recent trip to the world's fashion capital, Paris, I was at a loss. I wanted to look stylish and not too much like an American tourist (even though I am one).
Apparently, I'm not the only one hoping to fit in in Paris this year — direct-to-consumer fashion company StitchFix recently told Travel and Leisure that one in five customers asked for "Parisian style" for their summer outfits.
With that in mind, I turned to the pros: Parisian style influencers.
Ahead of my trip, I asked Pia Moubayed, Mélodie Bance, and Marielle Haon, creatives based in Paris, for their advice for what to wear. Many of their ideas overlapped, like elevated basics and layers, and each of them offered suggestions for outfits that would help me look more like a local — and less like a tourist.
From simple midi dresses to versatile blazers, here's what they recommended.
Mélodie Bance suggested a simple midi dress with ballet flats. I chose to wear the comfy — but classy — outfit for a day of sightseeing.
Mélodie Bance, a content creator and art historian known for her classic, timeless fashion, recommended a simple midi dress paired with ballet flats and a small bag.
I opted for a black midi dress with thin straps, one of my favorite pieces I've been wearing this season. Because this particular day required a lot of walking, I wore New Balance tennis shoes because I don't own ballet flats.
I don't love how the sneakers looked with my cute dress, and Bance's idea is much classier, but I made do with what I already own.
Bance also mentioned that Parisian style tends to be more conservative, skipping crop tops and tight-fitting clothes, which helped inform my packing for the rest of the trip.
Marielle Haon suggested a pair of Levi's jeans and a simple top, an outfit I thought was cute and functional for a visit to Versailles.
Marielle Haon is a content creator with an effortlessly chic style and more than 200,000 Instagram followers.
Haon — as well as each of the other women interviewed for this article, actually — said that Levi's jeans are a go-to Parisian staple. She said she sees an uptick in "'90s minimal" and "oversized denim," two trends I tried to capitalize on for this outfit.
Many of Haon's denim outfits were paired with white tops, so I chose a cream-colored knit tank to go with my Levi's. My oversized tote bag doesn't quite match her chic aesthetic, but it was all I had while traveling through Paris, and I had to make do.
Pia Moubayed suggested a casual suit, including a versatile blazer, which I wore for a day of interviewing and reporting in Paris.
Creative strategist Pia Moubayed, who runs an Instagram account filled with lifestyle and fashion content, said a versatile blazer could make for a stylish Parisian 'fit.
While I didn't have a casual suit, like Moubayed is wearing in her photo, I own a longer black blazer and black trousers, which I tried to fashion into a pseudo-matching set.
"When in doubt, these outfits simply make you look put together," Moubayed said.
Even though this outfit didn't exactly match Moubayed's suggestion, I still felt sophisticated and composed while walking around the city.
Even though my recreations weren't perfect, I felt confident in each outfit.
Because I wanted to keep this experiment fairly sustainable, I tried to recreate each of their outfits with items I already owned instead of buying new pieces. My looks didn't replicate their styles, but at least they came close.
Even though they weren't perfect, each outfit was comfortable and felt like something I'd wear and can easily remake back at home — plus, a few people told me they thought I was a local, so I will count it as a win.
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