European Street Fashion

I kept my eyes wide open as we traveled to England, France, Italy, and Germany. Here’s what I saw everywhere:

- Ballet flats. Usually in black.
- Blazers. Blazers. Blazers. Small and oversized. Why didn’t I bring any?
- Tennis/sporty shoes (not workout shoes).
- Straight leg jeans in medium or dark washes.
- Skinny pants and jeans.
- Black clothing.
- Leggings.
- Pencil skirts.
- Large hobo handbags.
- Longchamp and Louis Vuitton handbags.
- Striped shirts, especially in Paris.
- Lots of scarves. It was chilly in London and Frankfurt.

It is true that Europeans dress more formally than we do here in the United States. And I did see girls wearing high heels once in a while. I think if I would have known this, and anticipated the cooler weather, I would have packed differently.

My New Parisian Flats

We have returned from our Europe trip! Unfortunately I lost our camera somewhere in Paris, so you'll have to bear with me, there may not be new outfit posts for a while until we can buy a new one.

I purchased two things for myself on our trip, a grey Espirit sweater and a pair of flats. Not just any flats, though, a pair of red patent, French brand Repetto ballerina flats. I had heard about the quality, classic, comfortable shoes on the internet, but since they do not have stores outside of France (save a corner of The Shoe Galleries floor in London's Selfridges department store), I have not seen them in person or tried them on. I wanted to check them out for myself!

The Repetto store was busy. A young man helped me, and when I told him I was interested in trying on the red patent pair (the only reds on display), he gave me a skeptical look and said they were almost sold out. My European shoe size is 36 (size 6) but he said he only had a 37 left. I tried them on anyways, and they fit! I think they run a bit small.

I have never tried on such a flexible pair of patent shoes. Usually patent is stiff, maybe reinforced? but these were very flexible. They did not slip off my heel, and generally they were very comfortable. So here they are, and I think you'll be seeing them get a lot of wear! Sorry I don't have a closeup of them...

Flats Are Everywhere!

Hi from Rome!

One thing I learned very quickly, sightseeing all day for many days requires flat shoes.

The second thing I noticed is that most women in London wear flats. Either ballerina flats or sport shoes (not athletic shoes). On the Tube, I saw women wearing flats with pantyhose (see photo above)!

I brought two pairs of heels and one pair of flats on our vacation. The heels are low and comfortable, but not enough for an entire day on my feet!

In Paris, I continued to see a lot of ballerina flats and sport shoes. And some flat sandals.

Here in Rome I have seen gladiator flats but also very high heels in the shopping and high-end districts.

So my friends, there is a little report on footwear in Europe!

Manolo Blahnik Pop Up At Liberty in London

Hello from Paris!

I have been touring the streets of London and Paris, and really looking for fashion news to report. First up: London's Fashion's Night Out, at the Liberty store. There was a Manolo Blahnik pop-up, or temporary, store with Mr. Blahnik attending! I must have gotten there after he left. It was still a madhouse, as you can see above. Masses of women trying on and buying shoes. Very expensive shoes.

I am on a flats kick. Love those top Manolos.

Fashion's Night Out was nice and seemed to be over too soon. We had champagne at the Levi's store, and visited Selfridges department store, and most store windows had the FNO logo printed on their storefront windows. It was a bit cool outside and came at the end of a long day of sightseeing. What is interesting about Oxford St./New Bond St. is how the stores keep repeating. We would see an H&M and then about seven blocks later, see another one on the same street. Didn't buy anything but tried on a skirt and a dress.

Hope you are all doing well my friends! I'll try to post again soon.

Vacationing in London, Paris, Rome, and Frankfurt

Hello my friends! My husband and I are going on a two week vacation in Europe. I’ve been saving my hard-earned dollars to buy some clothing and shoes on the other side of the Atlantic.

We are taking our netbook computer, so I will be able to continue blogging, however, it may not be every weekday as I’ve been doing.

Look for street style posts, my outfit posts, and other goodies, including a report from London’s Fashion’s Night Out. I won’t bore you with the touristy stuff, I’ll be blogging about fashion, spirituality, or humor, I assure you!