Wearing: Comme Si shirt · CLOSED Jora jeans · Rothy’s sneakers
After nearly three weeks of living out of my suitcase, I realized how similar my daily wardrobe was to what I wear at home. I wasn’t creating new outfits or dressing differently because I was traveling; I was reaching for familiar pieces, combining them in different ways, and adapting them to the weather and whatever I had planned. I shared many of these looks on Instagram Stories, but wanted to bring them together here along with a few observations about what I wore most, what I could’ve done without, and what I learned along the way.
I don’t plan outfits in advance. Instead, each morning I consider the temperature, my calendar, and generally how I feel like dressing that day. Occasionally, I’d return to the hotel midday to change a layer as the temperature shifted. Otherwise, I worked with what I’d brought, repeating favorite pieces in different combinations. There’s an ease in dressing this way, knowing how something will feel throughout the day, both in comfort and style. I take much the same approach at home.
When I was packing for this trip, I made a conscious effort to move away from black, which is usually the starting point of my wardrobe. As I began laying everything out, a mix of browns, camel, charcoal, and denim took shape. A little navy and a few softer colors worked their way in, too. Brown has been particularly appealing to me this season, especially alongside gray, pale blue, pink, and cream.
Wearing: Comme Si shirt · Burberry Kensington trench · Crimson Cashmere scarf
Shirts, Denim, and the Pieces on Repeat
Shirts became the foundation of much of what I wore during the day. I’ve always appreciated the ease of a button-down with jeans, particularly when the fabric has a nice hand and the fit is relaxed without being oversized. A shirt adds polish to an otherwise casual outfit and offers plenty of possibilities for layering.
Wearing: Comme Si shirt · Hermès scarf
A pale blue cotton poplin from Comme Si was in frequent rotation. I think every closet benefits from a pale blue button-down. It’s flattering near my face, works with nearly every neutral, and is a year-round staple. I wore mine open at the neck, often with a small silk scarf, under a trench or blazer, and layered with lightweight knits. Early on, I recognized the versatility of having a poplin shirt option on this trip, and bought a couple along the way, including a brown pinstripe from Hartford.
Wearing: TWP striped shirt · Similar striped poplin shirt · Vintage Levi’s · Hermès bag · Chanel scarf
For a completely different feel, a brown and white wide-striped shirt from TWP was ideal on warmer days. Made from a fine cotton-silk, it’s almost sheer, so I wore it with a white Susana Monaco tank underneath. I also own the tank in black. It’s a closet staple. The lightness of the striped shirt was particularly welcome on days when the temperature stayed warm well into the evening.
Wearing: Citizens of Humanity Annina jeans · Madewell denim shirt · Nili Lotan denim shirt (alternative) · Hyer Goods bag · Nili Lotan belt
For cooler days, I liked the weight of a denim shirt, which I often paired with Citizens of Humanity Annina jeans. The washes are so close in color that together they create a continuous line of denim. It’s a combination I often wear at home and an ideal starting point for adding a blazer, jacket, sweater, or scarf. I usually wear a belt to break up the denim at the waist, while keeping the rest of the outfit relatively uninterrupted. Whatever I layer over it becomes the focus.
Wearing: Boden Elsie cashmere sweater · TWP fringed cashmere scarf · CLOSED Jora jeans · Rothy’s Ivy sneakers · DONNI pointelle tee
Four pairs of jeans were in regular rotation, each with a different shape. The newest addition was a slim straight pair from CLOSED, purchased at Henry Lehr in the Hamptons just before leaving. I hadn’t been wearing a narrower leg much lately, and was reminded how good the proportions can look with flat sneakers or Mary Janes. After several seasons of fuller denim, the change felt fresh.
