French Style!

[cbcb]

They need a Pantone intervention

Karma for coining that!

 

[Phaeton]

October issue of Nylon magazine is their "Paris issue." They have articles on French dressing, designers, and actors.

I saw this at B&N and had a chance to flip through it. Nothing too in depth, but I thought it was cool that they had a small piece on Joana Preiss, referring to her as something like an epitome of French style, though they still put Ludivine Sagnier on the cover...

There is a quote regarding Joana about how she "is Nicholas Ghesquiere's muse, and in addition to her otherwise totally modest and normal wardrobe of Levis and thrift finds, probably has more Balenciaga jackets than any other woman on earth, other than some rich tycoon's trophy wife!"

What about Charlotte Gainsbourg though- I know she prefers the Burberry trench as her coat of choice, but isn't she the rightful Balenciaga muse!?

 

[J'aime_la_mode]

I know this thread is kind of old but I love it so much, its great inspiration....but I have a question...I was in Paris last week and I was quite impressed but it made me wonder How do Parisian women dress in the summer??? How do they keep looking chic and understatedly sexy, even when the hot weather comes?? Does anyone know which wardrobe pieces are essential for a french women when the weather turns hot??

 

[J'aime_la_mode]

I know this thread is kind of old but I love it so much, its great inspiration....but I have a question...I was in Paris last week and I was quite impressed but it made me wonder How do Parisian women dress in the summer??? How do they keep looking chic and understatedly sexy, even when the hot weather comes?? Does anyone know which wardrobe pieces are essential for a french women in the summer??

 

[PrinceOfCats]

I've just been working in Reims for a week, and France has some genuinely dreadful style out of Paris. Worth noting when you consider that Paris contains a lot less of France's population than say London does in England... a lot of France is still farmboys!

 

[hanae]

As a french girl, I can say we are the most stylish..lmao..
It really depends, like everywhere..but i think the aprt saying that we buy a ton of clothes and always wear the same is not totally wrong for some women. Personally, each time i buy something, i wear it..but i wanna a lot of girls who purchase new stuff withhout wearing them..that's stupid but well..

btw smarness does everything !! *dnt know if smartness exists..lol*

 

[Boluda]

at best, paris streetstyle is classic and classy, understated and feminine.

at worst, paris streetstyle is BOOOORING and conservative and hasnt changed since simone de bauvoir and jean-paul sartre era.

in this respect, i prefer italian fashion - totally outrageous and over-the-top and FUN!

being from montreal, i never feel a sort of fashion inferiority complex when im in paris. i alwyas think these frenchies need to loosen up and have fun with their wardrobe.

 

[Whitelinen]

I do prefer Italian (not the overtly 'sexy' outfits though) over French these days. Or I don't know. I really depends on the day.

There's a group of French people visiting our school this week, and well, they dress like every other teenagers. They look like they're from LA ( if we are thinking about Juicy Couture, pop whores, Seventeen and all that ) not from France. And they all look alike. There's no sophistication or style.

 

[susie_bubble]

^Hah, that reminds me of a time at school when the French exchange students came over to our school. We felt so grubby and geeky next to them coz they were all stunning and wafted of perfume as they walked through the halls. We were all 14 at the time but they could pass for 18 yr olds with the amount of make-up they had on. We were in our boring navy uniforms and they were dressed in smart wool trousers and crisp shirts (oh...how we were in awe of their sophistication!).

Fast foward to now and it seems French youth culture has been taken over by LA Juicy culture.....oh dear.....

 

[Snow-White]

gold, classic stuff, those hats - beret (sp?), scarves (my Belgian boyfriend ALWAYS wore one), boys wearing cardigans (i found that odd),

and the ultmate acessory - a baguet under your arm

 

[J'aime_la_mode]

haha I had to carry a baguet down the street at least oce when I was in Paris. Do most parisians wear lighter weight scarves in the spring/summer?

