ANGERS: A reflection on French fashion (Four shades of gray)
While interning at an English-speaking coffee and tea salon here in Angers called My Favourite Place, I have noticed two things watching people come and go.
A) Most French people like to feed their children hot chocolate and chocolate croissants for breakfast.
B) Most French people only like to wear four shades of gray. Dark gray, light gray, medium gray, and the darkest shade of gray there is: black. Sometimes they get crazy and wear brown, but I think that’s only on special occasions when there’s a birthday or if they want to add a pop of color to their death-eater outfit.
The common French outfit consists of three items; a dark trench coat or sweater, some form of dark pants or skinny jeans and little boots or dress shoes. This is generally the same for both men and women, and according to some of the French students I go to school with, the dark colors remain year-round.
It seems classic and even classy at first, but I have grown pretty tired of seeing the same exact outfit on everyone I walk by. Even in the clothing stores it is extremely difficult to find a color lighter than dark green or blue.
You would think the country home to Paris fashion week would have a wider range of color choices.
Maybe it’s because I’m from Texas where everything is sunny and bright, but I’m starting to really miss all the quirky colors Austinites wear.
Which brings me to my point that French people may know fashion, but they lack in the style department.
Last week, a woman came in to My Favourite Place wearing a purple trench coat and I had to turn away. All of that color was too much for me. It seems my eyes have grown accustomed to all this Walking Dead fashion.
Maybe all these asymmetrical dark lines are meant to detract from the fact that French people aren’t in very good shape after all. How could they be? They’re made of bread.
At least now that the sun is coming out I don’t feel like I’m dressing for a funeral as much every day. Maybe I am being overly dramatic, but so are these colors. Lighten up, France.
