Parisian Style Made Easy

Parisian Style Lessons - Parisian Chic Made Easy

Simple styling, Simple cuts and Simple to Wear
Parisian Chic: A Style Guide by Ines de la Fressange

Ines de La Fressange, at 53, the great fashion doyenne demystifies Parisian Chic and makes it easy to achieve with her 7 must have items that you can build a wardrobe around.

I have just finished reading the book Parisian Chic by Ines de la Fressange, and rather than simply write a book review, I felt it was important enough to get some of her messages across.  You may like the way the French women dress simply, or you may not.  Either way it is worth delving into why it works as a 50 plus year old because as we age it makes more sense to de-glitz, de-clutter and have the basics to hand.  At this age we are not dedicated followers of fashion.  We have a fairly good idea of what suits us and rather than go shopping and be tempted by an eye-catching piece we need to have the boring things in our wardrobe to embellish when we feel like a lift.

Initially, I felt a bit discouraged as to how to translate her style to the many and varied sizes that we are, after reading how Ines is 5'11" and around 125 pounds.  Who wouldn't look stylish??  And how could her advice apply to someone who is vertically challenged? However, I remember not feeling at all short in Paris and watching women morph from the streets to evening restaurant meals still in jeans and looking very chic just with a change of jacket. Minimal jewellery and makeup, but with great haircuts and grooming.  Then I read one of the Amazon customer reviews which expressed my own views infinitelyy better than I could have, so I borrowed it:

"K. B. Fenner (Columbia, SC USA)
Okay, so I'm not 5'11" and 125 pounds as Ines is reported to be, and hipless, per the NY Times, indeed, far from it--well, I am 5'10," but otherwise what I have in common w/ Ines, and she does seem to want you to call her that, is that I am in my early 50s, struggling to find an age-appropriate image and wardrobe to match. Now, I'm not going to wear a lot of the combinations she suggests--I don't wear boots, for one thing, and Converse sneakers are supremely uncomfortable to me, as well as looking like boats on my extra large feet, but her heuristics--the rules of thumb--can you walk gracefully in these shoes? simple, well-cut items in navy, black and white with touches of interest added with accessories, say...these things I can apply--I find myself sorting through my things and asking myself if Ines would wear it if she were on my budget--she does recommend lots of low-end items.

The Magnificent 7
Having relayed that message, we can now move on to Ines' style lessons:
Ines' 7 staples she builds her outfits around. .

• A man's blazer - surely she means the cut as a man's blazer would be like an overcoat on me.
• A Trench coat - I'm sold her as there is no occasion where a trench doesn't look great as it isan extremely versatile garment
• A navy sweater
• Tank tops - white, gray and black
• LBD - little black dress
• Jeans
• A Leather jacket

For each of the Magnificent Seven she shares more ideas on how to meld each one into anyone's wardrobe, a list of fashion faux pas, a lux celebrity style idea and a hall of fame reference which in the case of the navy sweater was Eric Bompard's cashmere company. She is spilling the beans so to speak, sharing the secrets and letting us all in on where one can acquire the look of Parisian style.

Accessories are the key she says and I agree because it doesn't matter how you are feeling or whether the pounds have gone on, as a scarf or shoes/bag etc do not have to be fitted to you.

Top Tips for Timeless Styles:

"Don't look rich - ie Don't wear all the diamonds you have"
- It's not difficult to look trendy and comfortable  you don't need all your diamonds and all your earrings, especially after a certain age.  You have to take things off, to take away.  A lot of French women look like they don't really think about what they are going to wear, and that makes for effortless style.  But effortless style is a lot of work

"Buy things that seem boring"
Like a man's v-neck sweater, a white shirt, black jeans that you maybe cut off at the ankle, a black bag, black sunglasses - that look is fantastic.  Remember the picture of Princess Diana in the black turtlenec? The most beautiful picture of her, it was wonderful.  She had all the clothes on earth, all the hats, the dresses, the jewellery, but the best look was was the black turtleneck.  Look at how simple fashion people are -we always say "less is more:.

"Make things your own"
I met a buyer from the United Stats who said that the Chanel show was her favourite place to buy things.  "I'll just take what you wore in the show and the work is done," she said. But I wore the things that I would need after the show for real life, and I actually wore them.  I didn't have the best things - I had the things I felt comfortable in.

"Have Fun"
There are some women, believe it or not, who think it's boring to go shopping.  And they don't enjoy it.  But everybody should enjoy looking better - it's nice, it gives you joy and fashion is all about joy. There's this idea with fashion of "oh, it's going to be funny". You're funny if you say funny things, but who wants to look like a clown? Buying a black sweater isn't fun, it reallt isn't.  But afterwards when you wear it with nice neat hair and balllet shoes, you can look really beautiful.  And that is fun.

"Don't Dress Like your Teenage daughter but do follow trends"
Jeans with too many holes are out, but I think a lot of women stick to a certain time when they looked good.  Say around their thirties.  I think you have to look at what is going on.
"In the magazines we see the latest fashion, on gorgeous girls, but in my book I just wanted to help the busy woman --- a woman who is not thin, and not that fat, but in a hurry, in a hurry, in a hurry! Because we are all a lot like this --- too much tummy, not enough time."

Brush your teeth"
It's true - if you do one thing to look better, brush your teeth.  Yesterday at a cocktail party, a woman arrived wearing a lot of jewellery, a lot of hair, a lot of everything, with a crocodile handbag, and these yellow teeth.  I wanted to say, "is your dentist on holiday?"

Parisian Chic: A Style Guide by Ines de la Fressange