5 Accessory Trends That Aren't a Thing Among Parisians

As someone who really loves accessories, it wasn't a challenging assignment for me to study the accessory tendencies of French women. Specifically, I was looking for the accessory trends they don't wear. I get the impression that French women like what they like and certain trends just don't fit in with their aesthetics. Now, of course, that doesn't mean that there aren't exceptions and that all Parisian women have the exact same aesthetic (they don't). It just means that there are some clear similarities when it comes to the accessory trends they do and don't favor.

Here in the U.S., accessory trends currently lean heavily toward throwback '90s and Y2K styles. Parisian women don't seem to be taking those trends quite so literally, but they are dabbling in them a bit. Scroll on to find out which accessory trends they're very much on board with (according to my unrelenting Instagram scrolling) and those they're skipping for now.

Not Really a Thing: Y2K Jewelry

Wearing Instead: Pearl Jewelry

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(Image credit: @itsnajmaahmed)

The colorful summer camp jewelry that's become so popular this year hasn't been widely adopted among Parisian women. They're opting for a more classic trend: pearls, which they're wearing in every form.

Shop the Parisian-Approved Trend

Not Really a Thing: Bucket Hats

Wearing Instead: Baseball Caps

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(Image credit: @camillecharriere)

I'm not sure why this is, but the bucket hat trend, which has been widely embraced by American and Scandi girls among others, isn't one that I spot so much among French women. Baseball caps, on the other hand, are a hit.

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Not Really a Thing: Ballet Flats

Wearing Instead: Colorful Heels

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(Image credit: @slipintostyle)

Although the stereotype of a Parisian woman in skinny jeans, a Brenton top, and ballet flats endures, they don't really wear ballet flats all that much—quite the opposite, in fact. I'm seeing tons of examples of them wearing bold colorful heels as of late.

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Not Really a Thing: Scrunchies

Wearing Instead: Claw Clips

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(Image credit: @annelauremais)

While scrunchies and claw clips are of the same era, claw clips is the one that's really caught on among Parisians. Perhaps it's because they can use them to create a French twist? (Sorry, I had to.)

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Not Really a Thing: Puffy Pillow Bags

Wearing Instead: Straw Bags

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(Image credit: @tamaramory)

French women love the effortlessness of a straw bag, whether they're in the city or by the sea. On the flip side, those puffy bags that have risen to fame this year haven't caught on in the least among them.

Shop the Parisian-Approved Trend

Next up, seven fall basics French and Californian women agree on.

Allyson Payer
Senior Editor

Allyson is a senior editor for Who What Wear. She joined the company in 2014 as co-founder Katherine Power's executive assistant and over the years has written hundreds of stories for Who What Wear. Prior to her career in fashion, Allyson worked in the entertainment industry at companies such as Sony Pictures Television. Allyson is now based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She holds a BFA in theater. Her path to fashion may not have been linear, but based on the number of fashion magazines she collected as a child and young adult, it was meant to be.