Wearing: Burberry trench · MOTHER gray jeans · Prada crossbody · Brown suede boots – Similar styles from Margaux and The Row
Wearing: Citizens of Humanity Annina jeans · similar denim shirt · Pierre Hardy loafers · Similar Emme Parsons loafers · Belt purchased in Paris, similar · Falke socks
The relaxed Annina jeans from Citizens of Humanity have the silhouette I noticed most often on women in Paris, across all age groups. They have a heavier weight than the other jeans I brought, and the soft, loose leg nearly grazes the floor. The shape feels current without being trendy. I’ve had mine for years and love the way they hang perfectly off the mid-waist. The other two denim styles I packed, one charcoal and one in a mid-wash blue, both from MOTHER, have high waists and full, slightly flared legs that give them more of a trouser feel. I particularly like those with blouses tucked in and a belt, although their length calls for a boot with a little height.
Wearing: TWP Patti blouse · also available in tan · olive · dark brown · ivory
My dinners were generally casual, so for evenings I often kept the same denim or changed into a pair of DONNI pants, replacing a daytime shirt with something softer or a little dressier. A brown ruffled blouse from TWP is an old favorite. I own two other colors of this exact style, navy and ivory, and haven’t tired of the shape after several years. I’m now considering adding it in tan.
Wearing: Nili Lotan Janese polka-dot blouse
I also wore a Nili Lotan silk-chiffon polka-dot bow blouse several times, and it became the most requested item from my Paris posts. Unfortunately, it’s from a previous season, so I’ve linked several good alternatives:
Similar styles: Nili Lotan brown dot blouse · Milly tie neck blouse · Lafayette 148 semi-sheer dot blouse · Lafayette 148 tie-neck blouse · Nili Lotan polka dot blouse without bow · J.Crew plaid georgette blouse with bow tie · The Great brown dot blouse
I especially like the semi-sheer dot and the tie-neck crêpe de Chine blouses from Lafayette 148. They’ve both been added to my fall shopping list along with another Nili Lotan blouse. Not a bow tie, but equally fabulous. Maybe red? A yellow printed, ruffle-front blouse from Ulla Johnson was another nice option. I bought it in the Hamptons just before the trip and was glad to introduce a lighter color. None of these blouses need much styling, and I generally wore them with jeans, a change of shoes, and occasionally a blazer. They were just right for dinner or an evening out.
Scarves and Layers
Scarves probably made the biggest difference in how my familiar clothes looked. I wear many of these same shirts and jeans at home, but Southern California doesn’t offer nearly as many opportunities to wear scarves. In Paris, they changed the look of an outfit without changing the clothes underneath.
When I wanted something with just a hint of layering, I reached for small silk scarves in the losange shape. I don’t have to think twice about how to tie them. They always seem to fall into place when wrapped twice or three times around my neck and tucked neatly into an open shirt. Several times, I wore an Hermès blue geometric losange purchased years ago, which reminded me of how much I love this shape. I shopped for more in the Hermès boutiques (ask to see them in the men’s department).
On my first day in Paris, I spotted a beautiful rose-pink Prada scarf edged in burgundy. Once I realized it was the losange shape, I didn’t hesitate to make it my first purchase of the trip. I knew it would be easy to wear with much of what I’d brought.
Wearing: &Daughter pink cashmere foulard (the bright pink is sold out) · &Daughter argyle cashmere foulard · vintage Hermès hat
Cashmere foulards were another favorite, including a bright pink triangle and an argyle-patterned one. The smaller triangular shape is easy to style over a shirt or sweater, adding warmth without much bulk. One of my new favorite foulards is this pale yellow argyle, so pretty with a soft palette. A larger navy fringed scarf from TWP, purchased in New York, offered more coverage and weight. I especially liked the fringe layered over sweaters or with the scarf tied around my waist. I’m hoping they restock it.
Wearing: CLOSED Jora jeans · striped shirt · Similar One Grey Day sweater in pink · Also love the yellow · Scarosso perforated Mary Janes · Shirt and belt purchased in Paris
I chose several lightweight sweaters in more interesting colors, including chartreuse, bright red, and pink, with the idea of using them as styling pieces rather than necessarily wearing them for warmth. I tied them around my waist, draped them over my shoulders, or wrapped them around my neck with the sleeves falling backward, almost like a scarf. Against all the brown, gray, and denim, these little additions of color made a noticeable difference.
Jackets surprised me. I’d brought two casual, lightweight wool Max Mara jackets expecting to wear them regularly, but the weather rarely called for them. Instead, I kept reaching for softer layers, particularly a gray suede shirt jacket and a tartan plaid cashmere cardigan jacket.
Wearing: ARMA gray suede jacket · Prada pink scarf
ARMA gifted me a suede shirt jacket before I left, and it was one of the pieces I was most excited to wear. The color, called Soil, looks much darker on their website than it does in person. I loved how the soft gray worked with the browns and denim I’d packed, particularly with the pink Prada scarf. It had enough weight to keep out the chill without feeling like a substantial jacket. The tartan cashmere cardigan offered something different, with its pattern and softer shape. Both felt more interesting to me on this trip than simply throwing on one of my usual jackets.
Wearing: Guest in Residence tartan jacket · &Daughter pink cashmere foulard · CHORD corduroy cap · Hyer Goods bag · SOLD OUT NYC long-sleeve tee
The Basics and Finishing Pieces
I always pack a few short-sleeve T-shirts, but they never made it into rotation on this trip. Instead, I kept alternating between two long-sleeved styles: a fine pointelle tee from DONNI and a classic basic tee from SOLD OUT NYC.
Both have enough detail and shape to stand on their own, but what I particularly appreciate is how neatly they sit at the neckline when layered under a crewneck sweater. I like seeing that small slice of white peeking out. They’re equally good under an open shirt jacket or cardigan, and those were the combinations I found myself wearing.
Wearing: Pierre Hardy Ethan loafers · Rothy’s Ivy sneakers
With so much walking, shoes required a little more thought. My black Rothy’s sneakers were the most frequently worn, while perforated Mary Janes were a nice alternative on warmer days. Brown suede boots gave the fuller jeans the height they needed.
For evenings, I occasionally changed into black Mary Janes from The Row, usually with my DONNI pants. They’re beautiful flats, but the thin soles aren’t ideal for hours on cobblestones. I also had a red pair of Alaïa Mary Janes that I wore only once, since the other pairs covered much the same ground.
Toward the end of the trip, I bought a pair of Pierre Hardy leather loafers. After weeks of rotating through the same shoes, they gave familiar outfits a slightly different feel. They were also comfortable straight out of the box. I wore them for an entire day without a single issue, which is always a welcome surprise with new shoes.
Wearing: TWP Notched Sloped blazer · Nili Lotan polka-dot blouse
My three handbags each had a distinct purpose. The small black Dior crossbody was ideal when I wanted to carry very little and often came out in the evening. The Prada nylon bag was good on rainy days when I didn’t want to wear a leather bag. Plus, it’s large enough to carry my video camera, an umbrella, folded hat, and anything else I needed for longer days or visits to the flea market.
Wearing: Hyer Goods La Corsa bag
The white Hyer Goods bag was a particularly good choice. I liked its shape, weight, and color, and it held more than its size suggested. It was comfortable worn crossbody and looked quite different with the strap removed and carried by its top handle. The one drawback was how easily the white leather picked up color from my denim. I found myself cleaning it fairly often to keep it looking fresh. Fortunately, it cleaned up easily, although a darker color might have been more practical for everyday use.
Traveling always makes me want to edit my closet when I get home. After several weeks of wearing a relatively small collection of clothes in different combinations, I’m reminded how much I can do with clothes I already own. Then I open my closet at home and wonder why I have so much. It’s a good reminder to keep wearing what I already love and be a little more selective about everything else.
I’ve gathered links to everything still available, along with similar options for older pieces, all in one place on ShopMy.
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