The 4-5 piece French wardrobe #1

[fashionista-ta]

It was mentioned on the French Style! thread that Frenchwomen buy 4-5 good pieces a season. This sounded like a really small number to some of us ... I thought maybe I was close until I went back and counted ... excerpt from what I wrote on that thread ...

I think the key is to buy things you really, really love so you don't get tired of them. Another key is to buy separates so you can mix things up. I shop more this way with both a color and a style theme for each season, but it does take more than 4-5 pieces for me Hang on, I keep detailed records of what I buy ... I can tell you what it was for spring ...

1 bag
1 skirt
1 tee
1 top
1 blouse
1 pair jeans
2 pair capris
1 jacket
3 sweaters
3 pairs of shoes (espadrilles, slides, slingbacks)
1 necklace (gold, pearl, coral)
1 pendant (gold, coral, mother of pearl)
lingerie

OK, so that's lots more than 4-5 ... I suspect either that number includes filler pieces, or has a substantial collection backing it up ...

I didn't get any takers for my request on that thread for a real life example of a seasonal "French" wardrobe, and what exactly does and does not count as one of those 4-5. Thought I'd make a thread for it in hopes of getting a wider audience ...

 

[tott]

This 4-5 number is only realistic if you've already built yourself a good, solid, basic wardrobe... If you only need some more clothes for fun and style, sort of.

IMO.

 

[snowqueen]

Omg thats a season i buy more then that a month .. oops maybe im not cut out for thuis french lark

 

[PrincessImp.]

I agree with tott, if you have built up a good warobe, then 4/5 pieces will just be to add some style/change to what you wear every season.
And even then, I suspect that the number is limited to just clothes and does not include accessories or bags/shoes.

 

[orlem]

I don't buy things very often. I find that the fewer items I have, the better I know each item and the easier it is to put together an outfit using interesting pieces.

The philosophy is that once you have a basic wardrobe, you can spend a lot of money on a few special clothes. Like, you can buy a fantastic $1000 scarf that you wouldn't otherwise have the money to buy.

By the way, French women do not all buy 4-5 pieces a season. Lame generalization. France has high street shops too, and not just for the tourists.

 

[renferme]

Not all French women are chic.
Not all women are chic.

I guess the four /five item wardrobe would work but only if you dress in a classic style.

 

[PrinceOfCats]

I buy less than that in a year. Maybe I'm secretly French.

 

[fashionista-ta]

I buy less than that in a year. Maybe I'm secretly French.

As long as you're not secretly a Frenchwoman

 

[Snow-White]

i love the way people dress in france on ths streets .. on the PRETTY STREETS

oooooooooooh
i miss PARIS

 

[Snow-White]

there are JUST soOO many shops that sell QUALITY clothes even if theyre small designers/ apart form the big names .. you can pick up quality clothing ...from quaint stores .. [getting lost in my memories of france]

 

[fashionista-ta]

Seraphelle, you have a French ID and you seem to be a subscriber to this philosophy ... that's close enough for me

Is it too personal to ask what you've bought so far this calendar year, and what you still plan to buy?

 

[orlem]

Seraphelle, you have a French ID and you seem to be a subscriber to this philosophy ... that's close enough for me

Is it too personal to ask what you've bought so far this calendar year, and what you still plan to buy?

My ID was actually German

So far this calendar year I have paid for one dress and one pair of shoes. Both were very expensive for me.

I will probably buy another pair of shoes by the end of the year.

I guess this is a bit misleading, though, because I make a lot of my own clothes out of old things I find around my house or in thrift stores.

 

[CoreeGirl]

I lived in France for a semester and I realize that most French people wear their clothes more than once, it doesn't seem to matter if they wear the same thing 2 days in a row (however, my host mom would often wear the same outfit for a week, which I don't think was quite normal, or sanitary).

Perhaps because they repeat the outfits, they have a few fabulous sets that they wear in constant rotation while in America, we need more clothes because we change everyday and won't do laundry constantly.

Just a hypothesis

 

[baRose]

I lived in France for a semester and I realize that most French people wear their clothes more than once, it doesn't seem to matter if they wear the same thing 2 days in a row (however, my host mom would often wear the same outfit for a week, which I don't think was quite normal, or sanitary).

Perhaps because they repeat the outfits, they have a few fabulous sets that they wear in constant rotation while in America, we need more clothes because we change everyday and won't do laundry constantly.

Just a hypothesis

Interesting, because I have always been teased for wearing the same thing maybe two days in a row. For work, I never have a lot of clothes, so I would end up wearing the same thing twice a week sometimes.

As long as it was clean, etc, it never mattered to me though I was get funny glances as if it a serious faux paux not to have a sh*t load of clothes in America.

 

[star]

i like this idea, i dont have a good wardrobe right now, so im going to be following fashionista-ta's footsteps

 

[orlem]

I lived in France for a semester and I realize that most French people wear their clothes more than once, it doesn't seem to matter if they wear the same thing 2 days in a row (however, my host mom would often wear the same outfit for a week, which I don't think was quite normal, or sanitary).

Perhaps because they repeat the outfits, they have a few fabulous sets that they wear in constant rotation while in America, we need more clothes because we change everyday and won't do laundry constantly.

Just a hypothesis

That may be part of it, but I wouldn't say they all wear the same thing for two days in a row. It's more like, they repeat ONE or TWO of their pieces more than once in a week, which I also do.

 

[baRose]

That may be part of it, but I wouldn't say they all wear the same thing for two days in a row. It's more like, they repeat ONE or TWO of their pieces more than once in a week, which I also do.

Maybe its just the French men. A friend of mine (from France) told me before we went to the US for the first time for an exchange program when he was in high school, they warned him not to wear the same thing two days in a row in America, or run the risk of funny/dirty looks.

 

[fashionista-ta]

Funny you should say that ... I remember French men visiting our office doing exactly this--same clothes 2 or 3 days in a row. They and their clothes got progressively riper ... I assumed it was probably because they were traveling, but maybe not ...

I would agree ... same exact clothes 2 days in a row are a no-no ... people either assume that you've had an overnight, are extremely distracted and forgetful, or don't know better. (Maybe there should be an exception for areas with horrifically high cost of living ...)

I agree, nothing wrong with wearing one of the pieces from yesterday the next day--in fact you could do that on a rolling basis all week.

I used to have quite the collection of silk paisley skirts, some from the same labels. We had a really bitchy receptionist at work and once when I was walking by I heard her stage-whisper, "She's wearing that skirt again!" It was a different one, but she was too stupid to know it

 

[Luna]

When I went to france back in HS... we had a tour guide.. I'd say her wardrobe consisted of about 4 pieces...

She smelled too..

but she was definitely crazy.

 

[baRose]

h

Funny you should say that ... I remember French men visiting our office doing exactly this--same clothes 2 or 3 days in a row. They and their clothes got progressively riper ... I assumed it was probably because they were traveling, but maybe not ...

I would agree ... same exact clothes 2 days in a row are a no-no ... people either assume that you've had an overnight, are extremely distracted and forgetful, or don't know better. (Maybe there should be an exception for areas with horrifically high cost of living ...)

I agree, nothing wrong with wearing one of the pieces from yesterday the next day--in fact you could do that on a rolling basis all week.

I used to have quite the collection of silk paisley skirts, some from the same labels. We had a really bitchy receptionist at work and once when I was walking by I heard her stage-whisper, "She's wearing that skirt again!" It was a different one, but she was too stupid to know it

Yes, I guess I wouldnt wear the same pants, shirt and shoes two days in a row, unless I was seeing different people every day.