The French have a reputation for all things luxury, don’t they? Wine, cheese, espresso, perfume, and certainly, style. But what exactly does men’s style look like in France? And what style lessons from the French should we borrow?

To find out, I recently spent some time in Paris. It was my first trip to France and simply put, I loved it. If you haven’t been, you need to book a flight right away. It’s an incredible city that’s best seen on foot. The food is spectacular, whether you eat a nice meal in a restaurant or eat a typical French breakfast of a croissant and coffee, you won’t be disappointed.

From a sartorial perspective, yes, Parisians do indeed dress well. Whether they are enjoying some wine at a bistro at 10:00 pm or commuting to/from the office, Parisian men are dressed pretty sharp. Fortunately, adopting their style doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. And doing so will certainly help you to stand apart from the crowd here in the Denver and Scottsdale areas.

Let’s break it down:

Wear a scarf

In Colorado, we have a very frontier attitude. That’s partly why we see so many mountain rain shells being worn all over town. When the temperature drops, we have a tendency to just zip up our jackets and tuck our chins down to stay warm.

A far better option for the city is to wear a jacket and a scarf.

On the drizzly days that I was in the French capital, the daily highs were in the mid-50s and believe me when I tell you, almost every Parisian man was wearing a scarf around his neck. It wasn’t a heavy wool scarf, but a much more fine and soft silk or woolen/silk blend, so far as I could tell.

Stick to dark colors

To some extent, I think that this is a stereotype on French style, and New York style, for that matter.

Turns out, it’s true!

But it’s a good thing because everyone looks great in black. Many of the Parisian men that I saw around town were wearing varying hues on black, charcoal, and grey. Not only does dressing in dark colors make matching easy, but it’s a very classic and sophisticated look.

Carry an umbrella

In the Colorado area we have a tendency to wear our mountain rain coats when the sky looks like it will turn to rain. But in the city, a better option is to wear a dressier jacket and simply grab an umbrella.

Carrying an umbrella is an instant style upgrade for any gentlemen. French men obviously know this.

Style lessons from the French — Wrap up

Are there more style lessons from the French that we can adopt? Of course! This is just a small sampling of what I saw while I was visiting the city. And obviously, my knowledge of French style spans only three days and only in Paris. Nevertheless, adopting just one of these style techniques will help to elevate your own look in a hurry!

Check out our lookbook for some more inspiration here.