French Style!

[impossibleprincess]

A Guide to Elegance : For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions
by Geneviere Antonine Dariaux "The accessories worn with an outfit - gloves, hat, shoes, and handbag - are among the most important elements of an elegant appearance..."

-is a really good book written by a doyenne of french style...it's apparently very famous. You can get it on amazon.

 

[Petite Coquette]

A Guide to Elegance : For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions
by Geneviere Antonine Dariaux "The accessories worn with an outfit - gloves, hat, shoes, and handbag - are among the most important elements of an elegant appearance..."

-is a really good book written by a doyenne of french style...it's apparently very famous. You can get it on amazon.

Funny you mentioned that, because I'm reading a novel by Kathleen Tessaro called Elegance which is based on that book. The book is fictional but it has extracts from A Guide to Elegance.

 

[cutelilgreenbug]

It's all in the subtlety, quality, and fit. And yes, the lack of body fat helps. There is no overestimating just how refreshing it is to North American eyes to see the combination of a good hair cut, minimal make-up, and flat shoes on beautiful women who don't stuff their sexuality down your throat. Don't forget too: excellent French lingerie under it all, giving the right sillouhette.

There's something to be said for spending your entire budge on 4-5 great pieces a season, wearing them everywhichway, and truly making them your own. I think we North Americans get so caught up in finding a bargain at Winners and the like that we end up with closets full of ill-fitting crap. I've experimented with the former approach the last couple of years and have found dressing to be far more satisfying and personal. Dressing for self rather than in hopes of getting in the Ins and Outs columns in Vice (or Glamour, depending on your personal tastes). Subtlety doesn't get as much attention from the masses, but those who know will notice...

very well said!

 

[Missoni~Heiress]

A Guide to Elegance : For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions
by Geneviere Antonine Dariaux "The accessories worn with an outfit - gloves, hat, shoes, and handbag - are among the most important elements of an elegant appearance..."

-is a really good book written by a doyenne of french style...it's apparently very famous. You can get it on amazon.

I have both those books

 

[starface]

hey i love this topic. Im really into the european style because i live in a place where everybody looks the same (at the moment everyones going through the Sienna Miller stage)
I just love the way they can wear what they want and have the personality to shine through the clothes.
One thing however....how do u buy a couple of quality items and then wear them all the time? I always end up buying lots and lots and never wear the clothes as much as i want to cos i get bored.
I would love to buy a couple of items instead of loads

 

[Marcella]

oh, love this topic!!!

someone was asking about do everybody in Europe dress well and stylish...I think that fits only for French, but God,not in Finland!this is the fashion&style-destroying country number 1!everybody is fat / dresses awfully...and it's hard to find nice fitting clothes...but then you cross the sea and go to Sweden, and God, people are so much more stylish there!does anyone have opinions about the way people in Scandinavia/Finland dress? I'd love to hear someone else's opinions about it.I'm definetily going to get far away from this country as soon as I'm 18/finished my studies!

could someone post those Harper's Bazaar articles bigger, they're hard to read now

hmmm, i have family in norway and they always dress well. but i would figure they are more like sweden anyway.
i didn't know that finland was so bad as you put it, one of my teachers is from finland, he's oretty cool and his wife is gourgous. but i can't expect a who9le country to be like that.

 

[smashinfashion]

This is an old french ad... i really love the style...

thats janice dickinson..

 

[Anouk]

i didn't know that finland was so bad as you put it, one of my teachers is from finland, he's oretty cool and his wife is gourgous. but i can't expect a who9le country to be like that.

trust me, most of the people here really don't know how to dress.I think one of the things for that is that the shops are really terrible, and the buyers there just buy all the "safe" items,because they think otherwise people wouldn't buy anything.and then everybody buys all the same clothes,and so on.I was in London last week, adn everybody dressed so much better! here everybody dresses same.some major (young people's) fashion styles here,right now:

-being oh-so-rock-and-oh-so-unique:
messy,torned and dark/shock colour clothing (not gothic if it may sound like that),lots of makeup in different shades, black/brown/shock colour dyed hair.second-hand and H&M.and they all think they're so unique, although every other person dresses like that.

-Sienna/Kate clones
this is really coming here now...

-"Goths"
so, they listen Evanescence, HIM and Nightwish, and then they go to H&M and buy lots of black clothes and matching jewellery and tons of black eyeliner.and they look so ridiculous, and serious.nothing to do with real goths,though.

