Archive
They are handed on, altered or sold, and only then discarded. Depot-vente shops take good pieces on consignment, and clothing that cannot be...
A proper coat and an umbrella, not technical waterproofs. Wet weather in France is dressed for with the same wardrobe as dry weather, plus o...
French autumn layering is thin wool over cotton under a coat. Bulk is avoided entirely: three thin layers are warmer, more adjustable and be...
One or the other, not both. French makeup convention picks a single feature to emphasise and leaves the rest alone, and the base is kept lig...
The typical French wardrobe is a fraction of the Anglo-American average, and the difference is deliberate. Fewer things, each used more, eac...
Aired rather than washed, folded rather than hung, brushed rather than laundered. A wool garment worn for a day and hung overnight in fresh ...
Slightly better than you think, and never obviously new. A dinner at someone home in France asks for the good version of ordinary clothes, n...
September is when French wardrobes are turned over. Summer goes away, winter comes out, and everything is assessed once, in a single session...
Raw or dark indigo, no distressing, no rips. The French position is that jeans should be aged by the person wearing them, and that pre-faded...
Branding on the outside of clothing is regarded as advertising you paid to carry. French luxury is identified by cut and material, and the l...
Washed less, styled less, cut more often. French hair habits favour a good cut every six weeks that requires nothing, over daily effort comp...
The soldes are fixed by law to twice a year, and French shoppers use them to buy specific things already identified, not to discover new one...
In August, French style relaxes further than at any other point in the year. Linen, espadrilles, no jewellery, no effort visible. Trying too...
One thing, worn constantly, often for decades. French jewellery habits favour a single ring or a thin chain that is never taken off over a b...
A retoucherie sits on most French high streets and is used routinely. Sleeves shortened, waists taken in, hems adjusted. Fit is understood t...
Applied to skin, not clothes, in small quantity, at pulse points. The intended radius is about an arm length. Perfume that enters a room bef...
One bag, carried every day, for years. French women rarely change bags to match an outfit, and the bag is usually the single most expensive ...
A French wardrobe looks worn in. Leather has creased, denim has faded to the wearer, wool has softened. New-looking clothes suggest either r...
French wardrobes run on navy, black, grey, white, camel and one accent. The narrowness is not lack of imagination, it is what makes every it...
Few pairs, all leather, all repairable, all bought to last a decade. A French wardrobe often runs to four or five pairs of shoes total, each...
A scarf is the French answer to almost every wardrobe problem: too plain, too cold, too formal, too casual. One good scarf changes an outfit...
Athletic clothing in France is worn for sport. Trainers and technical fabrics on a Tuesday afternoon in the street mark you out immediately,...
A French woman in June owns roughly five summer outfits and wears them in rotation until September. The wardrobe is small, repeated in publi...
The French wardrobe is not built on black. It is built on navy blue. Navy is softer near the face, pairs with every neutral, and works acros...
In France, shoes make the outfit. Two pairs of excellent shoes beat ten pairs of disposable ones. The essentials: leather flats for daily li...
The French accessory rule: choose one statement piece per outfit. A silk scarf, or a bold earring, or a beautiful watch. Never all three. Th...
French women spend less time on their hair, not more. The goal is "I woke up like this" texture. No blowouts, no elaborate styles. Wash less...
Visible logos signal that you are advertising for someone else. The French prefer quality fabrics and good fit over brand recognition. The g...
French women do not have large wardrobes. They have small wardrobes where everything works together. The foundation: well-fitted jeans, a wh...