French women. I don’t know what it is, but we all (or maybe just me?!) want to know how to dress like a French girl. And that’s the point — we don’t know what it is, but we want it. It’s that certain je ne sais quoi of French style that makes it so enviable. It’s the mystery. The inability to pinpoint exactly what makes it so chic is exactly what makes it so chic. It’s not overdone. It’s not calculated. It’s not complicated or contrived or showy. In fact, French girl style is so simple, it makes you wonder how it all looks so impossibly chic and glamorous. And it’s that kind of effortless elegance that makes French women the envy of women all over the world. The key is in its simplicity and subtly — that’s why unlike American style, it’s far easier to emulate than it seems. That’s really the genius of it, n’est pas? The great part about French style is you don’t need to spend a lot — it’s all about investing in quality basics. All you need are a few key items that you can mix and match: a great pair of jeans, a tweed jacket, white and black tees, ballet flats, oversized oxford shirt, and a timeless trench coat. All these items you can wear forever because they never go out of style, go with everything and can be mixed and matched a million ways, and don’t scream their price point. In other words, you can buy a $100 tweed blazer from Mango or invest in a Chanel one. You can wear Gucci loafers or a classic pair of $100 Sam Edelman loafers and still achieve the look.
After much studying, many interviews and working in fashion for many years, I’ve gotten a firmer grasp on what makes French style so incredibly enviable. Here are the secrets for how to dress like a French girl.
Ballet Flats
Tweed Jackets
Classic Trench Coat
Loafers
Perfectly Fitting Straight Leg Jeans
White Jeans
Perfect White T-Shirt
Stripes
Crossbody Bag
Straw Bag
White Wide-Leg Pants
Oversized Button-Up Shirt
White Shorts
Ladylike Bags
Black Pants/Jeans/Shorts
Feminine Tops
Denim Cutoffs
AI says
“I don’t know what it is, but let’s be serious, we all want to dress/look like/decorate like/be like them.”
Sorry — no. Their style is too masculine, too severe looking. Also, it is actually very easy to emulate: just adapt business casual as your everyday wear.