Seasonal sale in France

A general notion is that France is not a consumer-oriented society. Whoever subscribes to this concept has not been to seasonal sales! French women and men L-O-V-E their shopping!!!

Galeries Lafayette's 3-day sale alone is a sight to wonder: these are the days when Lafayette, sparkling and gleaming, gets crammed, swirling with people who try on outfits and make purchasing decisions. The line-up at cash registers - incredible! Prices - unbelievable! Girlfriends discuss fashion, moms and daughters stroll through rows of neatly laid-out clothing, couples wait patiently in line to get to the watch and jewelry counters... Men, split in pairs, wander around stacks of cashmere sweaters, asking each other couture questions.

Later, shoppers take a break in restaurants around Galeries - men drink beer, having piled their shopping bags under and around the seats; women discuss their shopping victories, picking on Croque Monsieur and a salad.

The French enjoy shopping and sales as much as every other person in any other country. The main difference is that they seem to do it so non-nonchalantly and no-stress; the same way they dress, eat and live.

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How to be unambiguously Canadian

Roots handbag

How do you identify a Canadian in a crowd of tourists on St Marco's square, the Louvre, the Pyramids, etc? Look at the backpack or purse they are carrying (never mind the bright red baseball hat with a maple leaf on it) - it will most probably have a Roots symbol on it! It is like a secret sign - the Masonic handshake, the "know" symbol of a sort, that whispers "you are here too, eh"?

I love Roots purses for their casual ease and functionality but had not thought they'd be more than just a purse when I packed two on my trip. Incidentally, I've had a few conversations with fellow-Canadians inspired by the bright-red Roots purse I was carrying.
A rare Canadian is fond of red-and-white flag-waving, instead, they are inconspicuously wearing Roots abroad!


The Impression of the Day.
The Little Nomad: You know, mom, girls at school are not girlie-girls at all.
The Nomad mom: What do you mean? They don't play with Barbies?
The Little Nomad: No, they don't. The fight with boys and some are even stronger than any of the boys!

Maybe that's one of reasons French men are so lean?

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The Wazemmes Market

One of the largest markets in France, the Wazemmes Market combines the liveliness of French markets' afternoons and the hustle of a Middle-eastern bazaar. Open 3 days a weeks, the market draws the biggest crowd on Sundays (up to 50,000 we were told). It really felt that all 50,000 showed on a day we went there! The covered market, although not as exciting as the outside, has a great cheese shop (if you are willing to wait in line)! The flea markets sells everything from bijou to carpets.

The shouts of street sellers, the smell of cooked food (everything from Arabic delicacies to Spanish paella to traditional French pastry), the colorful sight of flower stalls and rows of vegetables make this market a great place to visit and shop! We bought way too much our family would need for the next few days: vegetables, ripe fruit and ripe cheese :), freshly-baked, still warm bread, and off-the-stove middle-eastern dessert for the kids! From now I know what I'll do on Sunday afternoons!

The Impression of the Day: Gap Canada is couture! 
While the Little Nomads and I hang out at the market, I heard someone speak to me in French. I turned around to see a thirty-something French dad, whose outfit would certainly qualify as hyper metro-sexual in North America (and "just-went-out-for-a-stroll-on-a-Sun-afternoon" in France) with an equally well-dressed three-year-old sitting in a stroller, which I would not even know how to operate. After my usual Je ne parle pas français, the guy switched to perfect English and inquired where I bought the hats the Lille Nomads were wearing.
-Canada, - I said. Gap Canada.
The disappointment showed on the Dad's face and he sighed: "Oh, I'm sure we don't have them here. But I'll check, thanks!"
It sounded the way we'd say: "Oh, you know, such and such bought her dress in France and of course, you can't buy that here!"

So yeah, Gap Canada, let's show who REALLY sets the global fashion trends!!!

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A Note on Fashion

My fav H&M look -
a sheer ruffle dress
with a faux leather aviator jacket

Taking advantage of the good weather, we spent the first half of the day exploring the neighbourhood park and we ventured into the city again, this time after lunch. We walked straight to Viex Lille, the old part of the city, lined with beautiful mansions of different eras, churches (Notre Dame church dates back to 1277), and boutiques.

The city is all in preparation for Braderie de Lille-  a massive second-hand fair. I also had a chance to look around and enjoy not only the architecture but the local fashion as well. The main adjective of the style here is effortless. Outfits look more like an after-thought rather than a thorough thought-through (forgive the pun) process. I can almost feel how in the morning the Lille girls and women pull out a couple of shirts and leggings, a warmer top, shoes, a scarf and a bag before running out of the door. But somehow everything comes together to create a fashionable ensemble- understated, but very tasteful and striking in its simplicity. Canadian street fashion is said to be simple, but French way is simple in a different way. Simple in its elegance and effortless taste.

If I were to choose a store to represent the line of the female style here, I'd pick an H&M layered look. Accessories are very popular - hats, scarves, and bold (mostly silver-toned) jewelry. I wish I could snap a few pictures of the outfits I particularly liked - but the one that struck me the most was a girl on a bus who wore a business suit: a fitted black blazer and shorts and Western boots. Something that's hard to imagine that goes well together but it did look well.

The Impression of the Day. French women are not into hair-style products.
Very much used to finding an isle dedicated to shampoos and conditioners, and another one to hair gels, mousses, and sprays in North America, I was amazed to find a minuscule selection of sprays (about 10-15) and 5 mousse containers. I guess au naturel applies to hair styling as well.

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