How I Fell in Love with France By Susan Dietrich Rolfs

My first trip to Paris was nothing short of life-altering. From day one, I fell hopelessly in love with the architecture, the fountains, the gardens, the food, the fashion, and above all, the shoes!

It’s funny how you remember the smallest details about significant experiences. I recall that I packed for the trip in a soft-sided leather bag from Dunhill, and brought everything I thought I would need, including a pair of Ferragamo shoes that I envisioned wearing everywhere. Little did I know that I would soon get a tutorial on French style and need to up the game with my American wardrobe.

That said, my big purchase while in France that year was a pair of Gucci heel loafers. At that time, shopping catalogues from high-end retail stores in the United States were popular. After buying my favorite loafers at the Gucci boutique, I asked the sales associate for a catalogue. She looked at me horrified, as if she wanted to say, “Are you kidding?! This is NOT America!” Apparently, that was not the Parisian way, so lesson learned! But I loved those shoes…

After basking in the ambiance of The City of Lights for several days, my traveling companions and I headed south to Provence and the Cote d’Azur. During that drive through the French countryside I was transformed into a total Francophile, ready to immerse myself the language, grasp French cooking methods, and make chic choices in everything I wore.

After settling into our hotel in Nice we set out on foot to revel in the spectacular views of the Mediterranean (and to try to act like locals!) While people watching and sipping wine at an outdoor café, I, of course, thought about my footwear and realized what I was missing — a good pair of gold sandals—the one thing lacking in my Dunhill suitcase. All of sudden the age-old advice came back to me: “Always pack a party dress WITH appropriate accessories, as every savvy French woman knows!”