NickB

. I take it he means fairly rigidly and without grace. It reminds me of a Ghanian friend of mine who was educated in Europe and would be subject to gentle mockery from her friends when she would go back home for 'walking like a man'. It is true that people tend to walk differently in different parts of the world and that it tends to be particular noticeable for women.

dia1

Different country but related to topic.

I'm a midwesterner from the US but travel as often as possible in Europe. I speak some of those Romance languages but approach fluency in only one and it's definitely not Italian.

Last year in a small town in Italy, after a long plane ride and a long drive, I went into the last place open in town--a bar with deli, and at that crowded after-work hour--seeking carryout. I managed to get my order across to the person behind the counter in pathetic, mangled Italian only because that person was patient and truly kind.

-->Everyone at the counter (on both sides) immediately looked at my shoes to see where I was from. And then they just kept staring at my shoes with quizzical looks because they looked like Italian shoes. I pointed to my shoes said "made in Italy but purchased in the U.S." in my fractured Italian; they laughed at themselves and at me, nodded and said the Italian version of "ah ha." It was kind of sweet.

Mynameismud

jajarbinks

Don't worry French people wear sneakers too! Actually some guys wear really weird things, so nobody will look at you weirdly if you wear sneakers

pititom

Sure we can take a guess on someone's nationality by its attire. But even without white sneakers, there will also be something else betraying you.

We must not be living in the same France Sneakers have become a casual shoe for a long time now, even if it is more popular among earlier that later generations.

I am amused by this thread about how different would be the sneaker trend in France and USA, because all of the kids I know here in France go buy their Nike shoes at Footlocker, and none of them has ever asked their local cordonnier if is he was carrying Le Coq Sportif sneakers

FlawlessVictory

Didn't expect this thread to be around this long I'm actually flying out this Friday. I ended up with a pair of skechers similar to these:
http://www.zappos.com/skechers-urban...aupe?zlfid=111

Seems like a good combination between comfort and style.

Mountain Trader

There's a big difference between a couple of 18 year olds wearing sneakers, and a 50 year old couple heading out on the town in Paris wearing them.

Playboy

Everyone will point and yell AMERICAN when they see you.




I'm kidding. The shoes look good.

Playboy

I don't know about that. If the 50 year couple are wearing low profile sneeks like http://www.shop.puma.com/Men/Footwea...tml?cgid=23230 or like http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/ca...0550cat3260731 they would be fine.

Personally, I'm wearing these http://www.johnstonmurphy.com/produc...pr-header-4724 when I'm there in July.

Mountain Trader

Sorry-the majority of Parisians would only wear those white Pumas to walk in the park on Sunday.

Look, Parisians like to dress with some style. It's an art pretty much lost on most Americans. If you want to just go to Paris and dress like most folks do at home, then go ahead-they'll still take your money. But part of the fun of travel is understanding and tasting the differences, because if you don't, you might as well stay home.

Delta767

This "white shoes issue" sure comes up a lot here...

Here's my advice - wear what you'd like, it's more important to behave properly in Paris than to dress properly. If you step back and look at your vacation itinerary you'll probably realize that you will not interact with many Parisians during your stay. I don't think many Parisians hang around the Eiffel Tower, just as many Brooklyn residents don't hang around the Statue of Liberty.

I've walked around Paris while wearing "European" type clothes and then normal "American" clothes and I detected no difference. I think it's more important to treat them more personally and kindly than to wear the "right" clothes. I think it's a more formal culture than other tourist places I've been to. If you behave well and say 'bonjour', etc. then most people will treat you well even if you are wearing white shoes.

If you do go to a nice restaurant or other nice place and you are not dressed to their standards, then they will let you know. In that case head back to your hotel and grab something more appropriate or find another place to go to.

aamilesslave

My observations when I lived there in the early-mid 2000s was that most of the style was in-style 30-40 years ago, particularly at the office or on my shopping street (rue Saint Antoine).

ExpatExp

This is correct. Chances are you will look like a tourist no matter what you wear. It's actually quite difficult to make all of the extremely subtle style and clothing choices that will make you truly blend in, and even then, what seems "blended-in" to a foreigner can look blatantly out of place to a local.

In Paris, as there are so many tourists, failing to blend in will not make much difference. As Delta767 says, behaving properly will get you much further!

ladyteathyme

Im having that same dilemma with comfort shoes as well. I will be wearing skirts and dresses mostly in Paris and having a hard time finding cute walking shoes. (no white tennis shoes for me)

corky

I am going in a few weeks and this stupid shoe dilemna has been on my mind especially since I carry on my luggage so can't bring a lot. Anne Klein makes shoes called Flex & they are enormously comfortable. I got mine on Zappos & they are a cute ballet flat style with a pom-pom thingy on the toe & look great with skirts. I don't plan on taking any dresses but will wear these shoes with shorts & leggings. I hope I won't look out of place with walking shorts.