Women in France and italy

During a recent trip abroad I was looking forward to exploring the difference between Italian women and French woman's fashion choices. I was particularly interested in women 40 and older. It was June and in both countries the women chose muted tones but did not shy away from white. In past trips during the winter I have noticed a prevalence of black. The most obvious differences were that french women still wore scarves and the Italian women wore more jewelry especially gold. Both countries had women who were beautifully fit, coiffed and brown. I admired their preference for linens and silk and I was shocked at how many business women I saw beautifully dressed driving scooters.