Styling Tips: How to Dress like a French girl (and a few affordable picks!)

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My upcoming trip to France has me thinking about all things French now (that and blogger buddy Kim just did a post on the fascinating Marie Antoinette).

It goes to show that the rest of us have been obsessed with French fashionistas for quite some time!  It may have started with unique French made lace (alencon is of course my favorite since I made my own alencon lace veil!) and famed design houses like Chanel or Lanvin, but French style is something that is not only created by its designers, but cultivated every day by fashionable ladies.  I was looking through a few pictures of a few chic French ladies and noticed that while it is very much about what they wear, it is also about how they wear it.  Yes sometimes, there are a few standout pieces, but for the most part these ladies have built great staples and just know what works!

Here are the styling tips I take from French ladies:

1. Dress with confidence

The first part of dressing well is definitely dressing with confidence.  Know your body and dress for it.  If you can rock a bandage dress, go for it.  If you have great legs, show them off.  I don’t even know what Carine is wearing in the second picture (although the top looks really cool), but she definitely owns the look.

2. Be unafraid of a bold piece or two

My funkiest fashion accessory to date is a pair of Maison Martin Margiela shoes.  But I’ve also started branching out as well and over the last few years have decided to be a bit bolder – my closet now has striking geometric prints, brightly colored skirts, and a few dresses with large exaggerated ruffles.  You don’t have to own a closet full of asymmetrically cut, sheer pieces, but it is definitely interesting to bring a touch of texture or color to an outfit.

3. Have great basics

Every person needs a few great basic pieces.  Ines de la Fressange even recommended a few staple wardrobe pieces including a cashmere sweater (J.Crew has well priced cashmere sweaters under $200), like the one she sports below.  I would also add that a great pair of skinny jeans and a white t-shirt with a little something extra like lace work well with so many outfits.

1969 Always Skinny Jeans, Gap, $69.95

Ivory scallop lace tee, Dorothy Perkins, $25

4. Accessorize as needed

I’m all about a great arm party or a statement necklace.  But you don’t necessarily need to wear your entire jewelry collection at once.  Less can definitely be more (and hey if you have a Chanel or Hermès purse on your arm, do you really need much more?)

5. Own a great jacket/blazer

I’ve only really started to appreciate a great jacket blazer in the last few years.  Now I am pretty happy with my selection and have pieces from affordable retailers like H&M to designers like Helmut Lang and Rebecca Minkoff.  I believe a great blazer is truly worth the investment, but if you’re lucky, you can definitely find a few at more palatable price points. My staples are a good tuxedo jacket and colored or printed jacket that can be worn over a LBD.

Helmut Helmut Lang knit tuxedo blazer, Nordstrom, $475

Topshop tailored blazer, Nordstrom, $99.95

Do you have any other styling tips we can learn from French ladies?

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