Dressing for the Paris Version of Me
On feeling more romantic, more styled, and slightly less needed for one weekend
In March, I went to Paris to celebrate my daughter’s 10th birthday. It was our gift to her — a mother-daughter weekend in Paris. Truly a dream come true, and something we will remember forever.
Seeing my eldest daughter, Uma, experience Paris for the first time was incredibly special. But what made the trip even more meaningful was that it was just the two of us. Of course, I missed my beloved 2-year-old Tess. But we also deeply enjoyed these few days together, uninterrupted.
For a moment, I felt slightly less needed.
No endless snacks packed into a stroller. No running around making sure the toddler stays alive. No planning our entire day around nap time. No constantly thinking about where and when to eat. It felt freeing. And interestingly, getting dressed felt freeing too.
For this special trip, I packed with intention. In true personal styling fashion, before choosing any outfits, I asked myself:
“How do I want to feel in Paris?” not:
“What should I wear?”
I’ve found this approach much more useful than simply building a capsule wardrobe around pieces you already own. Because when you dress from a feeling, you almost always like yourself more in the outfit.
Before the flight, I planned every outfit in advance. I tried each one on in front of the mirror, imagining myself walking through the streets of Paris. Looking into café windows. Sitting somewhere late in the afternoon with a tiny coffee and nowhere to rush.
And surprisingly — it really worked. Every outfit felt right once I got there.
Of course, being in Paris changed everything slightly. The atmosphere, the architecture, the way people move through the city — all of it made the clothes feel more alive somehow. But there was never that familiar feeling of:
“I wish I had packed this.”
Everything I brought felt aligned with the trip. With the mood of it. With wanting to feel a little more romantic, a little more styled, and slightly less needed for one weekend.
This was the outfit I wore on our first evening in Paris. It felt especially romantic to me. The embroidered collar is from the Ukrainian brand GUNIA Project. For the longest time, it had been sitting forgotten in a box in the jewelry section of my wardrobe. I wasn’t even planning to bring it.
But right before the trip, I suddenly remembered seeing Irene Kim (김애린) style a trench coat with a similar collar. And instantly, it clicked. It felt like I could suddenly see the outfit clearly — and maybe even a version of myself in it too.
What I loved most about this look was pairing such a romantic, almost doll-like embroidered collar with something as simple as a long sleeve top that almost looked like a sweatshirt. That contrast made the outfit work.
A little polished, a little casual. Comfortable, but still elegant. Whenever an outfit feels too “done,” I usually need something slightly undone to balance it out. Otherwise it stops feeling like me.
In case you feel inspired to try an embroidered collar yourself, I gathered a few beautiful options from GUNIA Project below.
And then there’s this Comme des Garçons clutch bag. Every single time I wear it, someone asks me where it’s from. I understand why — it really is such a special piece.
Mine is no longer available, and back in 2021 I had to do serious internet detective work to find one. Somehow it ended up being shipped to me from St. Petersburg, which still feels like a whole story when I think about it.
Since this exact version is now almost impossible to find, I decided to gather a few similar styles from other luxury brands. But if you happen to come across this CDG bag in resale somewhere (like no.4 below!!!), I would genuinely consider it. Pieces like this rarely lose their charm.
The next day, we had our Eiffel Tower visit planned. I wanted to look slightly more polished and a bit more prepped than I usually do while running everyday errands in Berlin. Funny enough, nothing in this outfit was particularly elegant on its own. But together, the textures, proportions, and soft neutral colours worked beautifully.
I felt especially good in this look. I loved the shape of this zip-up jacket paired with the barrel-leg unisex trousers from Uniqlo. The suede ballerinas and beige Sézane bag added just enough softness and elegance. And finally — the Gucci sunglasses. One of those pieces that patiently waits for the exact right mood.
I skipped jewellery completely here because the outfit already felt clean and balanced on its own.
The following day felt especially meaningful. We were finally visiting Musée de l’Orangerie — a place that had been on my wishlist for years. Experiencing it together with my daughter made it even more special, especially because she already loves art herself. It felt like the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon in Paris.
For that day, I wanted to look slightly different again. Still comfortable, because we knew we would be out all day, but with a bit more structure. I ended up wearing a mostly black outfit with soft touches of pink.
The oversized cropped blazer is from a brand founded by my friend Annika, I am. INTERNATIONAL CITIZEN, a truly talented designer with her own vision of quiet, spiritual luxury. Every time I wear this blazer, I feel both empowered and completely myself. The thick wool gives it such a beautiful shape, and the endless buttons along the sleeves remain my favourite detail.
Originally, I imagined this look with blue barrel-leg jeans. But when the right size didn’t arrive in time before the trip, I switched to these relaxed straight-cut grey jeans instead. And honestly, I ended up loving the softer contrast even more. The small touches of pink added just enough colour without taking attention away from the silhouette.
If you’re currently searching for a good black blazer, I would also recommend looking at ARKET. Their tailoring is consistently well done, especially for the price point - cropped black blazer, oversized fit woollen blazer.
Cropped black blazer, oversized fit woollen blazer
Later that evening, we returned to the hotel, changed quickly, and went out for a casual dinner in the 17th arrondissement. The temperatures in Paris shifted so much throughout the day that layering became essential. So I threw together this outfit almost instinctively — comfortable, warm enough for a late-night walk, but still feeling cute and considered.
For our last evening — exploring Montmartre and having one final romantic mother-daughter dinner — I wanted to feel slightly more romantic again, while still keeping the outfit minimal and understated. The navy A-line skirt paired with a beige zip-up felt exactly right for the mood of the evening.
What I especially loved were the small silver details — my jewellery together with the metallic touches of the Comme des Garçons clutch. Definitely the star accessory of this Paris trip.
And finally, my last half-day outfit — part airport look, part still-not-ready-to-leave-Paris look. Comfortable, obviously. But still styled enough to feel like myself. Like I was dressing based on what I wanted to wear, not based on playground practicality or toddler logistics. Don’t get me wrong — I absolutely do dress up in Berlin too.
But my CDG clutch bag rarely joins me on a random Wednesday afternoon playground visit. Although honestly… maybe it should.
In this outfit, I loved playing with soft pastel shades — light pink together with pale yellow — while still keeping the overall look minimal. These balloon-shape trousers remain one of the best wardrobe investments I’ve ever made. Not only are they incredibly comfortable and warm because of the wool fabric, they instantly add shape to an outfit and make even the simplest styling feel more interesting. Pink sneakers, a loose grey COS t-shirt, and the CDG clutch completed the look.
And that was my version of Anna in Paris, 2026. I’m already curious to see which version of my style Paris will bring out next time.
I would love to know which outfit felt most inspiring to you — and which one you could imagine recreating from your own wardrobe.
And before getting dressed tomorrow morning, don’t forget to ask yourself:
“How do I want to feel today?”
Cheers, Ann-á
Love these tonal and elegant looks and how you make beige just work!!
So beautiful 🤍