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France was amazing, and I have so many stories to tell. But this post will be about my handmade capsule, and what I wore to survive the blistering heat wave of June/July 2025.
Our trip was supposed to be 10 days. We ended up losing a day due to storms, so I wore my travel clothes for two straight days. The weather dramatically impacted my plan vs what I actually wore, because a heat wave followed us through our whole trip.
I'm not a light packer. I definitely had more clothing than I needed. My husband had bought me a giant suitcase so I had plenty of space in my bag.
Air France flight, Detroit to Paris
Travel outfit:
Brown linen Seaforth Pants
Terra cotta rayon French terry Heather Sweater (this is from NH Patterns but I can't find it anymore? It was a free pattern and now it seems to be gone...)
Ibex wool bra+Ibex wool underwear
Smartwool no-show socks+Suavs Sneakers
Since I ended up wearing this outfit two days in a row, it was an important one! Going into a heat wave, I didn't want to bring a lot of long pants. I only brought a brown linen pair and some jeans. The linen plus a lightweight sweatshirt was just right on the plane in terms of temperature, and was also comfortable. Unfortunately, I sat in something gross while wearing these pants and didn't wear them again.
After 30+ hours of travel, we landed in hot, hot Paris, and I couldn't wait to get out of all this clothing. Next up:
Jardin du Luxembourg
Crinkle rayon Saltwater Slip
Rayon Petula Blouse
Denim Linda Bag
Ibex wool bra+Ibex wool underwear
Smartwool no-show socks+Suavs Sneakers
The first thing we did was walk to Notre Dame. We didn't have tickets, but just in case the line was manageable (it wasn't) I brought a shirt that covered my shoulders. You are not allowed in to Notre Dame unless you cover your shoulders (and it's true, I saw them removing people from line). I was still wearing my Petula by the time we got to the Luxembourg Gardens, because it did a good job keeping off the sun. My Linda Bag was CLUTCH here since the Saltwater Slip does not have pockets.
Eiffel Tower
By the time we got to the Eiffel Tower that night (it was nearly 10pm in this photo!) I had ditched the Petula. And the bra! All the Parisian women were going without bras and I have never felt so liberated.
Monet's Gardens
Giverny
Linen Darla Jumpsuit
Ibex wool underwear
Smartwool no-show socks+Suavs Sneakers
The next day we were up early for a tour to Monet's gardens and home in Giverny. It promised to be another hot day (mid-90s F, 32+ C). I went with a True Bias Darla Jumpsuit. Mine is the long pants version, with pockets. I still took my Linda Bag because I had crammed in my Petula just in case. It was okay to start the day in long pants because it was a touch cooler.
Digression: I absolutely loved wearing my Darla this day until it was time for a bathroom break. The restrooms were few and far between in Giverny. We managed to find one, but the door did not lock. I had to hold the door closed with one hand and unlace my Darla with the other. I was not wearing a bra, so basically I was getting mostly naked with one hand. No fewer than two people yanked on the door while I was in there, nearly getting it all the way open while I yelled "OCCUPE!" as loudly as possible. Then I had to re-dress myself and re-tie the back, all with one hand. Total disaster.
After Giverny, I switched to an Ibex tank top and Target athletic shorts. It was time for the most surreal sewist experience of my life.
Le Cinemathique Francaise
A week before our trip, I found out via Reddit (shoutout to r/ParisTravelGuide) that there was a Wes Anderson exhibit in Paris. I completely freaked out when I realized they had THE SUZY COAT on display. The coat that I agonized over copying. Yes, I traveled in a heat wave with a wool coat just to take this photograph, and it was completely worth it.
I swear to you, the fabric looked identical. I cried a little bit. It was amazing.
After the museum visit we changed to go out to dinner. In case you didn't notice, that's my third outfit of the day. We were getting so sweaty every time we went somewhere, we constantly had to change our clothes. I was grateful that I overpacked underwear.
Navy cupro Max Tee
Brown crinkle Caprice Skirt
Palais Garnier
Noticing a theme here? The black Saltwater Slip ended up in heavy rotation. We did have a washing machine in our AirBnb. As soon as it was clean it went right back onto my body. France apparently does not believe in air conditioning. Even if a museum had A/C, it was only in the galleries and not the hallways or elevators. I was taking cold showers 2-3x per day.
Le Bon Marche
Old Navy tank top
Navy tencel Genet Shorts
Wool Rothy's
This was my "fancy but I'm still hot" outfit for visiting Le Bon Marche. I tried to look like I belonged in a department store that sold dresses for a thousand Euros. Convincing?
The next day we took a short plane ride to Nice. I traveled in the Ibex tank top and athletic shorts. Boring.
Beach in Nice
Amazon water shoes
But we had finally landed at the beach! And by beach, I mean Nice's beaches which are pebbles instead of sand. Didn't matter. That Mediterranean water felt SO GOOD.
Apartment in Nice
Cotton jersey Jesse Tee
Linen Saguaro Shorts
Out to dinner that night and it turns out, it would be our favorite meal. We found a breezy patio with tapas and ate so much food. My stretchy Saguaro Shorts were a good choice.
Balcony in Nice
Linen Lola Pants
Red fakey Birks that I had to buy in Nice
Another day of plans gone sideways, but at least I snapped this photo first.
View from Castle Hill, Nice
Different hat (Poshmark)
Smartwool no-show socks+Suavs Sneakers
One thing I did plan to do in Nice was go to the top of Castle Hill. The photo speaks for itself. Darla was again a wonderful choice...I just knew to be careful about bathrooms this time!
We could see the Mediterranean from our AirBnb, so yes, we walked down there for even 30 minutes of cooling off.
Hey look. Saltwater Slip again.
I'm so sad that it was too hot to wear my Suvi Caftan.
Ibex tank top
Target athletic shorts
Rayon Petula Blouse
Another travel day, back to Paris. At this point, I was tired of thinking about what to wear.
Jardin du Luxembourg again
Navy cupro Genet Shorts
Smartwool no-show socks+Suavs Sneakers
This was just before heading to knit night with La Bien Aimee, Joji, and Jonna. I made both these knitwear pieces for Paris (as well as others that didn't even come!).
Rue Cremieux
Old Navy jeans
Pylos Li-Knit Cheyenne Shirt
Wool Union St. Tee
Vintage scarf
Our last full day in Paris, the heat wave broke. It was raining on and off all day and I finally pulled out my jeans and layers.
Bastille
By the end of the day, I ditched the Cheyenne but kept the scarf. I noticed on this rainy day that most Parisian women were indeed wearing scarves, just like Pinterest promised me.
The next day, we went home. This time we had a daytime flight, so I wore jeans and my wool Union St. Tee. I was awake for 20+ hours fighting the jet lag, but it worked.
And that's my Paris wardrobe! My husband, you may or may not have noticed, brought only black tees. I promise he did not wear the same one every day. Boring, but he did fit right in with Parisians and their basic colors. Most of the information I read turned out to be true: nobody wore athleisure or pajamas like they do in the states. Neutral colors and cuts ruled. Not a lot of prints. Nothing baggy. A sensible pair of sneakers was important. I was happy with what I brought, I just wish it had been a little cooler so I didn't have to rely on the same black slip dress the whole time.
Until next time Paris!