by Maria K.

Created on: September 16, 2008

Paris definitely takes the prize as far as style is concerned. One of the things I love most about Parisians is that they dress for themselves. They would never show up in public looking like crap, just because they are going to work and they hate their job so much, they want to look bad out of sheer spite. They prefer to look good regardless of where they are headed. Learn this trick - you'll feel better about yourself.

Men and women wear fitted coats, pants and sweaters, tall boots and skintight jeans (as likely to be seen on a 35-year old as on a 15-year old and looking good on both.) Parisians don't look like runway models, although lovely faces and figures are somewhat more commonplace (due to healthier more active lifestyle I suppose), nor do they dress head-to-toe in couture. However, most of them - even the young ones - have a distinctive dressing style. It might look weird and/or wacky, but it is always uniquely theirs.

One of the widely spread prejudice about the French is that they are over-sexed. I am not a psychologist, but in my approximation the only one anyone can be over-sexed is when he or she makes a big deal out of all things sexual. The French do no such thing - or at least the Parisians don't, as far as I can tell. Rather, sex is a natural part of life treated in a very relaxed manner, which makes life a lot easier for everyone.

Do you remember the famous Janet Jackston "wardrobe malfunction" incident? Sure you do... The entire several months, while the U.S. was ranting and raving about the whole thing, the French must have blown half of their mental fuses trying to figure out what the big deal was. I saw a woman lift her tee-shirt, bare her breast and feed her baby in the middle of a cafe at the Louvre, all the while continuing to chat with her husband and another woman at their table - probably a friend. The baby was hungry and took his time, but nobody seemed to mind, nobody tried to cover up the mother with a scarf or a napkin and nobody ran to get the museum security. The whole thing was a non-issue.

By the same token, it doesn't bother anyone, when a clerk at a clothing store asks whether you prefer a dress in a smaller size for a tighter sexier look or whether a more relaxed fit is okay... Or when a poster for Disney World - Paris peacefully coexists with a poster for Sexy Gallerie - a popular lingerie shop that was having a large sale around the time of our visit. I personally think that poster was adorable, but a company would be

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