How to steal French Style
I’ve been trying to find the definitive guide or list to French style but have not been successful. There are many books and online articles about what people think these ‘lists’ should be...yet they all vary, so how can they be definitive?
After pouring over various guides, lists, articles, books and my own wardrobe (a collection accumulated over the years), I have put together my version. Not at all definitive (as I’m sure I’ll be adding to it as and when I see new ideas).
Is seems that French women set themselves apart by their sense of style and not necessarily by wearing the latest trend. It is certainly a fact that in general, French women do not wear Couture! They buy quality basics, core staples and invest in classic accessories. Parisians in particular do not have the same ‘throwaway’ mentality we do. The French way, is quality over quantity and they firmly believe that you should feel ‘bien dans sa peau’ – literally ‘good in your own skin’.
French girls want to look feminine. In all, less equals more. Just wear one noticeable item (high heels, heavy eyeliner or a choker and keep the rest soft and subtle. You want to highlight your best feature. You want to be chic, timeless, elegant ...sophisticated and smart. You should feel feminine, confident and graceful. Sexy Parisian chic is beautiful, gentle...and the real secret? The secret is not in the clothes you wear... but in the pose (Tom Ford). Be sassy not brassy, sexy and smouldering...think French screen sirens...think confidence – make the effort (for it is an effort) but one well worth doing!
So, here it is: a list for all those ‘pseudo-Française’ out there (including moi)
(N.B. There are hundreds of lists with the top 10 wardrobe items in...my list assumes you already have those basic items.) There are also some snippets of advice I’ve picked up from various ‘French style’ lists.
Colours
Greys, blacks, camels, blues...’blend’ your colours – don’t clash them!
Black – makes you look slimmer (no brainer!)
Neutrals – are good for a blank canvas
Bold accents of colour – red, yellow, green, turquoise etc in the form of accessories – a hat, belt, scarf or Trench look great
Clothing
Underwear – have sexy, well fitted and above all – matching, undies!
Faux fur coat for the colder months
Wool belted coat
Trench coat
Evening coat
Day Jacket / blazer - navy is a good choice, worn with jeans or over a dress
Leather biker jacket - or faux - look great with denim or a dress / skirt
Evening Jacket & trousers / skirt to mix / match
LBD (Little black dress)
Knits – in a variety of styles & neutral colours, plus a twinset
White shirt
Tops – various styles – Breton, plain, short & long sleeved. Cotton, jersey etc
Trousers – jeans, smart & casual. Wool, cotton, linen etc stylish and easy to wear
Dresses - are feminine. Sometimes hard to wear but the effort should be made!
The classics
Hermes belt, scarf
Louis Vuitton bag
Chanel bag / cuff / sunglasses
Cartier – watch
Tiffany – diamond studs
Perfume...your choice but make it your signature scent
Find your signature item. It could simply be red lips, a necklace, your glasses or a belt. Anything – just make it yours!
Accessories
This does not include piercings or tattoos – not something the French do
Hats – beret (of course!) summer and winter hats
Gloves – leather and wool / cashmere
Belts – wide, skinny, leather, metal – be creative!
Necklaces (beaded, long...wrapped around your neck), fabric – tied with a pretty bow
Scarves – lots of them - silk, cashmere, thick, thin!
Boots – knee high or ankle boots (over jeans or with a dress)
Shoes – Brogues, ballet flats, pretty open sided with straps and a small heel
Make-up
Keep it simple & natural – unless you are going for drama – then make it the eyes or the lips...never both!
Mascara, blush, kohl, eyeliner on its own – think Brigitte Bardot
Hair & Grooming
Go for a simple style, elegant and easy to maintain. Long hair pulled neatly back, a bob kept immaculately sharp.
Keep it all trimmed (no unibrows please)
In the end – the French believe in style over comfort! A little pain and a lot of gain! Comfort is wearing PJ’s at home!
Good reading:
Below is a list of the contents of my wardrobe (ok, I do have some additional items but this covers the majority of it). Having had a recent sort out, I am now left with items I feel will be useful At one stage, I had four (yes four!) times this amount of clothes. The saying goes...you wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time. What a waste of space, money and effort!
I’m much happier with my slim lined version...of course there are things I will add as time goes by...but from now on, they will have to have the French seal of approval!
My wardrobe:-
Louis Vuitton Speedy, Hermes Belt, Longchamp bags in various sizes, styles and colours for both travelling and daily use, various belts, scarves...silk, cashmere, wool, long, small...some are from vintage stores, others are new accessories
Leather gloves in black short and brown long, Fedora hat (black felt), cream summer hat, berets
Long wool winter coat in navy
Faux fur coats in brown / mink x 2 – 1 belted, 1 not belted
Wool / cashmere belted coats 1 x camel / 1 x houndstooth
Trench coats – x 2 Burberry (1 short, 1 long) plus 1 x straw colour, 1 x green colour
Day coat - navy, belted
Faux leather biker jacket
Evening coat – black, belted – trench style
Day jacket – wool brown check
Evening Jacket – x 2 (velvet one matches velvet evening trousers to make a ‘le smoking’ style suit) the other is a Dior black belted short wool jacket
Evening skirt – long length in taffeta
LBD (little black dress) x 5 – various styles / fabrics
Knits – black turtle, greys, camel twinset, neutrals, creams – various styles / weights
Tops – black, long and short sleeve – white, neutral, greys (some in cotton, jersey, wool)
Tops – Breton style x 5 various styles and stripes
Trousers – jeans, black trousers, smart and casual, greys
Skirts – black linen, short
Shirts – white, cream in silk and cotton
Shoes – black heels x 2 / neutral heels x 1 / ballet flats x 5 in various colours / fabric, leather
Footwear – ‘Converse’ styles in red, black, turquoise, green, summer wedge heels
Faux fur lined hat for winter / folding summer hat
Jewellery – vintage, Deco, modern mixed – watches x 2
'Fashion fades, only style remains the same' ~ Coco ChanelNo truer a word said. You can spend a small fortune on 'fashion' and still have nothing to wear. You can spend a small fortune on 'style' and have an outfit for every possible occasion.
'Fashion' fades from season to season. Of course it has it's place in society. It is fun, quirky, makes people individual - so long as they haven't all bought the same 'IT' bag of the season.
'Style' remains the same from season to season. It has a place in society and in your wardrobe. It too can be fun, quirky, and make you individual - who else has that vintage bag you bought from a flea market in Paris?
Are you starting to get my drift? Be yourself - not a slave to 'fashion'. By all means, collect designer classics (you'll be thankful you did later in life!) but don't crave this season's $800 / £500 runway shoes unless you are a serious collector (or have a wealthy husband). They will end up in the back of your closet, along with everything else you bought that 'seemed like a good idea at the time' or 'I simply had to have it'.
You can look fabulous with few basics and some shrewd investments. I'll be explaining more about this later!