 

[JEM]

I agree with Prince of Cats. Most if the French people described here ( classic, sophisticated..) concerns Paris. I grew up in the South of France, and believe me, the fashion is horrible. They all look the same, meaning that they all buy the same jeans, the same tops etc etc... and most of the time, they don't even know how to match them correctly. The brands are mainstream only ( zara and mango, or the tacky collections of dior and gucci) and very very few people actually have their own style. In France especially ( and I have travelled quite a bit) what class you come from is important. Thus, Paris has more "stylish" people, but I much prefer seeing Italians, or New Yorkers, because ok, maybe they don't dress as conseravtive as the French, but at least they are not afraid to try something else. Seriously, walk around Cannes.. you won't know who is who

 

[iSpot]

I do prefer Italian (not the overtly 'sexy' outfits though) over French these days. Or I don't know. I really depends on the day.

There's a group of French people visiting our school this week, and well, they dress like every other teenagers. They look like they're from LA ( if we are thinking about Juicy Couture, pop whores, Seventeen and all that ) not from France. And they all look alike. There's no sophistication or style.

Well, the average italian girl on the street (I'm sure not the italian tfs'ers) looks like christina aguilera in her dirrty period. Like the whole outfit costs €10. Quantity above quality. I'm not saying anything about the top italian designers, but I think french style is not that obvious about sex. It's more subtle. Italian style can turn into vulgarity so easily.

 

[cbcb]

a lot of France is still farmboys!

And some of them are really good-looking and dreamy!

 

[cbcb]

There is this unbelievably hot brunette French chick in an Eddie Izzard comedy ("Lust For Glorious" - March 9) on BBC America. Can anyone interpret her style for me - the look, attitude, etc.? (And how the heck do I get those perfect highlights - how would you describe that to a hairstylist?)

She is at a cafe and Izzard sits down across from her and tries to get her to participate in a video. (She's very Sophie Marceau.)

UPDATE: Aagh. It's Rhona Mitra (British girl, was on TV show Boston Legal). Wow she did a hot French girl riff!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhona_Mitra

 

[cheiby11]

here's her IMDb profile

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0593961/

 

[Fox in the Snow]

^ she reminds me a bit of Minnie Driver in that pic

 

[gardenpea]

Being French, I find French people's look rather boring and plain. I have never understood why the foreign fashion magazines blahblah so much about how sytlish French women are. This is so untrue. This is a MYTH. Everything is very expensive (or was until H&M opened their tiny first shop about 10 years ago) though I must admit you can find loads of unique pieces.

 

[Fox in the Snow]

^that's one of the beautiful things about French style, though - the emphasis on quality over trendiness

 

[Izreal]

Ok, i haven't read this whole thread, but as a real parisian (20+ years in the city) here is the deal. Parisian fashion is definitely on the elegant conservative side as compared to lets say london or scandinavian capitols. There isn't too much emphasis on bright colors, it's rather black / white, beige, military green, indigo blue for jeans, you know neutral colors. Obviously the cut is very important, women and guys like it slim, skinny actually. You want to know how girls get so skinny here? well a recent article presented 80% of girls in their twenties had eating disorders (ie anorexia) !!
Jackets and shoes is where most of the budget will go. Accessories is where your personality will shine, scarves, pins, bags... Handbags must be unique, any logo / monogram bag is an ABSOLUTE no and will trigger the tourist alarm. Hair, well several options here, but i'd say the fringe (la frange) is still probably what would define la parisienne. Generally the first impression is very subtle, but in reality hours are spent to insure every little thing falls in the right place..

These are just general pointers, but any real parisian will be able to tell from what neighbourhood (quartier) you are, from your look. So there really isn't just one parisian look obviously. The main areas would be:

- the marais. in the dead center, originally the gay hood. it's crawling with young fashion / interior designers. the most outspoken parisian style.

- the east side (bastille / oberkampf). very left wing / punk / goth. but now becoming trendy again around the canal st. martin, so kind of grunge chic.

- rive gauche (saint germain). the intellectual, university area. this is where the "parisienne" look all started. style could be described as parisian modern classic. labels to look out for: Vanessa Bruno, Isabel Marant, Zadig & Voltaire... and check out Bon Marche, paris's most elegant department store.

- the west side (champs elysee). besides the tourists, it's mostly business people and the wealthy that reside here. Also the elitist night spots such as Buddha Bar, VIP, L'etoile... think LV / Armani by day, Dior / Prada by night..