Why French Girl Style + What Is It?

Why do we always reference French style and not other Italy or Spain? This could be because of the rich history of fashion and culture rooted in this country.

France produces more icons in the fashion industry than any other country in the world. Just saying the name Coco Chanel, Hermes, Christian Dior, and Givenchy not only show their popularity but are some of the most hailed creators in the world.

Many classic pieces come from the French, such as the iconic navy and white stripe worn first as a uniform by the sailors that kept the harbors safe or the famous little black dress created for Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. These are styles still worn today.

Bi-Annually Paris is filled with fashion heavy hitters as they sit around runways for fashion week absorbing the next seasons biggest trends.

So what exactly is French girl fashion? Its effortless, elegant, classic, timeless looks with functional fabrics and personalized silhouettes. French style must look like you spent minimal time in a mirror fussing over your look, yet emphasizes comfort without looking frumpy by wearing sweatpants. Statements in style are made with only one piece and paired with overall classics. This means you could create French girl style with as little as 8 core pieces; the little black dress, beige trench coat, Marinière stripe top, button up shirt, straight leg jeans, ballet flats, crewneck cashmere sweater, and a plaid blazer.

10 French Girl Style Tips

French Women Know How to Accessorize: Spending a summer in Paris helped me to realize the importance of a timeless watch, simple gold ring, and a scarf that can be multi-use. Scarves can be found on the handles of beautiful leather bags, around the neck, as a watch band or bracelet, and even in the hair.
They Aren’t Afraid to Mix + Match Price Points: Although you won’t see a lot of “fast fashion” in a French woman’s closet you can find a few classic pieces from retailers like Zara + Mango. If you choose to embrace a few fast fashion pieces make sure they are pattern free with basic colors of black, white, camel, blush, navy, etc. Think investment with affordable; for example a fast fashion tee can be paired with a Hermes scarf, basic skinny trousers, and a pair of thrifted vintage Chanel ballet flats.
French Women Always Choose Timeless Pieces to Accommodate Smaller European Closets: Women in the states have started to adopt Marie Kondo methods of containing ever growing closets. Many you tubers and fashion bloggers discuss the concept of capsule wardrobes. French women have been maintaining closets with 30 carefully selected pieces for years just due to the lack of space in homes. This allows for an easy way to create outfits and the ease of making a statement with carefully curated accessories. An outfit with a black leather jacket, button up shirt, jeans, and ballet flats with a simple gold necklace can easily become a summer look by leaving the jacket and switching out the jeans for chino shorts.
Invest in a Quality Shoe + Bag: You may gain weight or loose it but a classic bag and shoe always fits. These are the things worth investing in.
Balance is Key: Never put together a skinny pair of pants with a very tight shirt, vice verse when it comes to double overly baggy look. This is where balance is key. A pair of cigarette trousers look beautiful with a chunky fisherman sweater and a pair of leather penny loafers. Tighter on top, loose on bottom or loose on top, skinnier on bottom is the rule. Always remember, fit is key and personal to your body type. Have someone who is able to tailor any pieces that may be a bit too big and shy away from things that are so tight they show lumps and bumps. Its all about effortless comfort.
Effortless with Edge: French women have perfected the effortless with edge look. Leather jackets, snake skin print booties, stripe top with a newsboy cap and skinny scarf around the neck, even a teddy bear bomber jacket. These pieces are easy to incorporate into their closets and creates their personal style.
Hello Pattern: Need a little pattern in your life? French women do too meaning you’ll see plaid, stripes, and herringbone with coats, blazers, skirts, and trousers in the winter. Summer wrap dresses have small floral patterns with bold red or green backgrounds and white polka dots with navy.
No Huge Logos: This isn’t going to be well received by some, but loud logos are not something found in many French women’s closets. Many will pass on the well known Louis Vuitton pattern to invest in a Céline box bag or a Chanel boy bag. Graphic tees, what are those? Not in their closets. Trendy Gucci loafers are passed over for classic black booties. There is nothing wrong with a logo or two but a French woman’s capsule collection might be pretty void of these trends.
Fabric is Important: Its all about the beauty of the fabric used to create the clothing. Natural textures like soft denim, cashmere, cotton, linen, wool, silk, and leather are what the French woman will gravitate towards. The trick is to know the seasons these fabrics are most used in. For example Spring and Summer would call for linen and cotton. Fall and Winter is all about wool, cashmere, leather, and denim. Silk can be used year round making it the most versatile for everyday.
Remember Color: Leave the neon pink for the runway. Basic and muted natural colors are the rules to effortless, timeless, classic looks. Never be afraid to tackle a monochromatic look. Solid White, Camel, Navy, and Black are very chic and very French.