This is the door to my apartment building.

I'm staying behind these doors this morning to do some laundry. Remember, Connie, how long it takes to wash a load of clothes? I may be finished by dinner time.
My private tour guide was a no-show yesterday. I gave up after waiting 30 minutes and explored the Marais on my own. I happened upon the wholesale district - stores full of different styles of one item (purses, jewelry, shoes, etc.)on display and the floor of the store littered with boxes containing these items by the gross, I suppose. I was amused by the signs on the doors, one in French and one in English; the one in English said: Wholesale only, no detail.

I promised Cindy Z. I'd tell her all about Paris fashion, that being a special interest of hers. So, here goes:
Everything you ever knew or read about Paris fashion on the street is now wrong.

Old Rule: Don't take your jeans to Paris; no one there wears jeans. Wrong. EVERYONE under the age of 30 wears nothing but jeans; not so much with women d'un certaine age, but I've seen enough of my age group wearing them that I don't feel conspicuous in mine. I've seen every possible style ever invented - skinny leg, flared leg, high waist, low waist, obscenely low waist...

Old Rule: Parisians wear high-heeled pumps, never comfortable shoes, let alone tennis shoes. Wrong. EVERYONE is wearing tennis shoes in every imaginable style. If you've noticed the variety of tennis shoes at Macy's, multiply that exponentially and you'll be close to the number of different looks here. I was especially intrigued by some bronze hightops; they looked a lot like my baby shoes Mom had bronzed, only on steroids.

Old Rule: Everyone here wears scarves. Actually, that one hasn't changed. They still do, and I've discovered there is a practical reason for it. Having gone out a couple of times without a jacket and realizing, too late, that it was cooler than I thought, I stopped at a souvenir shop that sells cheap scarves and bought one for 5 euros. Wrapping that thing around your neck a couple of times makes a jacket unnecessary, and you can unwind it as the weather warms up.

Old Rule: Parisiens are fashionistas. Wrong. Maybe it's the quartier I'm staying in, but I have done a lot of walking around other areas, and it's my impression that they're dressing down. Except for a couple of exceptions in the St. Germain area, most people are dressed quite casually; they really don't look any different than people do back home, except there aren't as many fat people. Which brings me to my last observation for today:

Old Rule: French people are all skinny. Wrong again! They're puttin' on the pounds just like the rest of us. Mon Dieu! What's 'appening to ze French? They're becoming us!

SOMEDAY: My door will look like this: