A Cariad Life

Welcome to the final posting about shopping (for now at least), specifically shopping in France for clothes and a few other things. You may be interested to know that Europe and the UK just sprang forward one hour last night, so for the last two weeks instead of being 9 hours ahead of our sons in Seattle, we were 8 hours ahead–a bit weird. I also didn’t hear a single bit of complaining about it (there is enough complaining about the pension changes!)

So, as for shopping in France, we continue to learn. To start, there are some items here that are truly hard to find or hard to access. The most notable is Ibuprofen. I am used to going to any drug store or Costco and having a big bottle on hand–you know, the one with 1000 tablets? In France, it’s like contraband–you have to go to the pharmacy counter and request it. They type your request into a computer and then it comes down to the clerk from a long chute. They will then give you a small box with 20 (maybe 30) 200 mg tablets. When Darrell took in our empty Target brand 200 capsule US bottle in to the pharmacy to show them what he wanted, they passed it around, incredulous that another country would sell such a huge bottle. (Imagine how they would have responded to a Costco bottle!) Among drugstore items, women’s sanitary products are very different–lots of pads and liners and very few tampons. If you can find tampons, they are in tiny boxes. What there is a plethora of however, are facial creams–thousands of them–and the prices for them are much less than the US. It is a bit overwhelming how many there are to choose from–French women absolutely take skin care to a religious level. High quality make-up is plentiful, and my red lipstick fits in perfectly here. Perfumes and colognes are also abundant (and after 10 years in the PNW where cologne/perfume is sparingly used, I am getting used to the liberal use of fragrances here!) There are also at least 20 salons in my small village and they are always busy–women in this part of France do appear to color their hair (making my blond/white natural color very unusual).

As for clothes, shopping in rural SW France is mainly done in boutiques in town. There are some fashionable clothes (as you can imagine), but they are a bit pricey. I have noticed a lot of full length leather midi skirts, fur coats, and belts. I love that French women wear a belt around their puffer jackets:) Yes, scarves are everywhere and worn at all times (if it is less than 70 degrees out). Also, the navy blue striped breton shirts are worn readily by men and women, but I think I’ve only seen 1 or 2 berets and mostly by older men.

Malls are also alive and well in our part of France–Bordeaux has at least two big ones and there are tons of high end, medium end, and cheaper options. One of the things that makes Darrell and I laugh are the sweatshirts and sweaters that the younger people flock to in the stores that say, “Los Angeles,” “New York,” and even “Michigan State.” All the big clothing stores play American music in English. The stores geared to more “experienced” people (like me:) are chic with cashmere, silk, and fine wool, and the clothes are VERY small. Darrell and I both have to go for larger sizes here, as in general, people here are very thin (especially the men).

As for shoes, I think they are comparable to the US–though the athletic shoes are a bit more stylish and you don’t see a lot of running shoes. Women do wear heels and overall dress up when going out to eat or to shop. I also never see people with baseball caps on–ever! I thought about putting mine on one day to cover a bad hair day, but I knew I would stick out like a sore thumb. Same goes for athletic wear–it just isn’t worn except if someone is actually jogging or going to the gym (I’m not even sure I have seen it for sale anywhere); also, there are no leggings or big tunics. Clothes fit, but are not too tight or too loose.

The most interesting part of shopping for clothes in France (although I have actually bought very little as my work wardrobe is basically jeans and tennis shoes) is how the clothes come from all over Europe–the overall look is diverse, textured, and well-made, other than clothes for teenagers and young adults (which sadly seems to be plagued by “fast fashion” like it is in the US.)

A pattern I have seen in all shopping whether it is for furniture, clothing, or anything else is that although retail workers will say “bonjour” when you enter, they don’t follow you around and ask questions like, “can I help you find anything?” There seems to be an understanding that if you need help, you will ask for it. Also, prices are readily displayed to include in the store windows. At the bottom of every mannequin, is a set of prices for each part of the outfit. I love to watch the French just gaze into store windows, studying the outfits and commenting to one another about what they see. Fashion is also art, and the French certainly love to celebrate all forms of art.