Style Lessons from Iconic French Girls
Are French women born with an innate sense of style and confidence when it comes to curating their closets, or can we all make a nonchalant, stylish entrance?
What is the French Girl look, and how does one exude the French woman’s effortless aesthetic? We explore the Gallic nation’s signature styles through the years and what style lessons we can learn from it-girls in Paris.
In the words of Coco Chanel “The key to true elegance is simplicity.”
Why We Love French Girls For Style Inspo
From blond bed-heads to shaggy brunette fringes, the most iconic French women’s hairstyles are just as predictable as their minimalistic, timeless outfits. How do these women define their signature styles without ever looking boring? Tomboyish yet graceful, their appeal goes far beyond their dress sense.
They know that less is more. French women make sophisticated wardrobe choices, without shying away from sensuality and spontaneity! Their outfits are minimal yet bold, with an androgynous, even masculine edge, yet profoundly sensual and elegant. Despite having discerning taste, they aren’t afraid to look a little bit undone, still exuding chic at any time of day. The gallic nation is home to the most iconic it-girls, each championing a different era in fashion, proving that understated elegance and confidence defies every trend.
Where does this careless air of je ne sais quoi come from and how do French women pull it off with confidence? Let’s explore!
Borrow Françoise Hardy’s Sensational Style
Hardy once said ‘I have always believed that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication’.
Beguiling both men and women alike with her melancholic sound and restrained, easy charm, the tall singer’s style became somewhat of a French style blueprint. Her style is just as much a part of her legacy as her songs that made her a yé-yé phenomenon. Unafraid of leaning into masculine looks, she wore miniskirts and chic dresses with ballet flats just as often as slick tailoring and ankle boots. Known for being exceptionally shy, her looks were nothing of the sort! She wasn’t afraid of bold prints, strong block colours and unusual materials, wearing oversized denim shirts with classic straight jeans and slick double leather looks just as much as she embodied the 70s boho vibe. Her love for fringes, shaggy fur jackets and long leather trench coats, always paired with thick eyeliner and statement sunglasses, defined the very essence of the French style we know and love.
Learn a Lesson in Parisian from Caroline De Maigret
If anyone has mastered the perfectly undone look, it’s De Maigret, who at nearly fifty continues to star as the face of some of the greatest fashion houses’ campaigns.
Author of the wildly popular guide How to be Parisian, she describes her own style as androgynous Parisian chic. In the French model and music producer’s own words, the appeal of the French-girl look is that “it is seen as a form of nonchalance, and that freedom is probably what people find attractive”. A street style icon, she knows that your outfit is your opportunity to express yourself, and the key pieces that you love the most are what creates a signature style, right down to her own signature messy fringe and long brown hair. For her, that’s masculine-cut jeans, loafers and blazers - a sartorial blend of timeless elegance with a subtle touch of grunge, and the epitome of Parisian chic.
Recreate Jane Birkin’s Boho Looks
It’s hard to believe the woman who inspired the world’s ultimate luxury accessory was also the pioneer of the wicker basket as a handbag!
That duality is reflected in her Anglo-French style, teetering between casual and formal, always teaching us that less is more. A lover of the naked dress, she was known for unexpected combinations: cut out crochet dresses with classy Mary-Janes, an adorable floral mini dress with over the knee boots or a military trench coat with her signature straw handbag. Always captivating and unique, the performer pulled off a preppy style just as well as sequin dresses and of course, her holiday uniform: broderie anglaise peasant blouses, slightly flared jeans and wedges. Few women have embodied the term ‘muse’ like Jane Birkin. Her effortless sense of style proves that marching to the beat of your own drum and bending the rules is always in fashion, and her legacy captivates women to this day!
Be Inspired by Brigitte Bardot
A french fashion icon and the ultimate pin-up girl, B.B could pull off any look with enviable confidence.
