How DO They Do It?

I am currently reading "Almost French" by Sarah Turnbull. Sarah is an Australian young woman who falls in love with a French man and ends up living in Paris. It is very, very entertaining and insightful. At one point, her very French husband tries to appear to be a foreigner in France by simply tying his sweater around his waist instead of over his shoulders like all the French do. This section struck me as extremely funny because it is so true. Every adult here drapes/ties their sweaters/sweatshirts over their shoulders versus around their waists. I have tried this on many, many occasions - trying to stick out a bit less- but always end up with my sweater falling off, hanging in my food, spread out all cattywampus across my back, or just looking messy and bulky in general! These French people however, can have their sweaters hanging gracefully all day long, no matter if they are riding in a convertible or walking along a windy beach in a typhoon! Do they use velcro or what?
Today was a day of having coffee with friends and getting the house in order for Josh's mom who is coming to visit on Thursday! I tried to run errands this morning only to discover that not only are all stores closed on Sundays, closed for 2 hour lunches and closed early in the evenings. But, they are all also closed on Monday mornings! I can't win....