Paris Grey Skies

Paris is a grey city - overcast skies, grey cobbled streets with grey Baron Haussmann buildings. Citizens dressed in grey neutrals with just a dash of color at the neck. Why is this a good thing? Because grey acts as the perfect foil for brilliant colors. Grey makes colors sing. We adore Ladurée's pale green, Hermés' Orange, Hediard's red, Fauchon's hot pink. Strong colors radiate against this serene grey backdrop.

It's color basic theory.
And why do we love to wander aimlessly down Paris' streets? Lois Swirnoff explains in THE COLOR OF CITIES;
Elegant, gracious and stylish, the great lady reveals her distinction facially. The aesthetic is one of dignified composure. Close range colors in these facades impart a sense of unity, rather than commercial competition (like New York). Restraint and refinement is the urban message.

Par hasard /by chance I passed this art student sketching in the Jardins du Luxembourg. Tout en gris. Note how GREEN the greens look surrounded by all that gris (grey).
 King of Paris pastry, Pierre Hermé uses pearl grey for his pretty boxes. THE COLOR OF CITIES is a fav book because it explains why we love Paris, Rome, Venice, or any extraordinary city. For reasons usually never considered like longitude, angles of light, shadow shapes. Paris' low-contrast light is softer, more atmospheric, more moody and best for still life painting. Thanks to overcast grey skies. a tout à l'heure
These grey cheeses are aged in charcoal. They look like corrugated cardboard left in a cellar (they rested on rope and were turned periodically). But on a tartine (slice) of fresh baguette..YUM

Look in any Parisien shop window. Close range colors make for harmony, balance, calm. My friend, Christiane, is outfitted in her crazy, grey LILITH jacket. Can you get more French? Note the little touch of red lips 💋at the neck.