What are they wearing?

Cassie, this one is for you!

Montpellier is a lot like New Orleans in terms of climate and the easy going attitude of the people. Their style could easily be picked up by New Orleanians because of that. It's about 85-90 degrees during the day but not as humid. At night it's still warm enough to wear jeans and a tank top but the wind picks up. It's actually very comfortable. Everybody has a very laid back vibe as well. The beach is not far away, but I wouldn't say that Montpellier fashion is as chic or as skin-exposed as Nice, and yet it is not as uptight as Paris fashion.

People in Montpellier wear white like the Parisians wear black. White is everywhere. White pants with white tanks, jeans and big white shirts, white dresses, and white shirts with white skirts. The material of choice is linen. Linen pants are huge here in all colors and so far the majority of women are wearing harem pants. They come in both capri length and full length in all colors of linen. Black and white however are the two most popular choices. They are paired with tops that are left loose as well- not tucked in.

The other popular trend is short dresses or even long shirts worn as dresses with a belt falling loose on the hips. The girls and I are still unsure of how we feel about this. You'd definitely need to be rail thin to pull it off. The problem we noted was the dresses are too short especially with the wind here. No one seems to mind this however. I don't think America is ready. We are debating whether or not we can pull this look off at home. Dropped waistline is certainly the look. It's more into a flappers cut 1920s feel. Gone is the high waist. To achieve the low waist look, pair a loose shirt with skirts or pants even if the waistline on the bottoms is high-it will appear lower. Women over 40 also tend to wear a longer dress shirt over white jeans or pants and wear a belt over the shirt.

Flat sandals are also the rage. I was surprised that they are wearing those gladiator sandals. Mostly they are wearing colorful t-strap sandals with an ankle strap. They wear these with everything-even when dressing up. This is not to say that the ballet flat is out of style, but I predict it is more common in Paris.

Dad, as for the "man about town," linen is also key. Button down linen shirts, not tucked it, with jeans or khakis. They also wear regular dress shirts-but not tucked in and without a tie. When at work, they stick to dark suits with those European cut pants that are on the tighter side and thin black ties. Older men, not you Dad, will pair their button down shirt almost always with khakis, a sweater or jacket, and a newsboy hat.

And that is your French fashion update. Wear white harem pants, be casual, and you will look totally French.