When most people hear you’re booking a trip to France, Paris is the first place that comes to mind…an image of the Eiffel Tower, a glimpse of two lovers, or a morning spent in a Parisian café, cappuccino, and croissant in hand…
Picture this: you just landed in Paris for the first time and cannot wait to absorb all the fashion, baguettes, wine, art, and maybe even meet someone (wink wink). After arriving and changing into casual eveningwear, you stop in Cravan or LeSyndicat for a pre-dinner French 75, also known as “the 75,” or le Soixante-Quinze if you’re ordering in French. After cocktail hour, you walk to the reservations you have at Origines where you indulge in many food courses and wine pairings. Following dinner, you walk past the Eiffel Tower and pause to notice the way the lights in the city seem to flicker in rhythm with the soft jazz from a restaurant close by. Life feels simple and elegant—like the perfect dress.
Fashion from France -> South Carolina
While this version of French culture isn’t unattainable, it isn’t how I would describe my most recent trip to France. While morning croissants, afternoon baguettes, and evening wine all parallel the example above, the three phrases that capture southern France are geological diversity, early bedtime, and market-focused shopping.
When traveling with only a carry-on backpack it’s important to bring fewer clothing items than needed so there’s room to bring new clothing pieces home. For example, my bell bottom jeans and pajama sets are from Barcelona, the two coats I wear lots in the winter season are from a secondhand store in Amsterdam, and my newest pieces from southern France are ready to get worn throughout all the seasons.
I could not leave this classic black, above-the-knee dress, with slight detailing, on the rack in Apt, the fuchsia and evergreen colored kimono dresses from the Lourmarin market will be great transitional pieces from spring-summer and summer-fall, and lastly, the mini Jackie-O inspired tweed dress gives an illusion of glitter in the detailing, and might just be my New Year’s Eve outfit pick for the bridge between 2022 and 2023.
Most of these vendors I purchased from were for secondhand clothing and I already look forward to what memories will surface when I wear these pieces. From the markets in southern France to everyday life in South Carolina, all these fashion items will be both staples and statement hanger items in my closet as I continue to find new styling options and places to wear them.
Where I Shopped
Each place visited, Arles, Lourmarin, Baux, Roussillon, and Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, had day markets that included fresh produce, cheese and meats, craft goods, pottery, souvenirs, and vintage clothing.
How I will remember some of the towns: Arles, Lourmarin, Baux, Apt, Roussillon, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, La Sorgue.
- Arles is located on the river and only a 20-minute drive from the Mediterranean shoreline. -Lourmarin is one of the smaller villages with the most charming Chateau winery located on a hill next to the market.
- Baux is located atop a rocky ridge that is crowned with crumbling castle walls overlooking the plains to the south.
- Apt has the oldest street market in France and the most widespread array of cheeses—mostly goat.
- Roussillon is noted for its large ochre deposits found in the clay surrounding the village.
- Fontaine-de-Vaucluse translates in Latin to “closed valley” and has the instant feeling of a peaceful day in the North Carolina mountains.
Tips for French Markets
If you are shopping the markets in any of these towns, be sure to:
-Get there at least 30 minutes earlier than the market starts to ensure you find parking—it’s at a premium
-Have euros for spending, smaller vendors don’t accept credit or debit
-Bring a reusable bag to put purchased items in, most sellers don’t have bags to offer
-Try to negotiate but know that most sellers won’t budge on a price—always worth a try though
-Find a place to eat lunch immediately after the market closes because restaurants close at 2pm in all the towns we visited. Needless to say, we had a few dinner picnics in the hotel
CONCLUSION
In all, most of the trip was spent thinking “Pinch me!!??”, not only because of the beautiful sites, fashion finds, and picture-worthy cuisine, but because I had been dreaming about crossing the Atlantic with my Mama and Yaya since the first time hearing about Mama’s stories traveling about Europe after college.
Comment and let me know: What place is at the top of your bucket list for 2023?
xxx Allie
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