6 style lessons we learn from French women
© Imaxtree
Our French neighbors are real fashion role models – we have known that since Coco Chanel. We'll tell you how you can add a touch of nonchalance to your style.
Macarons, wine, Versailles Palace and kisses on the left, kisses on the right – there is so much we love France for. Right at the front, however, is our neighbors' unmistakable sense of style. Coco Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent have shown it, and an entire nation has followed suit since then. Even the youngest children pick up their sense of fashion with their mother's milk and later manage to look très chic, très stylish and at the same time très casual with ease. Do you want that too? We took a closer look at the style of the French girls and uncovered their secret.
1. Timeless classics
French women know exactly what is currently in fashion and are guaranteed not to be able to resist one or the other trend item. But they don't spend huge sums of their hard-earned money on it. It looks different with timeless classics. A high-quality cashmere sweater or comfortable leather ballerinas are part of the standard wardrobe of every stylish French woman and can therefore cost more. Because classics à la francaise are above all one thing: super practical and perfect for every occasion. Her motto: Only those who can combine high fashion and bargains well can create an individual look.
2. No perfection
If there's one thing French women don't want, it's a perfect style. Her look never seems too intentional and captivates with an incomparable casualness that appears super natural without ever looking sloppy. Boring? Nothing! French women would never imitate a look from the catwalk one-to-one and never spend hours experimenting with colors, cuts and materials just because other fashion girls do it that way. Feeling good and staying yourself is their motto. They prefer to use the time to comfortably sip a café au lait in their favorite bar.
3. Playing with accessories
French fashionistas love accessories, but don't get attached to them. Elaborate looks with loads of chi-chi are not her style. Instead, they cleverly rely on key pieces that immediately take their look to the next style level and stand for themselves. Similar to the clothing basics, these are above all luxurious classics that last a lifetime without ever looking old-fashioned. The iconic flap bag from Chanel is just as much a must-have as the tank watch from Cartier or delicate jewelry made of real gold. French women simply have an unerring instinct for long-term investments.
4. Don't suffer for fashion
We all know the saying "If you want to be beautiful, you have to suffer". With their looks, French women prove to us day after day that this motto is a thing of the past. So dizzyingly high heels are almost never worn, as are skirts that are too short that you have to fidget with constantly or tight jeans that leave unsightly pressure marks. Style icon Inès de la Fressange admitted: "I don't feel like doing that. I never wear high heels." After all, fashion should be one thing above all: be fun!
5. Less is more
Not only in fashion, French women concentrate on the essentials, the rest of the styling also follows this unspoken rule. So the make-up always comes across as natural and cleverly underlines the individual beauty. With a spatula of foundation, none of them smack their face. Instead, accents are set with a red lipstick or a perfectly drawn eyeliner. The same applies to the hairstyle. Instead of coloring the mane completely, French women swear by delicate babylights that make their natural hair color shine. Then the mane is blow-dried or even air-dried for a perfectly imperfect undone look. Now a little splash of your favorite perfume – et volià!
6. Love yourself
It sounds so simple and yet so many find it difficult: Be self-confident! French women, however, have perfected it. You feel good in your skin and feel attractive. As simple as her look may be, her charisma is just as extraordinary. "Savoire vivre" (in German: "Understand, to live") is their motto. They never take themselves and their style too seriously and prefer to enjoy their lives instead of worrying too much about clothes or make-up. In this respect, point six is probably the one that we should pay particular attention to.