I just hate H&M,it's really big around here.it can take weeks before you find a person who really dresses nicely.take me away from here, I want to learn somehting about style!

 

[Fashion Puss]

I lived a year in Paris, living in Bastille. I spent most of my time going out in Oberkamph which is a great place.

My english friends and I used to comment on how the french trendy girls would look like they had effortlessly threw a dead casual outfit togther, with the bed heair and everything. But the thing was that they had actually spent a while putting that look together. It was something in the blood. Well, that was the scene in my part of Paris. I never usually went to either the left bank or west Paris - I had everything for me in the east and 11th.

I went to a huge party in this design studio behind Grands Boulevards. I thought that I was actually looking rather good. A girl came up to me and said " oh how cute, little english girl wearing last seasons shoes"
Paris girls will pride themselves on wearing things first, then one day into a new season and you won't see that style on their backs for love nor money. You only thing you'll get is a sneer if you happened to be wearing it. Its one of the reasons I got tired with that scene and came back to London.

 

[helena]

thats not so good fahion puss. I didn't think Paris was so snobby.....

I don't really like Oberkamph so much - its too like Britain! Its the only place in Paris I have seen really pissed people

 

[softgrey]

I went to a huge party in this design studio behind Grands Boulevards. I thought that I was actually looking rather good. A girl came up to me and said " oh how cute, little english girl wearing last seasons shoes"
Paris girls will pride themselves on wearing things first, then one day into a new season and you won't see that style on their backs for love nor money. You only thing you'll get is a sneer if you happened to be wearing it. Its one of the reasons I got tired with that scene and came back to London.

...evil monster...

 

[starface]

Omg how evil....what did you say to her?

 

[Fade to Black]

I lived a year in Paris, living in Bastille. I spent most of my time going out in Oberkamph which is a great place.

My english friends and I used to comment on how the french trendy girls would look like they had effortlessly threw a dead casual outfit togther, with the bed heair and everything. But the thing was that they had actually spent a while putting that look together. It was something in the blood. Well, that was the scene in my part of Paris. I never usually went to either the left bank or west Paris - I had everything for me in the east and 11th.

I went to a huge party in this design studio behind Grands Boulevards. I thought that I was actually looking rather good. A girl came up to me and said " oh how cute, little english girl wearing last seasons shoes"
Paris girls will pride themselves on wearing things first, then one day into a new season and you won't see that style on their backs for love nor money. You only thing you'll get is a sneer if you happened to be wearing it. Its one of the reasons I got tired with that scene and came back to London.

wow that girl is a real b*tch...what a rude comment.

I've been out clubbing in Paris once...I went alone, and the Parisian girls I tried dancing with/talking to weren't so friendly either (at the time my French was manageable).

 

[DressageChick]

If they only buy 4-5 things each season and refuse to wear anything from last season do they just wear the same outfit every day?

 

[*Happiness*]

that article is funny

Yes it is! Especially #5 (makeup in the morning before your hubby sees you! )

 

[*Happiness*]

I went to a huge party in this design studio behind Grands Boulevards. I thought that I was actually looking rather good. A girl came up to me and said " oh how cute, little english girl wearing last seasons shoes"
Paris girls will pride themselves on wearing things first, then one day into a new season and you won't see that style on their backs for love nor money. You only thing you'll get is a sneer if you happened to be wearing it. Its one of the reasons I got tired with that scene and came back to London.

...evil monster...

Yes, totally rude and disrespectful. My questions is....why do people break their necks to have an article of clothing or pair of shoes first? Are their bills paid? Do they have food in their fridge? Are they happy and content without all of the material things? It's amazing how people still look down on other people in this world. That is so not cool.

 

[Missoni~Heiress]

im trying to find some more cool french online shops

 

[DressageChick]

My mom always wanted me to be influenced by the french. She gave me a french-sounding name instead of a more common Russian one, then attempted to put me into a private French Catholic school in Canada in second grade which didn't quite work out...so I just ended up taking up french as a foreign language in public school instead. I actually love everything about France now and plan on studying abroad there at some point during college.

 

[Fox in the Snow]

im trying to find some more cool french online shops

www.laredoute.com/

 

[Bluestar07]

-"Goths"
so, they listen Evanescence, HIM and Nightwish, and then they go to H&M and buy lots of black clothes and matching jewellery and tons of black eyeliner.and they look so ridiculous, and serious.nothing to do with real goths,though.

Errr ... I love Evanescence