dress in paris

"Is dress in Paris more formal than the US?" In general, that's a definite Yes. But it depends on the time of day and the venue/place. A more specific answer could be given, if you provide more details about what type of places, in general, you're planning to go in Paris, what time of day, (edit to add) and what time of year (as Tom mentioned).

And knowing what time of year you plan to visit would help as well. General advice is to wear whatever you find comfortable. If you're trying to avoid looking like a tourist... don't bother, anyone paying attention to you will know automatically, no matter what you wear.

Since you mention evenings, I'm assuming you mean for dinner. If you are going to a restaurant (as opposed to a cafe, which is casual), I'd recommend "business casual" at a minimum. My husband always wears a semi-fitted button down shirt and nice pants. If you are going somewhere with a Michelin star, bring a sportcoat (though my husband notes he is usually the only man in a sportcoat, as opposed to a suit jacket, in a Micheline starred restaurants. But who wants to bring a suit on vacation?). Even in cafes, I'd still not wear anything TOO casual, like a t shirt, shorts and sneakers, but then again, I wouldn't wear that to a restaurant even here in Seattle. Here's a nice little bit about what to wear in Paris, for men: http://www.parisescapes.com/paris_wear_men.html

Thanks for advice. Will be going in mid October. This site http://www.parisescapes.com/paris_wear_men.html
was very helpful

If you're referring to restaurants "smart casual" - ok in west Europe UNLESS expensive, then lounge suit (same as large cities USA east/west in personal experience). If non-restaurant, depends on event. Usually dress code is specified - usually issue is black tie/ cocktail dress. Hyper smart (White tie) will be as stated. Paris is same rest west Europe but stress is on elegant.
S

Silly question, but what is a lounge suit??

"lounge suit" - archaic British term for what is now a normal business suit, dating from an era where actual business suits and evening dress were much more formal and elaborate.

Thanks Philip! Too funny - when I read lounge suit, I was picturing leisure suits of the 1970's...

Call me naive, but I've been to Paris numerous times and even lived there for six months and I've never given a second thought to what I wear. I wear what I'm comfortable in and what I would wear at home in LA. It has always worked for me. But then, I'm not hung up on trying not to look like a foreigner. If people were offended I've never known about it.

This topic of 'What to Wear' always amuses me. Is it just an 'American' thing? I wore shorts in Europe in 1995!
I dress, as I would at home i.e wear something appropriate and comfortable for the occasion.

As an American living in Germany, I do understand why people freak out about this. There is a desire not to embody the worst stereotypes about Americans here - which some Europeans do hold - and on the whole, Europeans do not dress quite as casually as Americans. This isn't to say that no French or German people wear shorts or sneakers or baseball caps (they do!) but but on the whole all those items are more likely worn by youth in cities. I'm a pretty casual dresser in general and I do feel underdressed at times. If you don't like that feeling, then it's a good idea to try to dress a little nicer here than you would at home. However Paris is so full of tourists that sneakers/shorts won't make you stand out! The sneakers thing is real - I don't know how European women do it but heels seem to be the default, even with casual wear, casual wedges or whatever as opposed to sneakers is more likely. However I value being able to walk, so I still primarily try to dress for comfort. It's a little more complicated for me because I live here - as a tourist I wouldn't worry about it too much unless you're planning to go to a nice restaurant in which case as others have said, business casual is a good rule of thumb.