- After living in France for over a decade, the writer shares a key tip for staying safe and stylish in Paris: skip flashy designer accessories.
- Pickpocketing is common in the city, especially at restaurants and crowded areas—and visible luxury items can make tourists easy targets.
- Instead, embrace the understated Parisian style with simple, chic pieces.
Emily in Paris paints the French capital through rose-colored glasses. Just as you probably aren’t prancing around New York City in Manolo Blahnik stilettos and a tutu Ă la Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, Parisians are much more toned-down than Emily—and you’ll rarely see designer labels flashing loudly on bags or fine jewelry from the likes of Dior.Â
Paris is a city of romance, but unfortunately, like any major capital, pickpocketing is common, and even friends of mine in Paris have had their bags snatched from the back of their seats at restaurants—which will quickly drain any hint of romance from your vacation. According to data platform Numbeo’s 2025 crime index, the level of crime in Paris is higher than New York City’s—but most petty crime can be avoided if you know how to dress the part.Â
As someone who has spent more than a decade living in France, there’s one travel tip I always tell my friends who visit France: leave the designer bags and jewelry at home. Trust me, you can still look stylish without becoming a target for pickpockets. I’ve broken this rule myself, flashing a Chanel wallet while paying for wine at a bar on the Canal Saint-Martin at a Beaujolais Day party (my favorite French holiday, no less!). Two minutes later, while moving through the crowd, I was stealthily pickpocketed and spent hours the next day at the police station filing a theft report.
Another friend was walking home in the late afternoon in the natural wine-heavy neighborhood of Oberkampf when someone slipped in front of her and tried to snatch her thick gold necklaces off. My advice to both first-time visitors and friends who spend months each year in France? Embrace the Parisian knack for looking effortlessly chic by sporting stylish basics over big-name brands. Look around and you’ll notice women donning nondescript leather cross-body bags by French labels like A.P.C. and Soeur instead of Yves Saint Laurent and simple timepieces from Casio instead of Cartier.Â
You can walk around Paris safely—and you should. The city is best explored on foot, taking in the scent of fresh baguette streaming from boulangeries as you stroll through quintessential neighborhoods like Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Tuileries. So, go and live out your French flâneur fantasies—just keep in mind this simple rule and you won’t waste precious time in Paris at a police station.
