Paris: The Girl in the Red Jacket

In the book, and more recently the motion picture, "Confessions of a Shopaholic," protagonist Isla Fisher fashions a pen name for herself in Successful Savings magazine as, "The Girl in the Green Scarf." Well, I may not be a columnist, I barely deserve the title Blogger for my lame excuse for semi-regular postings, but writer or not here in Paris, I am "The Girl in the Red Jacket."

In my frenzied packing I neglected to take in to account the fact that it is Spring. Paris in Spring, for all its beauty and innovation, is not warm. The temperature is actually the perfect definition of Spring weather and must be why Fashion Designers create specific Spring lines every year. Think about it, what do clothing stores put out in their Spring line to tempt and taunt us of the warmth that has yet to arrive? ... Coats! If your like me you buy these "Spring Coats," put your parka in storage, and freeze your tookus off wearing these thinly lined sad excuse for an extra layer, which are clearly not designed for our Canadian climate. But in Paris, why Spring coats are actually...useful! They ward off the breeze and provide you with not too much insulation, while keeping you warmer then wearing a simple cardigan.

And so, chilled and envious of the fashion that continually surrounds, I bought...a Red Jacket. This is not just any red jacket...it is the Red Jacket. I feel Paris in this Jacket; each fiber whispers to me of my Parisian Potential. Every time I put this jacket on I feel like a different person in it. I walk taller, I walk straighter, I feel my neck muscles tense with confidence! Without my Red Jacket I am simply Erin, but in it...Je suis Erin! It is as if this jacket is the secret code to the inner ways of Parisian living. People now speak to me in French first and then in English, once I respond with a perfectly accented Pardon? Yes I have discovered the key to achieving respect in a city known for its attitude. Thank you Red Jacket...I owe you my new found Je ne say quoi.