I just recently returned from a trip in Europe (Paris, London, and a small town called Lewes) and had some interesting observations on foreign fashion. People always say that Paris is THE home of fashion, and I never really understood what that meant until being there. It didn't mean that the clothes people were wearing were necessarily different from what some people live here. What I discovered is that it has a lot more to do with HOW they wear the clothing.
Here in America even the most fashion forward people have one major fault. Even if the outfit is extremely chic and fits like a glove it seems as if we're hiding behind the clothing. We're using the clothes to express ourselves, to show how unique we are, or to project our self-confidence. The clothes "wear" us.
In Paris the main difference I found was that they don't rely on their clothes to get across a message. Most women (and men for that matter) that I saw already had an air of self-confidence that went way beyond their clothing. It wasn't that the clothes were necessarily the most trendy or unique outfits. But they weren't hiding behind their clothes. They were definitely wearing the clothes.
So now I understand a bit more of why Paris is the place to be if you want to be in fashion. But somehow I feel like it only works if you were born there, or if you live there for a long time. And seeing as I can't speak a lick of french I probably won't be moving there for a little while a least...
