Carin Olsson

When I decided to spend this April in Paris, my euphoria was tainted by just one gnawing concern—what am I going to wear? We all know the Parisian spring is knock-your-socks off beautiful, but it’s a tricky season, sartorially-speaking. It can be cool and rainy one minute, balmy the next. It can feel like full-on summer on one side of the street, and winter once you cross into the shade. I’m constantly shedding and donning layers, and my normal fear of color is supplanted by an impulse to integrate bolder hues.

Although my highly unhelpful inner voice said, “Just pack everything!,” I’ve managed to narrow things down. Below is a list of 10 spring essentials that I know will serve me well this season.

1. When boots start to feel too clunky but it’s not yet sandal season, I live in my Repettos. They come in a variety of fun colors, but you can wear the classic black with just about anything.

2. While I’m not always the savviest of shoppers, I regularly high-five myself for having bought this beige trench from Comptoir des Cotonniers. I wear it constantly—open, closed, buttoned, belted—and always feel put-together, even when I’m wearing nothing underneath. Just kidding.

3. I am generally an extremist when it comes to lip color: either very sheer gloss or devil-may-care matte red. But for spring, a more carefree coral (like Nars satin lipstick in Niagara) feels like the way to go.

4. Made in their atelier in the Marais, Monsieur’s delicate gold and silver rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings add a perfectly simple accent to springtime garb. (53 Rue Charlot, 3ème arrondissement).

5. While my winter handbag is generally overflowing with unnecessary bulk—old receipts, dozens of pens, a single glove, matchbooks pilfered from various restaurants—I like to lighten up for spring. A saddle bag in a bright color, like this one from A.P.C., fits the bill perfectly.

6. It may not be time to set sail just yet, but you can get in the mood with classic stripes from St. James, the historic Normandy-based brand that has been shilling mariner shirts since 1889.

7. Rain or shine, don’t leave home without a sturdy parapluie. Monoprix has some cute ones right about now.

8. Friends and strangers alike have been known to sniff curiously at my neck when I’m wearing Tocca’s Florence, a cheerful blend of Bergamot, grapefruit leaves, gardenia, and blonde wood that supposedly conjures “old-world Paris.” Obviously, it’s intoxicating. Or maybe I’m just wearing too much perfume?

9. Sunglasses are perhaps the best way to prove to Parisians that you’re just as cool as they are. I am obsessed with my Paul Smith “Chaucers” in burgundy, and I’ve noticed quite a few stylish ladies striking a fashion-meets-hipster balance in Céline’s “Audrey” shades.

10. Come spring, I gravitate towards bolder hues, but sometimes, I’m still reluctant to be “that girl” wearing color in a sea of black-clad Parisians. I find a bright, lightweight scarf is the best way to indulge both my inner rebel and coward.

Written by Tory Hoen for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, London, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

…When you can eat ice cream outside and actually, perhaps for the first time, really enjoy the coldness. Maybe you even have to hurry up a bit since the ice cream is melting.

…When you wake up and it’s light outside. And if you’re lucky, the sun might even be shining! It’s a true delight when you don’t have to take that walk to the metro in complete darkness.

…When people are starting to gather along the Seine, just to sit and enjoy themselves. To soak up the very first, warm rays of sunshine. It can’t possible get any more Paris than this during springtime.

…When the early-evening hours are almost as bright as late afternoon. When you can still feel the warmth in the air past 5pm, so you don’t have to hurry back home because your fingers are freezing to death.

…When every outdoor table of every bistro, café and restaurant in the city is completely full, packed with people enjoying their first meal outside in the sun. Even though it’s a pain not being able to get a table when you want to, I can still be happy about the fact that people are sitting outside!

…When you see that even the Parisians are baring their legs, daring to wear that first dress, skirt or even just an open shoe. When you see people layering less, and perhaps even wildly removing a scarf, pair of gloves or (gasp) a jacket.

…When all the balconies, windows and gardens in Paris fill up overnight with new plants and flowers. I love to see the green taking over more and more of the city.

…When the new items, for the warmer season that’s approaching, start dominating the display windows in every store. Skirts, sandals, dresses and spring jackets – here we come!

…When all the green “boxes” along the Seine open up and the old bouquinistes take their places, waiting for the tourists to nibble on their bait.

…When you can sit outside in the sun – reading a book, getting some work done or just relaxing by yourself — and feel like it’s actually warming you up. Maybe you even have to unbutton your coat (or even better, take it off completely)…

Written by Carin Olsson for the HiP Paris Blog. All images by Carin Olsson. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in London, Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

One of my favorite times of year in Paris is the transition between winter and spring. It’s that miraculous moment when the gray dampness lifts and the first rays of warm sunlight begin to creep their way along rooftops, through windows, over bridges. It’s still coat weather, but hope is in the air.

More importantly, it’s the moment when droves of Parisians emerge from indoors after months of hibernation. A few months from now, they will undoubtedly look healthy and bronzed and full of life; but for the moment, they are pale and wan (and still dressed in black) and seeking sunlight as if it were their lifeblood. I remember walking through the Jardin du Luxembourg on the first warm day last year and being convinced that the city was awash in a sea of vampires. I had never seen so many black leather-clad beings, their skin sparkling beneath the first rays of springtime sun.

Yes, this is the best moment of the year, and it’s not just about the weather. I think it has something to do with humility, with the fact that despite being the coolest people in the world, even Parisians have to admit: sunlight is pretty sweet. They’re not necessarily going to get all smiley about it (Parisian facial muscles are not equipped to smile for long periods of time), but they are going to install themselves on park benches and scowl up at the sun—a symbolic smile, of sorts.

In addition, this moment marks the beginning of “loitering season” in Paris, which typically lasts through October.  As of last week, it’s beginning to happen. The parks are filling up with families, the quais of the Seine are dotted with groups of young hellions, and there seems to be a city-wide consensus about the importance of getting outside and staying there for as long as possible.

This might not sound so remarkable—it happens each spring in cities all over the world. But in Paris, it’s particularly gratifying to observe because, as blasé as Parisians might be for most of the year, the brink of springtime has the ability to render them ever-so-slightly giddy. It’s not full-out spring fever; it’s more like spring peaked-ness. But I’ll take it.

Written by Tory Hoen for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.