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What is it about a French woman that makes her appear so unintentionally chic? My latest trip to Paris (Left Bank) in April 2008 was for pleasure yet I couldn’t help but study the women I saw on the streets, in the cafés, in boutiques, and just about everywhere else. Looks at left:Nathan Jenden Alma ruffle dressJ Brand Cigarette leg jeans, See by Chloe Leopard print box jacket.
Most of the hairstyles I saw were very low maintenance or at least cut to appear that way. Hair was cut short or medium with defining layers or bangs (or fringe). I saw many medium length shags with cropped bangs. Yet somehow each woman managed to wear it in their own signature way. Hair length is much shorter then the women I see in New York with much stronger shapes. If hair was long it was either pinned up loosely or worn full and wavy. Makeup was fresh and natural looking. There was more emphasis on the eyes, lightly flushed cheeks and sheer berry stained lips. The look was low maintenance, high glamour. Many times I had to look twice to see if a woman was actually wearing any makeup. The look became the woman the woman did not become the look.
Pants were rocker skinny and mostly black or colored. I saw a lot of black, despite any of the colors tagged as the season’s trend. Black stood out as the dominate force. The black canvas of pencil skirts, full skirts, skinny jeans or trousers were almost always accessorized with color or a special piece of jewelry. A pair of skinny black jeans, a cropped worn leather blazer, a pair of red flats, and a printed jewel tone, silk scarf peaking perfectly from the collar. Shown right: Urban Outfitters Skinny Black Sateen BDG
Jeans.,
Turtleneck sweater in true black knit.,
Rebecca Minkoff black distressed patent leather 'Stud' clutch,Handpainted silk scarf by Gilbea. I own one in blue and I love it.
The fitted jacket was everywhere, on women of all ages. I saw the jacket in many versions from leather to tweed, denim and wool. Trench coats were shorter hitting below the hips or above the knee in black, red and khaki.
Walking the streets of Paris can wear out even the most determined tourist. The women of Paris truly amaze me. They have a magical ability to with grace and ease, in heels. I’m not talking about dodging in and out of a taxi, I mean walking for blocks and blocks, from one arrondissement to the next. Oh, did mention their ability to ride a bicycle in a dress or skirt? What’s their secret? It’s all in the heel. Sky high heels were thicker while slim stiletto heels stayed well under 4 inches. I saw a lot of kitten heeled pumps, flats and Converse sneakers.
The women in Paris wear their clothes proudly no matter what they are wearing. If fact, there were few occasions if any where I noticed a designer label on a woman. There was one woman who was our tour guide on the River Seine. She was dressed in all black with her hair pulled back and wearing a dark colored scarf with a small print. There was something special about her, something in the understated way she presented herself. When I exited the boat and thanked her, I noticed her scarf was printed with barely visible LVs for Louis Vuitton. It looked a vintage scarf. The key is in finding your defining look, that one silhouette that works for you – again and again and accessorizing it. Wearing designer names not for the sake of wearing something expensive but because you truly love it and it helps to tell your story.
Shown here: Hawks by Geren Ford Double Snap Coat,
Nanette Lepore Boudoir Ballet Flat,
Impermeable Platinum by Weatherproof
Faux Cheetah Coat..
Gustto black leather 'Padua' oversized clutch.
What is it about a French woman that makes her appear so unintentionally chic? My latest trip to Paris (Left Bank) in April 2008 was for pleasure yet I couldn’t help but study the women I saw on the streets, in the cafés, in boutiques, and just about everywhere else. Looks at left:
Shown here: