French fashion and French style have been written aboutquite a lot, but at the same time not everyone understands what it is. Let's try to figure it out together. What is a stylishly dressed French woman and how does she differ (and does she differ) from the so-called style icons that we can see every day on the pages of Russian glossy magazines? What is Parisian street fashion like? What should a French woman's wardrobe contain? And, finally, what is the secret of that very French chic that is talked about so much?
French style
In the mind of the average personFrance and Paris are associated with such concepts as fashion and style. Which, however, everyone interprets in their own way. For some, it is certainly expensive branded clothes, for others - glitter, feathers, diamonds in the ears, on the fingers and wrists in broad daylight ... In a word, everyone has their own image of a fashionably and stylishly dressed woman. And how do French women dress? A person who comes to Paris for the first time is initially amazed by the modest (at least in terms of colors) clothes of Parisian women - gray, black, muted or pastel colors. There are practically no bright colors, and if they do come across, then these are mostly tourists, including from Russia and the CIS countries. In our country, we like to stand out and look flashy: a bright image is the dream of many. A French woman has a different attitude to this. Of course, it would be an exaggeration to think that all French women have good taste and know how to dress beautifully. Freaks and simply poorly dressed people are everywhere – Paris is no exception. But still, most have their own style and do not blindly follow fashion. French women are masters at using accessories and combining the incompatible. In Paris, there are many shops where you can inexpensively buy things from old collections of famous couturiers – the so-called vintage. Moreover, almost every French city has its own “flea” market, where you can also find a lot of interesting things. And French women find them and very skillfully use them in their wardrobe. Changing the details of clothing and complementing them with an antique brooch, bow, flower, they look stylish and create a completely new image. And even the most trivial inexpensive thing from an ordinary store can sparkle with new colors. Any French woman has been accustomed to accessories since childhood. A scarf, a shawl, a hair clip – with the help of these simple things you can change your image easily and simply. This is what is called the highest level of skill inherent in the French style and, unfortunately, absent from most of our compatriots. A French woman loves good clothes, but will not spend exorbitant amounts of money on them. Especially since it is now customary to update your wardrobe every season, and it is simply unreasonable to shell out crazy money for something that will be thrown away in a few months. A pragmatic European approach, isn't it? However, there are things that these women will never spare money on. These are shoes and bags. These accessories, complementing the image of an elegant French woman, should only be of the best quality and necessarily from a good designer, and a French woman will not hesitate to pay. And it's worth it.
How to dress young French women?
On the streets of Paris, as on the streets of New York,London, Berlin, Moscow, you will see girls in ripped jeans and simple sneakers, with a backpack on their shoulders instead of a fashionable and expensive bag. This is the world, and young French women live in unison with their time, no different in terms of clothing from their peers from other countries. But this is such an unpretentious image for every day, so to speak. The main distinguishing feature of a modern French woman (regardless of age) is the ability to dress correctly, which means dressing appropriately for the occasion, appropriately. And a young French woman has this gift to the fullest. For a family celebration, a banquet, a dinner party or a get-together with friends, she will dress completely differently, but each time it will be an image that meets the style of the event. Where does this sense of style come from in a young French woman accustomed to a standard youth uniform? Probably from childhood. By the way, even today the little French girl wears elegant dresses, beautiful fluffy skirts and elegant shoes much more often than her peers in other countries. And it is not a problem for her to change comfortable sneakers or trainers for elegant expensive shoes, and a shabby backpack for a Louis Vuitton handbag.
What do the French women look like? Let's talk about beauty ...
French women understand not onlygood clothes, but also in matters of self-care, because an elegant image consists of many components, and a good appearance plays an important role in this. They do not spare money on good cosmetics for hair, face and body care. Decorative cosmetics are also held in high esteem. At the same time, you can often hear that women in France go without makeup. But this is a misconception. The trick is to make sure that the makeup is not conspicuous. And it must be said that every French woman has achieved great heights in this. The image is impeccable: the complexion is even, matte, the eyelashes look absolutely natural, as if they were not touched by a brush with mascara, the lipstick is almost invisible. As in the choice of clothes, the hand of the master is felt. And one more touch that complements the image of a Parisian woman is her hairstyle. A visit to the hairdresser is sacred, and every self-respecting French woman does it regularly. Split ends, overgrown roots - this simply cannot be. Because this can never happen. And no wild flowers – purple, red, orange – which our ladies so often allow even at an elegant age. Taste and sense of proportion never fail French women.
In conclusion…
So, let's sum it up.What have we learned about French women? What makes them so attractive? After all, many men believe that it is French women who have that unique charm that makes them so desirable. The answer is simple and complex at the same time. They are different, like all of us, in some ways we are similar, in others we are radically different from each other. But if you try to reduce everything to a common denominator, then you can say the following. They are beautiful in their desire to be natural and maintain their individuality. Fashion is fashion, but a real Parisian will never wear even the most fashionable thing if it does not suit her. She will never buy something too expensive to show off her financial solvency. In Europe, this is not accepted at all, it is bad taste and it is not comme il faut. She will not allow herself to wear Indian war paint, a cleavage to the point of “I can’t” and sky-high stilettos for a trip to the neighboring bakery for a baguette. She will never allow herself this at all. And you won’t see her nails of incredible length with rhinestones and flowers either. Nothing pretentious, fanciful, unnatural. And another phenomenon of French women is their natural slimness. The nation of gourmets turned out to be not prone to obesity. The famous French nutritionist Michel Montignac once drew attention to this fact. He tried to find an answer to this question, and it seems he succeeded. Montignac came to the conclusion that the principle of nutrition adopted in France (mandatory breakfast, lunch and dinner), drinking quality dry wines, ignoring fast food is the reason for the absence of obese people, whom we see in huge numbers in those countries where “fast food” has won. So, French women are slim and graceful. They are dressed stylishly and elegantly, their hair is well done, but these hairstyles look completely natural – without a kilogram of foam, varnish and other nonsense. Add to this some discreet make-up and a drop of exquisite perfume – the portrait is ready… We recommend reading:
