Previously on the French Files:
*80's montage*

Guess what? I'm going to Paris!
I believe that there are different types of ways one can get dressed.
I, for instance, am an Emotional dresser.
And I'd dearly like to know what kind of dresser you are... *smirks deviously*

I've typed about the ways one can get dressed, but I think the biggest part of dressing must be handed down to the actual what. It's Paris we're talking about, so the what plays a very significant role. For an Emotional dresser like me, one who dresses by emotion and can't settle down on one look or style, this is quite a tricky one. What am I supposed to wear?!

I've been thinking a lot about style lately (which I'll eleborate in another blogpost... keeps me off the streets), and for this occasion I'm going to work with a moodboard or general idea I want to carry out. You could say that I'm going for a bit more structured composition. But before we start, there are some keypoints one has to account with. These keypoints are the basic questions of who, what, where, when, (why), how and temperature. These are important things to know, because you don't want to wear a Christmas jumper when you're going to Hawaii in the midst of summer (I mean, that would just be silly).

WHO
Me, myself and loads of other students.

WHAT
Schoolweek abroad (checking out museums and analyzing about culture and whatnot).

WHERE
Paris, darling.

WHEN
From Monday to Friday (aka 5 days).

(WHY)
Because I ain't got no choice.

HOW
Through the means of a bus (and probably tram and/or RER. And walking. A lot of walking).

TEMPERATURE
Between 17 and 19 degrees celsius (with loads of sunshine and probably no rain).

After answering the keypoints, you could start thinking about what you want to provoke with the clothes you're going to wear. Oohs and aahs or comfort or maybe amazingnezzz. I'm a big fan of a good mixture between the best of both worlds. But to get an actual mental image, one could go on a quest for pictures on the internet, magazines or real life. Collect everything that tickles your nose (this by the way is also a good thing to do just for fun. I mean collecting. Not tickling your own nose. But if you do, I'm not judging you... well, maybe just a bit).

Now you ought to have a big pile of pictures that inspire you, and maybe these are -just like mine- very diverse from nature. Well, this may be one of the hardest choices you'll ever have to make in your life: You've got to organise them into different piles. Hereby you make clear decisions of what you think will be appropiate for your Parisian-look (and maybe what's already in your closet).

Example of a moodboard (all pictures to be found on Pinterest).

These pictures now should form some sort of together as a whole-feeling that can be captured within a certain terminology. I want to go for a minimalistic, but with a little bit of flair look. I've captured this within the famous and recognizable terminology: Alexa Chung meets Morticia Addams meets je ne sais quoi. This, I think, brings a nice dynamic between the local culture and my own dimensions of being *ugh*. Now it's just a matter of finding the clothes that measures up to my wanted look.

Love,
Dominique