What French women get right
Claire Dhelens
I just came back from a week’s vacation in Paris with my family. I love Paris and especially enjoy the people watching whether I’m having lunch on the Louvre terrace at Cafe Marly or watching my girls run around the Jardins de Luxembourg. Not every French woman is the epitome of chic, but many are and they all seem to share the same formula for everyday dressing. It’s also a formula that is rather casual and very modern, but trendy? not so much. While New York women dress similarly, there are some subtle, refined differences that made me rethink what’s in my closet and how I want to put myself together everyday.
Everyday French Formula: skinny jeans/pants (black, usually, but cargos and other dark colors), a blazer or wool jacket, boots with walkable heels (no four-inch stumblers), an understated, often cross-body bag (occasionally Chanel, but most of the time, not a designer I can pinpoint), and a scarf.
Black predominates but it is often black with brown or black with navy, or other neutral combos such as army green and brown, burgundy and gray. And the occasional red scarf. There are no pastels in Paris.
French women wear makeup. Not a lot of makeup, but grown-up makeup. Either a kohl-rimmed eye and bare lips or a red mouth and mascara. Beyond that, their faces look bare of any heavy foundation or powder. No hot pink lips, or even beigey/nude combos.
French women NEVER wear anything related to sport or exercise clothes unless they are on their way to Pilates class. No fleece. Ever. Only cool sneakers as in ones you cannot excercise in such as Converse or Isabel Marant.
At the same time a woman in her 50s will be in the same Converse sneakers and skinny jeans as her younger counterpart. French women don’t care about “age rules” but at the same time, they aren’t afraid to be womanly. Cool is always ok, but girly doesn’t fly.
What is my take-away lesson here? I will invest in more dark denim (luckily my new Rag & Bone zip jeans I posted on previously just arrived and I’m in love), I am considering another pair of mid-heel ankle boots in brown (I have black), I will wear a pea-coat even it’s just to the playground and use the new Chanel gray eyeliner I bought at Bon Marche with regularity.
Cecilia Bonstrom
Topics: Chanel, French women, Isabel Marant, Rag & Bone
Thank you for the great post! I love reading about how French women dress & I try to dress like that myself. I love your blog, keep up the great work!
What a fun, simple and expressive post ~ thanks for reminding me of the Parisian specifics to an always pulled together easy look! I loved Paris, and will start to wear my peacoat around town starting today! Love your blogs!
LOVE these types of post! in the fashion photos we don’t see the day to day parisian chic!
But easy to emulate
thank you!!
Great post! Thanks for sharing these lessons from Paris!
The Styleseer
I love reading about French women and their style it appears so effortless…thank you for your blog it makes my day!!!!
i’m french and from paris and can tell you… you’re very right!
i would add to the sneakers point: never ever ever white (ie tourists only do that
and no big blow-up… french women seek natural beauty, enhancing what genetics gave you, definitely very french to show very little effort to achieve great things! very different from US, right?
And if women cheat with genetics… they never ever say (no botox party if you see what i mean…)
thank you!
Right on! I love those french women, they have their priorities straight–comfort and chic.
Great observations, great post. Must also add more dark denim to my wardrobe.
Having lived here in Paris for over a decade now, I would add that French women do a lot of maintenance- good haircuts and colors often, facials very regularly, polished shoes, EVERYTHING ironed (especially t-shirts). I think its very true that French women are not terribly trendy. They find a look, a fit, a style that works for them and they confidently stick to it, just updating the details. Definitely a great model to follow.
You nailed French style in that post! I love your site by the way!
Tu as completement raison ! Bien vu !
Love your take on ‘le style parisien’. Love the way they mix fur and hats on top of the dark skinnies and ankle boots – they know how to rock December in style..
TrésorParisien
Love this post. Thank you for articulating the details so well. Ill be avoiding pastels like the plague from now on.
I collect your bags by the way. I love them and feel so spot on when I carry one. Still trying to get my hands on a Getaway!
Best to you.
I love French style & the fact that French women don’t care about age – that sense of feeling ‘bien dans sa peau’ – we can all learn a lot from this.
Love French Style. Curious – Did you see any stylish French women with Gray hair or is it all about coloring one’s hair?
Thank you for this fabulous post.
Kiss Kiss,
Lynn
Yes, I would also love to know also what the French attitude is on gray hair! How do French women make gray hair sexy, or DO they dye keep dyeing it?
Thanks for the fun and informative site!
French women are the best-dressed on Earth!!! Their sense of style and attitude is unique. I believe that it’s difficult to copy them, because it’s not just their clothes, but their lifestyle and genes!!!
Do you know the brand of the heeled boots in the top photo? They may be the cutest things I’ve ever seen!
I love this post. With spring (and summer) on the horizon, I’d love to hear about what Parisian women wear in warmer weather.
Love the story, I have a bit of an obsession with French women style and ways of life. So chic.. good quality items.. neutral colours and not many pieces. Ideal!
Hi again — I would love to read most post like this one — Parisisan women style. I guess I am in good company on this one. Wainting — Kiss Kiss
Just came across this looking for some chic european boots, just like th ones pictured – model with the hat.
Any idea what brand those are or where to find some like it?
Hi! I just came across this looking for some chic european boots, just like th ones pictured – model with the hat.
Any idea what brand those are or where to find some like it?
So where can I find a peacoat? Any particular shops in Paris ?
Well I’m a French native man, I wanted to thank you for your appreciation of the way Parisian woman dress themselves, I’m sorry but I must add, cause it’s so visible, Parisian woman’s shoes are always at their exact feet size, never toes exceeds their shoes and especially their shoes behind never exceeds the length of their feet. To make it as short as possible because I think they are other things that could be said like during summer season they never wear winter shoes and the opposite as well, also their hands and feet nails are or without color varnish, only transparent or with a nail’s color that correspond to the color of their clothes day , or evening clothes. The only elegant and unique color that they may use, as well during day or night is the uniform red. Sorry for my English that is so bad.
I don’t want to offend California women where I leave but I think I never saw less well dressed women throughout my travels all around the world.
Please try to look more like a woman than some time, even hard to make a difference between a man or a woman.
Dedicate to my love of the woman.
Just found your blog and LOVE it! It really speaks to me – thank you,! Really love this post too, I like
how French women are NOT girly! From the pictures that I am seeing, and Emmanuelle Alt whos style I love (especially as she is my age) they have a very chic, laid back but very womanly thing going on. J’adore!