How to dress like Parisian / French women

Hey everyone! Parisian women are a huge influence on my personal style. They have this knack of looking imperfectly perfect, basic but not so basic, neither overdressed nor underdressed, casual but elegant and that is the balance I always look for in my outfits. Decoding the Parisian style is a challenging task and here's what I have come down to from my travels, women watching is my fav thing to do in Paris, reading fashion magazines and observing my  fellow french bloggers and friends.

1) the colours-  the French women would 8/10 times choose neutrals like black, grey, white, nude and camel. The other colors they love are shades of blue like navy, pale blue, chambray and true red. 

2) patterns-  Breton stripes and polka dots are classic French staples.

3) heels- on an everyday women in Paris are mostly in flats maybe to manage the cobblestone streets! but seriously aren't flats more comfortable when you are rushing to work or running errands and that comfort lends itself to the look making it much more effortless. If you really love heels go for the kitten heel. The stilettos are kept for special occasions or fashion weeks!!!!

4) do not over accessorise- if you want to wear a statement piece like a stylish beret or a striking bucket bag or a stunning necklace leave other accessories or keep them bare minimum so it speaks.  Never do the mistake of overloading your outfit with too many pieces and always remember what Coco Chanel once said- before you leave the house you should look in the mirror and remove one item. 

5) silhouettes are very crucial to getting the Parisian dress code right. Nothing too form fitting or structured or polished it's about fabrics and silhouettes that enhance the shape of the wearer in the most effortless way. Choosing midis over minis and cigarette pants over skinnies will give you clues.

6) the uniform on the streets of Paris- white button down shirt paired with black pencil skirt or cigarette pant under a fitted blazer or trench worn with flats or block heels. Scarfs are also huge in France, In no other country i have noticed them in this glory, French women will mostly wear a neutral outfit with a pattern scarf  and wear equally with dresses as well as pants.

7) do not jump on trends -  Parisian women stay true to their own personal style before anything. They believe in wearing the clothes and not the clothes wearing them so they are in no rush to jump on every trend that comes out of the runway or deliberate statement making. So see which trend suits your personal style and the existing pieces in your wardrobe and then pick instead of just wanting to be rocking all the trends the moment they hit the street and when wearing trends pair them with classics for a relaxed vibe. For e.g if you are choosing to wear cropped frayed pants wear it with a white shirt or ballet flats. 

8) Try some masculine pieces- like boyfriend jeans or a masculine pant suit or boyish shoes but with a feminine flare. Todays outfit is a good example of doing so, i am wearing a rather masculine lace up shoe, Oxfords, with my feminine outfit of polka dots and midi skirt.

9) hair plays a major role in the Parisian look, it's never too perfectly done, not messy but also not too neat, be it the French twist, or the French braid or the French roll. In fact the streets are filled with woke up like this hair aka the bedhead.

10) red lips- go for it on the daily

So in short if I may summarise it's like walking on a thin line which is only perfected by practice. 

Skirt- Vesper (similar), Top- Shein (similar), Shoes- ASOS, Watch- Daniel wellington

I wanted my Parisian look to be Parisian but not blue or black and since red is also one of the loved colors of Parisian women I went for this beautiful red midi skirt from vesper, there are so many ways i can style this skirt so u will definitely see it a lot here, Vesper does a lot of classic but trendy pieces, their online shop delivers worldwide and I just found out their exclusive collection is also available on ASOS and there are some gorgeous pastel pieces. 

I could have gone for stripes as well but I chose polka dots because I wanted to wear these edgy shoes and polka dots are sweeter than stripes so the edginess is balanced with the sweetness!! I did my hair in a loose Ponytail, chose the classic Daniel wellington watch as the only accessory and tucked my shirt casually for all the effortless Parisian vibes.

This look can be easily recreated with the above pieces, I have also linked some skirts and shoe options with polka dots in case u love them. 

I have 2 coupon codes for you 1) Daniel wellington 15% dis with the code 'CHICHI' till 15 august 16.  2) The peach box 15% dis with the code 'THESTYLETUNE' till 31 july 16. They both deliver free worldwide.

Suggested post- Easy tips on how to find personal style

                        - Why find personal style 

                        

Thank you for stopping by! See you in my next one.

Love 

chichi