The doe-eyed French beauty’s voluminous mane, pillowy lips and sun-kissed skin has epitomised the definition of sexy for years! From pixie cuts to shaggy bangs and peroxide blonde beehives to brunette bobs, she could pull off any hairstyle to match her ever evolving, always impeccable and seductive style, morphing as she moved through the decades. Her roughed-up bed-head look and winged, smokey eyeliner became a trademark of French girl style, emulated by it-girls everywhere to this day. The bombshell’s love for the South of France ran deep, reflected in the scarves wrapped around her head and cropped trousers paired with breton-striped shirts and ballet flats, putting Riviera Chic on the style agenda. In fact, the former dance student was the first to wear ballet shoes outside of a studio - a trend that takes the world by storm time and time again! Since the 50s Bardot has sported looks women everywhere still lust for today: drop-waist dresses, cut-off shorts, tailored ensembles and double-denim looks, there wasn’t anything that didn’t flatter the Lolita’s killer curves. A forever sex symbol, her ultra feminine style continues to inspire and influence trends across the globe.
How would Clémence Poésy wear this?
A French girl through and through, Clémence Poésy, who recently starred in Emily in Paris knows that the recipe for an effortless signature style is pairing staples - in her case, skinny denim and ankle boots - with unpredictable, eye-catching pieces.
Ambassador of some of the country’s most coveted fashion houses, she has no shortage of enviable options when it comes to tweed twin-sets or feminine floaty pieces, but knows to pair them with masculine monk-straps or lace-up derby’s to put an unexpected spin on elegant staples. We can learn a lesson or two from the petite actress’s gamine style - a playful, mischievous take on chic blazers, crisp white shirts and cosy, oversized knitwear. Forever wearing her hair down with her signature middle part, or carelessly pinned up, Poésy rarely deviates from what she knows works for her, without ever looking predictable! Next time you worry about wearing your tried and tested staples again, simply ask yourself, how would Clémence dress this up?
Master Modern French Style Like Charlotte Gainsbourg
Daughter of the iconic Jane Birkin and famed Serge Gainsbourg, good taste was bound to be in her DNA.
A master of modern day French girl style, Charlotte is never over the top; she inherited her father’s love of monotonous uniform dressing, as well as her mother’s sensual relationship with clothes, known to destroy them to give them a unique, lived-in look. Charlotte is not afraid to take her low-key looks to the extreme - leave it to her to sport a Canadian tuxedo (a complete double-denim look) on the red carpet in Cannes! Her love of simplicity and classic combinations is apparent in her approach to fashion: You’ll find plenty of black garments, leather skirts and jackets and of course, skinny jeans, t-shirts and ankle boots. Always sporting dishevelled brown bangs and smokey eyeliner, rock and roll intersects with French sensuality. At fifty, she’s not afraid to show a little skin, always with a masculine touch - an oversized blazer or chunky loafers. Rough, yet profoundly feminine, we can all take inspiration from her confidence!
Vanessa Paradis
The most romantic of French it-girls, her sensual, bohemian-inspired style and occasionally sexy, rock and roll looks are as iconic as the gap in her radiant smile. A true chameleon, it is hard to pinpoint her inspiration - one minute, she’ll wear vintage floaty, floral print blouses, then she’ll pair an haute-couture tweed jacket with denim, pulling off a body-con dress with just as much ease as a relaxed stonewashed pair of jeans and crochet top.
Always utterly cool, Paradis teaches us that owning your look is the key to looking drop dead gorgeous. She knows that accessorising can take your outfit from bland to brilliant in a minute. Next time you’re feeling lost, try a silk scarf tied around your neck or throw on a hat before you walk out the door - confidence boost guaranteed!
The French Girl look has been around forever and it’s not going anywhere. Casual yet profoundly chic, it constantly reinvents itself and is best described in four words: Simple, sophisticated, sexy and spontaneous. The secret? Feeling confident in your outfit and never trying too hard. Why not stop by in store to pick up your French girl style essentials or a signature item (think a stunning coat or killer heels) that brings together your outfit and gives it that special je ne sais quoi!
