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French women have a certain something, a je ne sais quoi, that makes them so cool. Every time I go to France, I’m impressed with their attitude toward fashion. Some of the best fashion houses are there (Chanel, Celine, Louis Vuitton, and Givenchy), yet at the same time there’s fast fashion there as well. I thought for this week’s post it would be cool to find some outfits to pretend I’m a French girl. Allez!
1. JCrew – Slim perfect shirt in piece-dyed Irish linen | 2. Madewell – Short-Brimmed Canvas Bucket Hat | 3. Dôen – Baudoin Dress | 4. Boden – Modern Pencil Skirt | 5. Musier Paris – Dress Olive | 6. Moda Operandi – VEJA V-10 Leather Mesh And Suede Sneakers | 7. Jonak – Sandals with flat heel |
8. Vici – Lacey Striped Pocketed Dress | 9. Zara – Double Breasted Jacket |
10. Nordstrom – Levi’s – Wedgie High Waist Straight Jeans
Numbers 1 and 4 aren’t from the same store, but I think they go together quite well. A button down, tailored white shirt is almost always in any French gal’s wardrobe. It’s what makes them look so polished. The pencil skirt is also a must in their wardrobe. Instead of wearing a boring black or navy one, this patterned one is such a great pop of color and fun. French women do have a whimsical side and let it out every so often. This would be a great outfit for the office paired with black pumps or loafers.
The bucket hat (2) is a new trend this spring that I could see very fashion forward French ladies rocking. Yes, Kylie wore hers at Coachella, but I think the hat can also be less ostentatious, like this one. It’s cute, yet has a bit of sophistication to it. Plus, it keeps the sun off your face – that’s a win! Have you ever noticed that women in France really keep their skin in pristine condition?
Number 3 is the splurge dress. It’s from Dôen, “a collective of creative Los Angeles-based women. We make elevated yet wearable pieces for the everyday. Our line is inspired by vintage designs and nostalgia for the California of past decades.” I can hear you wondering how California inspired pieces speak to French women – from the times I’ve been to France I’ve noticed they are drawn to well crafted clothing. They also can pull off the boho vibe with their Frenchy flair. I could see them pairing this dress with some Isabel Marant booties like these, and a tough biker jacket.
Skipping over number 4 because we covered it in the first paragraph, we are on to number 5 – the polka dot dress. This is actually from a French store called Musier. The sweetheart neckline is flattering for most women and I can see women adding either an heirloom necklace or a new one to showcase their neckline. I can also see them pairing the dress with white sneakers or black biker boots to play up the flirty fun vibe.
Number 6 would also look great with the polka dot dress. Back in 2018, my favorite Duchess, Meghan Markle, wore these on her first trip to the Invictus Games. Now, I know French girls don’t care what royalty and celebs are wearing because they march to their own drum, but Veja is a French company. They were probably wearing the sneaks way before the Duchess of Sussex even knew about them! According to their site; “offer a different vision which combines fair trade and ecology and links together economy, social initiatives and the environment. A vision that proposes cultural change. Transparency.” Who wouldn’t want to support that?
The sandals of number 7 are also from a French company. The last time I was in Paris I saw a docent at the Musée de l’Orangerie wearing jeans, a long sleeved shirt, and cool sandals. Her outfit looked so effortless yet so cool all at the same time. These sandals convey that coolness to me. I like how there’s an open toe, but still enough going on to make it more of a shoe and less of a flip flop or mule. These would look equally as nice with a dress or shorts as well. (Side note – the museum is awesome and you should go!)
Number 8 is one of my favorites. As you all know, I live for anything striped – and France is where the Breton shirt actually started. This is a full on dress so it’s not exactly a Breton, but I’m still going to say it was started in France. According to style caster: “The Breton stripe shirt was first introduced in 1858 as the uniform for all French navy seaman in Northern France.” So there you have it, France created the stripe trend we still love today.
Number 9 is a bit of a wild card. I was reading a Who What Wear article on “7 Spring Outfits All The Cool Girls Are Wearing In Paris” and was inspired by the section “blazers and white jeans.” This double breasted hot pink blazer is sure to turn heads when you pair it with white jeans. Even if you throw it over black jeans or slacks it’ll look awesome. It’s a perfect transition piece to take you from the crazy up and down temperature of spring to the heat of summer.
Number 10 would be nice with the hot pink blazer as well. I’m not a huge Levi’s fan, but I’m sharing these with you because my friend Rashidah told me how she saw a work colleague wearing them and they looked fantastic on the woman. Of course, I was skeptical, I mean the name is WEDGIE! Doesn’t that mean they’ll give you a wedgie? I guess they don’t. They just make your butt look great. French women love their Levi jeans and they love looking impeccable. These jeans would look great dressed up with the button down white shirt (number 1), the pink blazer thrown over it (number 9), with the Veja sneaks (number 6).
There ya have it – my ideas on how French women will be dressing this spring. What do you guys think? Do you love the effortless vibe of French dressing? Or do you like the American way better? Let me know in the comments.
