Bonsoir or any other stylish ladies from Paris - help please!

[TheBossofMe]

I've been invited to a super super smart wedding in Paris - royalty meets rock royalty, very international guest list but a fair proportion of guests will be French because the bride grew up there. Its an early afternoon wedding, with an evening do afterwards, with no opportunity to change in-between. So my question is, what do smart but fairly cool and elegant Parisiennes wear to weddings like this? Same as in the UK/US, ie evening/cocktail type dresses with wraps etc over the top to keep you warm in the day (its in May, so not too cold)? Or is it more of a formal dress type thing? Really excited to be going and sooooo don't want to get it wrong!

Am not in Paris but have never seen hats for example at a French wedding (I know you didn't ask that but still... )

Never seen people change either, most weddings are afternoon and then an evening do which goes on til 5am or later/earlier!

Everyone was very impressed by how colourful and dressed-up my English friends were at my wedding - I'm sure you'll look great!

What about fascinators? Or is it just a head-adornment-free zone?

MIL thinks people turn up at French weddings in ordinary day clothes. She's a bit odd and has retired to Normandy, so I'm loathe to take her at her word!

If you want to blend in rather than stand out, I would go for a neutral colours. For some reason all the well-heeled French people I know don't do colour.

thanks ladies - I'll avoid the purple dress that I had my eye on, then!

Lots of people do turn up at weddings very underdressed by UK standards, which I think is a real shame.

But that is unlikely at a posh Paris affair!

No hats - that's very British, though French will probably love it if you you wear one and it suits you. The French ladies will dress for the evening with a wrap or jacket. I'd say go with whatever suits you - that's actually the key to why Parisienne women always look so stylish, rather than slavishly following fashion they wear what suits them.

Not much of a follower of fashion, anyway - I know my own style and tend to just update it with some small things to make the look more contemporary.

I don't usually fret so much about things like this - I'm normally really confident about dressing well. Just so so so don't want to get it wrong!

For that I would (personally) wear a nice strapless, knee length (probably quite floaty) dress but I do trade on being English quite a lot! Is it a church 'do' - in which case you'll probably need a shoulder covering for church?

My French MIL wore to our wedding (I know I'm not royalty or rock royalty but we are titled) a cream jacket with mid-sized grey spots and a grey shift dress underneath in December. She had a tulle/net confection thing as a hat because we got married in England and that's what one 'does'. Most other Frenchies were similiarly dressed.

I think a purple dress would be lovely, but as Castille said, most people will be quite neutral I think.

My friends wore bright pink and green and orange with matching shoes and they looked different but as I said, everyone thought it was great.

LOL "but we are titled"

no hat certainly

rofl we are titled
you utter ponce

Not french rock royalty I hope !!!

lol at titled=good clothes

Is that the royal 'we'?

I would wear one fabulous thing, like a coat, and dead plain underneath

Like the idea of a fabulous coat and dead plain underneath.

In the UK, I suspect that titled=really bad clothes. For some at least!

Sooooo excited, I never get invited to things as lovely as this!

we are titled

parp

Nope that's the family - and agree some titled UK dress like they're off on a shoot complete with barbour and dog slobber but some of us scrub up nicely!

And, no, that would be the familial 'we'. Sadly not Royal....Princess would look so much better on the credit card!

You need an evening cocktail dress (not strapless) with a coordinated evening coat over it (not a wrap). Go to Alberta Ferretti or Marni - both those designers always have fab stuff for that kind of occasion and are glamorous, elegant but not stuffy.

Sorry Anna you are redundant on this thread now - there are titled french aristocrats on MN now if you please.

You will need to get your hair done in the morning - go to Dessange International on avenue Franklin Roosevelt and book with Edouard or Karine or Dany.

Oh God NOT Karine, really. Don't do it.

Agree, though - not strapless. And I have a Boots Advantage card.

Yep, there are only 3 hairdressers of note in Paris .

Don't go to Supercuts by le marche, though, their chignons do not pass muster