mauitammy

My teenage son, husband and I will be in Paris for 5 nights in July and then we will travel onto Germany for 8 nights. Our teenage son basically lives in jeans. Last year in Italy (Rome, Venice, Amalfi coast? jeans were fine everywhere we went. We won't be eating in any fine dining establishments, but prefer the more informal local cafes to enjoy great local food and great wine. We love sitting outside and people watching. Will jeans be fine for him to wear in Paris?

Also, he collects Hard Rock Cafe drumsticks. He is a percussionist. How far is HRC from the Latin Quarter where it looks like we will be staying? I know we will need to drop by there to add to his collection.

Thanks everyone.

LuckyLuc

Bonjour Mauitammy,

Teenage boys of the world all dress the same. So jeans will be fine in Paris. I do known that hoodies have a bad reputation and are link to banlieusards but besides that anything goes. Enjoy Paris.

Ackislander

Jeans, absolutely yes.
Anything hip-hop, probably not, as LuckyLuc notes.

The HRC is near the Opera [!], and there are many easy bus and Metro routes from the Latin Quarter to the Opera.

Google their website.

mauitammy

Thanks for the information. He has more of the preppy look type of jeans, although the style is for the jeans to look old even though they are new. He always looks nice, but he says he hates dressing up. It was hard to get him into the gorgeous black suit I bought him for a Homecoming dance that a girl invited him to last fall. He looked so handsome and secretly I think he liked how he looked in the suit, but he would NEVER admit it. I think he hated the dance more than the suit though.

mauitammy

Sorry! I don't know how that posted before I hit post my reply! Weird!

Anyway, thanks for the information. I feel better now. I keep reading how prople dress up in Paris, so was a little concerned.

freeman0819

Hi Mauitammy- You will have a wonderful time in Paris!! For the HRC, if you have a AAA card (not sure if you're from the US?), bring it with you. You can get a 15% discount at the gift shop at the HRC. I don't know if you have spend a certain amount (I didn't buy anything this time around when I was there), but it's worth a shot. Also, the salesperson mentioned military discounts (I imagine it's the same 15%), but every little bit counts... Have fun!

mauitammy

Thank you for the information freeman0819. I appreciate the AAA tip. I always forget about that. I wasn't sure if they gave that discount outside the US as we tried to use our AAA card at Grand Cayman HRC and they said they did not give a discount. I don't think we even tried in Rome because of that. I will definitely give it a try in Paris and Munich though. You are right every little bit helps!

Hagan

"Hoodies" are considered hip-hop or bandit-like in Paris? Oh brother, we're in trouble! That's all teens (and older) wear on cool days here in central Florida. Our grandsons will be bringing theirs to wear in case of windy/rainy weather underneath their light jackets. Also, getting them to wear anything other than t-shirts and jeans is an impossibility. I hope we don't get kicked out of places!!!
I wish they dressed more "preppy", it's just TOO casual here.

StCirq

Hoodies are gross anywhere. Jeans are fine anywhere if worn well and appropriately - i.e., not hanging off the butt or too tight.
My 16-year-old son has a penchant for jeans just like any other kid his age, but when we're in Europe and dining in nice restaurants, he puts on corduroys or khakis and a nice sweater. Makes him feel like he's part of the scene.
Last night, he and I drove to a nearby restaurant in the DC area that he loves that's very popular and casual, only to find it had closed down, so we had to go elsewhere. We ended up, because he loves seafood, at a fairly upscale place nearby where we live and he was absolutely mortified that he was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt. I had to hand it to him that he KNEW he was not dressed properly for the place, even though the wait staff were perfectly fine with seating us and serving us. Let you consence be your guide. Surely your teenage son has one too.

walkinaround

>>>>>
i.e., not hanging off the butt or too tight.
<<<<<

however, either of these styles will make one fit in better in paris...as any five minute ride on the metro will prove.

MissPrism

I'd echo the bit about jeans being worn appropriately.
I was in Marks and Spencer one day (not really a shop where teenagers go) and two American lads came in with their mother.
The older one, about 16 was showing the top of his underpants, but the younger, about 13 was practically showing the legs of his.
The older one was terribly embarrassed because he could see that people were looking and smiling at his brother.

mauitammy

Thank you for the suggestions. As I originally posted we will be there in July, so I don't think we will be bringing corduroys or sweaters, but he does have some nice button down shirts that he can bring to wear with his jeans. He doesn't wear his jeans hanging off his hips, so that is not a concern. He does have many hoodies and usually wears one on the plane for our travels no matter where we are going, but I doubt he will wear it at all while in Paris in July. They aren't the hip hop type of hoodie, but more of the surfer type from Hawaii. Thanks for the suggestions and advice. I suspected dress for teenagers in Paris was similar to Rome, but kept reading how much dressier Paris was, so thought I would check.

m_kingdom2

"kept reading how much dressier Paris was"

Hardly. If anything, the Italians are far dressier than the French. I remember when I was in Rome some thirty years ago and was talking to a charming elderly Italian woman in a shop. She told me that Italians would spend their last penny on clothes i.e. even the poorer ones would spend all they earn on the latest fashions.

Your son is a teenager, teenagers are the same the world over, just because they might be Parisian teenagers doesn't mean that come seven pm they slip into a dinner suit. Whatever he wears at home will be more than acceptable for Paris. I will be interested in your opinion post-Paris - I am quite sure you won't be describing it as "dressy" once you've seen the state of some of the people there!

mauitammy

Thank you for the information. The fashions we saw in Italy were much different than what I was expecting after reading different travel message boards. So, it will be interesting to see what they are wearing in Paris.

Christina

The Hard Rock Cafe is at 14 bd du Montmartre which is just above the Grands Boulevards metro stop in the 9th arrondisement. It's just a short ride on the metro from the Latin Qtr, less than two miles. Don't go to the Opera because it's not right near it, go to where it is.

nona1

Europe is, generally speaking, very tolerant of all sorts of bizarre teenage fashions and looks. Goths, punks, scruffy hippy/boho types, chavs, boys with long hair, girls with number 2 crops, you name it, you'll see it.

In fact, a teenager in American 'preppy' style clothing is likely to have even the surrounding adults thinking 'what a dork' rather than 'how nice'.

nona1

I must have a different idea of preppy then.

Momof3sons

Thank you for asking this question. I too kept reading about how formal Paris is. I unfortunately haven't been to Europe since 1986 as a college student. This summer I will be travelling to Paris, Normandy, Ireland and England with my husband and 3 teenage sons. I've read several places that shorts and white tennis shoes make you stand out as a tourist. My sons are also preppy and khaki shorts are a staple. I've reasoned with myself that this attire will be fine (they will have long khaki pants too) but I was really wondering and know that they don't want to stand out as tourists.

marginal_margiela

The term "preppy" applies to anything, including clothing, that pertains to a prep school (Harrow, Groton, Choate, St. Timothy's). Since the people who attend prep schools tend to be those who become the movers and shakers of the world, I doubt I would use the word "dork" when making a reference to prep clothing.

I went to prep school and I wear Weejuns, rep ties, and blue Brooks Brothers blazers. You would be very hard pressed, indeed, to look as thin and gorgeous as I do.

You obviously don't have a summer cottage on Nantucket.

fnarf999

Paris, like your home town, is not monolithic. There are people who wear sports jerseys and hoodies and so on, and people who think people who wear sports jerseys and hoodies are hoodlums. There is nothing that you can wear that will achieve 100% approval from Parisians. And you will probably not be able to tell the difference between people who respect you or disrespect you because of your clothing or for any other reason (like not speaking French, or being slow, or whatever reason they want to find).