Fashion Streets of Paris Part II

Notre Dame Cathedral
All photos: Vicky Tiel

We are saddened by the events of Notre Dame and the riots with the “Yellow Jackets”. But PARIS FASHION lives on! With spring weather in the air, the newest looks are out on the street.

Only the French Fashion Industry turns protesters into High Fashion.

On the left: The “Yellow Jackets” are rioting on Saturdays and fashion designers have used the yellow jacket as an influence in jackets, long pleated skirts, long summer dresses, high heels and yellow cross over bags. On the right: mixed messages. The see thru plastic raincoat in yellow worn over a print and with yellow pointed toe high heels. It is an example of the “Art of Mixing” the theme for summer 2019. I just bought a clear plastic raincoat with orange borders and pink and orange pom poms to wear over my summer print dresses.

The Latest Trends: Wearing Contrasts

1 Wearing Fashion as pop art. Mix exciting colors with black or white.
2 African prints and African styling, Layering African prints and pop colors
3 Wearing anything from short pants to gowns to pajamas with huge sneakers. Just as long as the bare ankle is showing at least 6 inches of skin, tall socks are out.
4 The long coat or jacket, preferable a man’s coat ( I’m wearing my son’s)
5 Multiple scarves hanging or draped on shoulders or worn around the head.
6 The short leather jacket only if it’s a Marlon Brando oversized style motorcycle jacket, worn with a very full short pant or skirt or a pleated long skirt or wide leg jumpsuit in pop art colors.
7 Wear buckets of African style jewelry put together to make a statement, especially in the rust and coral colors.

Spring/Summer trends on the Paris streets

The Paris windows are likely to be in New York and LA within months. The long midi pleated skirt and long midi culotte are brand new in Paris because of the bare 6 inch ankle look above the shoe. In New York they are still wearing socks with shoes and short skirts. The new African trend of mixing scarves, animal prints, corals, pop art prints and sneakers is a very exciting artistic moment in fashion and reminds me of the late sixties when St Laurent took away my sweet mini jupe moment and went wild Russian.

The very wide leg culotte pant is cut off 6 inches above the floor. This pant has a new deep inverted pleat inwards, a no-no in normal fashion times but these are not normal times. One could actually look like a bum but a very rich bum as everything is Pucci or Gucci and costs a fortune.

The St Laurent floral peasant midi dress of 1969 returns for « Summer in St Trop », but now worn with sneakers and cross over bags.

My favorite pop art look of the summer on Rue de Rennes near the Bon Marche the best store in Paris.

Fabrice latest look is all African and colored coral. Fabrice opened her shop just after me in the sixties and she loves orange and had bright orange hair.

Cafe Voltigeur

I love shopping at the Rue Roi de Siècle in the 4th arrondissement and there the IN cafe in Paris for artists and fashion designers is the Cafe Voltigeur. The street has shopping, “Beautiful Young People” all wearing white sneakers having delicious salad lunches and cafe sent with love. Total magic.

Cafe Chez Marianne
Chez Mananne

The 4th arrondissement is an artists paradise. Just off the Roi de Siecle is this piece of Paris Magic. It is just next to the Cafe Voltigeur, Chez Marianne, a most romantic hideaway for lunch. There are three neighborhoods that I window shop for inspiration in Paris:
1 Rue Roi de Seicle, Rue Francs- Bourgeoise the 4th around Place de Voges
2 Rue de Grenelle , Rue St Père, Rue Bonaparte in the 6 th
3 Rue de Charonne in the 11 th

This is where Fashion starts in Paris. This is where artists, writers, and movie people live. I arrived on Rue Bonaparte as a Parson’s Paris student in 1963, and I’m still there today.

Vicky Tiel

Vicky Tiel is an American born French couturier designing since 1964, when she went to Paris with her partner, Mia Fonssagrives. They created a storm with their miniskirts, hot pants and jumpsuits. Vicky did the costumes for 15 films and in 1975 she sold couture to Henri Bendel’s and 45 leading shops In 2011 she joined HSN TV, wrote her first book “Its All About the Dress” and has written a second book “The Absolute Woman It’s All About Feminine Power” which she recently launched on HSN.

2 Comments
  1. Hi Vicky,
    Where did you buy that transparent plastic raincoat with the pink pom poms+orange?
    Hope we can catch up one of these days.
    Best,
    Deanna

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