I Spent 4 Days in Paris—Here's Everything I Packed and Wore

The last time I visited Paris, I was a 20-year-old, body-con-clad student and ended up losing my Blackberry on a night out, only to find it underneath my hostel bed the next day hidden amongst the empty bottles of €3 wine my friends and I had enjoyed. Now, as a 33-year-old woman whose tastes have somewhat matured (for the most part, anyway—I’m still partial to cheap wine), when I decided to head to the City of Lights for a long weekend this past summer, I was keen to overwrite my previous Parisian experience. How did I plan on going about this? By having as chic a time as possible.

Maxine wears a white cotton minidress from Rixo.

We booked fancy restaurants (I recommend Pink Mamma), made shortlists of the best bars (some of which were world-renowned), and, in the ultimate bougie move, I treated myself to travel miniatures of all my favourite beauty products. The last thing I needed to sort? My outfits.

Being based in Edinburgh but regularly travelling to London for work, I’ve become something of an expert at packing a carry-on suitcase and maximising the space inside it. So I was confident I’d be able to fit in an edit of elevated outfits to wear for each day on my four-day trip. The forecast predicted sunshine and very pleasant temperatures, so I didn’t have to concern myself with chunky layers and knitwear. An umbrella was the only reinforcement I packed—one that I didn’t end up needing. This allowed me to pack more footwear options I’d ordinarily take with me on a city break—something I was keen to do so as to not compromise on the intended aesthetic of each outfit.

Maxine wears a beige waistcoat-and-trouser set from ASOS.

Most of our plans meant that once we left our hotel in the morning, we wouldn’t be back until it was time to go to bed. As such, my outfits had to work for almost every eventuality: gallery touring, metro hopping and crêpe eating all the way through to cocktail sipping. Though I stuck to flat shoes, my outfits felt elevated enough to continue wearing after dark, which meant I didn’t feel the need or want to pack two looks for each day.

Now, with Paris city break bookings at record highs (and especially with the 2024 Paris Olympics taking place this summer), I thought it might be useful to show you what I packed for my own Channel-hop. Below, I’ve outlined in outfit-build form the looks I chose for my trip, which should give you an idea of how I mixed and matched certain pieces and re-wore others. While my attire might be best suited to warm weather, I'm sure there's plenty of inspiration you can reap from them; even if it means switching out sandals in favour of ankle boots until the temperature rises and keeping a lightweight coat handy.

Regardless, consider the below your guide on what to wear in Paris when you’ve got a limited carry-on working against you.

1. Travel Outfit 

Style Notes: I might be one of the only people who find travelling in jeans comfortable. I always look for styles with stretch to make sitting in them for prolonged periods less of a thought, but for an under-two-hour flight, they’re my go-to. I wore them with a blazer in a hue that I knew would work with the rest of my outfits if I needed an extra layer as well as a perfectly weighted Breton stripe top from Warehouse. I also wore this exact outfit on the last day before heading home, so it actually got two wears.

Shop the Look:

2. First-Day Outfit

Style Notes: I knew the temperature was going to be soaring on my first day in Paris, so I packed accordingly. This dress arrived the day before we left, and I’m so glad it did. It’s a little on the big side, so I’d recommend sizing down. Finished with tan accessories and my pride and joy, my new Loewe tote, this just might be my new favourite summer outfit.

Shop the Look:

3. Second-Day Outfit

Style Notes: I’m all about easy outfit solutions, and when I don’t fancy wearing a dress (which, admittedly, is pretty seldom), jumpsuits are my next port of call. I’d had my eye on this Whistles number for a while, and it was ideal for clocking up my step count on day two, as it’s so unrestricting to move in. I was able to take my blazer for another spin, and instead of wearing my tan sandals for a second day in a row, I switched over to cream.

Shop the Look:

4. Third-Day Outfit

Style Notes: I’ve always been a fan of the waistcoat trend that’s suddenly everywhere once again, but one thing my wardrobe was lacking was a matching waistcoat-and-trouser set. The co-ord I’m photographed in above is from ASOS but has consequently sold out since I bought it a few months ago. If I were to invest in another, it would be this expensive-looking pairing from Mango. I decided to go for a monochromatic look with cream sandals and my Loewe bag.

Shop the Look:

5. Night-Out Outfit

Style Notes: My plan was to wear whatever I’d worn during the day for nighttime too, but this silk dress from Réalisation took up next to no room in my luggage, so I thought I’d take it just in case. I ended up wearing it for the evening on the day I wore my jumpsuit but only because the restaurant we’d booked was a stone’s throw from the hotel we were staying in. Sticking with the shoes as I wore earlier in the day, one thing I did add was some extra gold jewellery for after-dark appeal.

Shop the Look:

This story was published at an earlier time and has since been updated.