<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Some time ago I posted on Facebook this in response to a piece about women dressing modestly, and what clothing or the lack of it says about a woman.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>From our recent holiday in Paris (and memories of the Gallic culture of Montreal), I would say that style is much more significant than skin. Women’s clothing is so different in France from that in America, where utility and morality are chief concerns. It is not just that it is cut differently, but that there is so much variety. Without the freakish desire to stand out that you see with some young women in the States, with the torn jeans or stockings and face hardware, etc., there is such individuality and  intentional good taste. The combination of dress, or top and skirt, and scarf or hat or shoes or jewelry is often eye-catching and pleasing. There is little dull uniformity — the limitations and sameness of the Appleseed catalog, etc. I suspect that there are no really big clothing suppliers that can dominate French style. And the French, it seems, do not feel the need to look like their neighbor. So smaller clothing-makers can make a living, and compete, not by finding out what everybody else is doing, but by being clever and daring. This emphasis on style fits with Parisian culture generally — there is sharp design, subtle ornamentation, an artistic embellishment where you don’t expect it, where it’s not “needed.”</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Here's an example of really creative style. It's the symbol for the post office. It looks like two things: a bird in flight, but also a letter being dropped into a mailbox. Brilliant styling.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:gallery {"linkTo":"none"} -->
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped"><!-- wp:image {"id":15030,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} -->
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://christopherhumphreyphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/O3A8999-1-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-15030"/></figure>
<!-- /wp:image -->

<!-- wp:image {"id":15029,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} -->
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://christopherhumphreyphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/O3A8999-2-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-15029"/></figure>
<!-- /wp:image --></figure>
<!-- /wp:gallery -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>I'm working my way through photos from Paris, and haven't found any examples of stylishly dressed women (or men), but when I do I'll put them here.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Art (like worship) is “useless,” and so it is even more important as a human work than many things that we think really matter. Utility and morality are not the only thing. (Too much skin is <em>gauche</em>, the French would say.) Style is not a “statement,” but a song.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->