How to Look French

[trip style = urban]

Editor's note: This guest post is written by Katie Mogan Graham, a Canadian expat who is spending a year in Provence, eating her weight in discount Monoprix cheese, bread and wine. When she isn't butchering la langue française in her adopted home of Aix-En-Provence, she and her husband can be found touring Europe, keeping their eyes peeled for interesting fashion and their stomachs alert to all things gastronomically new and exciting.

French fashion is about an attitude more than an item of clothing—pout, look bored, walk with confidence, NEVER move for anyone or anything on the sidewalk. That said, it's also about the appropriate accessories: dog, cigarette {e-cigarette allowed}, large purse and sunglasses. 

My last post touched on what I observed in Paris in May. Those planning a trip to any part of France may want to consider the following "national accessories" as a way of seamlessly blending in with their surroundings. Here's my take on looking French in three easy steps.

1/ Le Chien
Dogs of all shapes, sizes and breeds are nationally adored, and are frequently seen accompanying their owners into cafés and clothing stores {and most likely even doctor's appointments}. You really can't go a block without spotting a faithful furry friend perched in a bicycle basket or straining to eat the final crumbs of a forgotten croissant. My favourite chien-spotting experience happened in Nice, where we saw a man walking with two dogs: the first, a Retriever, carried a baguette in his mouth, while the second, a Chihuahua, carried nothing but wore a snazzy red cape with the word "DIVA" bedazzled across its back. Vive la France!

2/ La Cigarette 
By no means am I promoting smoking, but the truth is if you want to look French, hold a cigarette. Despite the laundry list of health issues this pastime promotes, smoking is still very popular throughout France. Interestingly, e-cigarettes enjoy almost as much popularity here, which many claim to be good news for the environment {no butts!} and non-smokers.

3/ La Moue et La Bise
The French are very expressive and are strong believers in using the whole body when engaged in conversation. For the sake of brevity, I’ll stick to the face, and how to use it when interacting with friends—or foes—in France. If you wish to convey displeasure, indifference or any emotion other than joy, extend your lower lip {la moue, or pout} and give a slight shrug of the shoulders. If you wish to greet a friend, family member or recent acquaintance, lean forward and quickly kiss the air beside each cheek of said person {faire la bise, or kiss}. Both of these maneuvers are Gallic in origin, and will be sure to impress your fellow travelers.

If you're able to pout or kiss with a dog in tow and a cigarette in hand, you’ll be well on your way to being mistaken for a true French{wo}man.

Trip Styler Tip: If you've already read the books {literally} on how to eat and parent like the French, you may want to pick up How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are, a tongue-in-chic guide on Parisian style, culture, attitude and men written by four Parisian "it" women, including Chanel "ambassador" Caroline de Maigret.

Related
Jetset Style :: How to Dress Like a Parisian
Jetset Style :: The Everyday Sneaker
Jetset Style :: Scandinavia-Inspired Jackets
Paris, Now and Then

[images via @jeannedamas, the sartorialist, gq, sipa press, thelocals.dk, harper's bazaar, splash news, @valentinehello, @carolinedemaigret]

Ciao :: Roma with Expedia

[trip style = urban + adventure + food + wine]

Buongiorno. In Ciao!, my intro to Italy dispatch, I hinted at the reason I'm in the land of la dolce vita: An Expedia video project in Rome.

Amore. 

Now that all the stones are set for my road to Rome, I wanted to share the details. This weekend, starting Friday, I'll be showcasing four activities I handpicked from a list of a bazillion tours and small-group activities you can book in the Eternal City via Expedia Local Expert. Here's a rundown: 

Open-air bus tour {$12 usd}
Goal: Get a lay of the land to connect the historical dots.

VIP Caesar’s Palace and Colosseum tour {$87 usd}
Goal: "When in Rome" is fitting for this one...

Small-group pasta-making class {$71 usd}
Goal: Learn the art of al dente, and collect totally-worth-it calories instead of tchotchkes, complete with prosecco.

St. Peter’s Basilica tour {$36 usd}
Goal: In which I get picked up at my hotel, skip the line-up and learn local insights on Italy's largest church.

Follow all my on-the-go updates via the TS Instagram, as well as via the #ExpediaThingsToDo hashtag on all social media platforms. For a bird's eye view of my entire three-week trip, check out #TSRomanHoliday.

[photos via Expedia Local Expert]

Jetset Style :: How to Dress Like a Parisian

[trip style = urban]

Editor's note: This guest post is written by Katie Mogan Graham, a Canadian expat who is spending a year in Provence, eating her weight in discount Monoprix cheese, bread and wine. When she isn't butchering la langue française in her adopted home of Aix-En-Provence, she and her husband can be found touring Europe, keeping their eyes peeled for interesting fashion and their stomachs alert to all things gastronomically new and exciting. 

France: the land of cheap baguettes, expensive wine and oh-so-whimsical berets. Nearly six months ago, my husband and I left our family, friends and jobs in Vancouver to spend a year living in Europe. We landed in France, where we’ve been drinking in—literally—all this chic, quaint country has to offer.

Many of our previous assumptions about France have held true—the bread is delicious, cheap and plentiful, as is the cheese and occasionally the wine—but much to our dismay, we’ve yet to see a single beret. Quelle horreur! Perhaps this is simply a matter of timing {the beret may strictly be a headpiece d'hiver}, but it’s caused us to stop and notice what people actually wear on the cobblestone streets that surround us.  

One key observation—and one that my Aixois friends will undoubtedly dispute—is that the further south we’ve traveled, the less daring and avant garde the fashion. Our current resting point, the popular Provençal ville of Aix En Provence, is a perfect example. Aix is best known for its bustling weekly markets, which attract hordes of sunburned tourists in the summer, but during the other three seasons, the sidewalk cafes are dominated by university students and older locals with dogs. For a real discussion on trends à la mode, one must look to Paris. And so, without further delay, I give you a short summary of our sartorial findings from our recent visit to the City of Lights.

1/ Not-So-Mellow Yellow
Spring in Paris is a fickle thing; the skies are often grey and rainy with sporadic bursts of sunlight that justify the use of oversized sunglasses with umbrellas. This mishmash of weather was mirrored in the outfits displayed in store windows and on sidewalk cafés. Chic and cheeky pops of yellow abounded from head to toe, in the form of scarves, belts, purses and shoes. Of course, since everything is best in moderation, a sober dose of grey, blue and black kept this sunny look grounded. And since Parisians are the living, breathing {and often smoking} embodiment of "too cool for school", it really wouldn't work for them to be seen wearing bright colors from head to toe anyway.

2/ La Frange
I learned this chic new term for fringe when I went for my first haircut in France. La frange is not just a hair term anymore. Vaguely reminiscent of the boho heyday of the 1960s–70s, tassels of just about every size, color and material hung in all their glory. Like the color yellow, fringe was kept in check by being limited to a single article of clothing or accessory—dangling from a cropped jacket, clinging to the edges of a clutch or swinging from the back of a pair of heels. With the vast variety of styles, it appeared that there was no one way to wear fringe, except perhaps sans tie-dye, headbands or macrame vests.

3/ Stan Smith Adidas Sneakers
Paris is best seen on foot, as you can't go a block or two without finding some hidden gem of a shop or café that would go unnoticed if traveling by car {or even worse, tour bus}. This is where a "Catch 22" occurs: How can one wander the streets of Paris fashionably and comfortably?  Parisian women and men have solved this timeless conundrum by adopting the sporty sneaker—the classic, white Stan Smith Adidas sneaker. When I first heard these referenced in conversation, I thought my Parisian friend was talking about the singer Sam Smith. It became clear that our "lost in translation" moment was due to my extreme lack of sportiness {In case there are others out there like me, Stan Smith is a famous American tennis player from the 1960s–80s}. You don't have to know a thing about tennis to sport this look; these shockingly white sneakers are worn with just about everything, from mini, midi and maxi skirts to cuffed jeans and sleek suits {racket and balls optional}. My Parisian friend and her boyfriend have matching "his and hers" sneakers. I'd score that match "love–all".

4/ The Parisian Knot
I kid you not, the chic men of Paris have a knot named in their honor, and rightfully so if you ask me. This is one of the simplest ways to wear a scarf, but also sleekest and sexiest. Perhaps it helped that we were visiting at a cooler time of year, but everywhere we looked, Parisian men {and likely the odd tourist, hoping to fit in} were keeping warm with scarves knotted deftly around their necks. Men of North America take note and get shopping!

5/ Tailored Layers
Beneath their scarves, Parisian men continued to impress, with an array of carefully tailored layers to buffet the rain and wind. Blazers and cardigans—be still my heart—were out in full force, keeping company with slim-fit collared shirts and equally slim trousers. The younger crowd kept their pant hems a tad higher, exposing glimpses of bare ankles {mon dieu!} or patterned socks {très chic!}. These svelte ensembles were often worn by men on bicycles {le sigh!}, who undoubtedly benefited from the aerodynamics at play.

À bientôt!

Related
Jetset Style :: The Everyday Sneaker
Jetset Style :: Scandinavia-Inspired Jackets
The Savvy Traveler :: Jackie

[collages by @heatherlovesit & photos via style.com, vogue, wwd, garancedore.fr, streetpeeper.com, thestunninglook.com, styledumonde.com, details.com, clochet.com]

Yes-No-Maybe-So Hotel Bookings

[trip style = any]

As I sit in my GORGEOUS hotel in Ischia, Italy {above}—which I just extended a few nights!—I'm reminded of the importance of agile travel plans, especially when trip styling in a new-to-you place.

Never having explored the Amalfi Coast, Mr. Trip Styler and I waffled on how many nights we should spend where, and what hotels we should book. Being high season, some of the accommodations we were interested in were already booked, which left us grasping for something—anything—that would work {uh, NOT ideal, nor "trip stylery"}.

Not 100% sold on all of our stays, we ensured most of our bookings were cancellable—a decision that has already proven helpful now that we're on the ground. Case in point: We were supposed to spend four nights in Ischia, three nights in Capri and three nights in Amalfi; however, once we checked into our hotel in Ischia, we knew we HAD TO stay longer {you would too if you saw the use-any-time spa, thermal rooftop pool, and breakfast spread}.

At the same time, I was feeling meh about our Capri hotel, and since we were still within the no-fee cancellation window, we nixed the booking and adjusted our plans on-the-go to: Six nights in Ischia, one night in Capri and three nights in Amalfi. {I tried to adjust our Amalfi nights too, but our no-fee window had passed.} 

After years of travel and situations where hotels either impress or distress, I'm grateful that companies such as Expedia often offer a cancellation option as a filter when you browse. We don't often opt out of travel bookings, but it's nice to have the "yes-no-maybe-so" leeway in certain circumstances. 

[photo via @tripstyler]

Ciao!

[trip style = urban + beach + sun + spa + food + wine + luxury]

Ciao from Italy, a heaven-on-earth where gelato is considered a food group and wine flows like water.  

I suppose the saying "all roads lead to Rome" is true because when I was in Maui with the Expedia Viewfinder crew in April, I found out Expedia would be sending me to Rome in July. Despite the fact that travel is my gig and {almost} greatest joy, I cried the moment I found out, because...Italy.  

I'll share more about my Rome assignment in a week, but in the meantime, here's a glimpse into my three-week trip, which I extended, because...Italy.

Nights 1-4 = Rome 
Goal: Adjust to the time zone and work on my gelato tolerance. 

Nights 5-10 = Ischia
Goal: Relax at a Relais & Châteaux spa hotel on a lesser-known island 20 minutes {by boat} from Capri. 

Nights 11-13 = Amalfi 
Goal: Explore the cliffy coast and take as many pictures as my SD card can handle. 

Night 14 = Capri
Goal: Blitz the ritzy isle in style. 

Nights 16-21 = Rome
Details soon! Hint: It will involve pasta-making, plus a taste-making view of the Eternal City!   

PS. Love la dolce vita? Find pics on Instagram {@TripStyler} or by searching the hashtag #TSRomanHoliday. 

[photo by @tripstyler]