Parisian chic in 10 easy steps

Ever wondered just why the French look so good?

After her people-watching expedition to the style capital, here you go DIY guide

[original article: The Guardian 5 March 2004]

So, are the French still chic? It is a question that does niggle.

Well, it occasionally niggles the French, because they have constructed their national identity around it, and it often niggles the rest of the world.


Certainly Paris fashion week beats the bejesus out of everyone else

(New York, too furry; London, too silly; Milan, too Footballers' Wives),

but what of the French themselves?
Stereotypes and gentle xenophobia aside, yes,

 they are a cut above the rest of us. 

 

1. Always wear sunglasses

Ditch any fears about what others will think, a true Parisienne would rarely bother with such worries. But, please, no coloured lenses. These are only excusable if you are in Atomic Kitten and then only out of pity.

Carine Roitfeld 

 

2. Your bag should be no bigger than your dog

They are perfect for sitting on your lap while you sit decorously in a cafe, sipping your cappuccino, arguing with

Bernard-Henri Lévy about how the 21st-century

soul has lost its passion.

Bags should be hand-held, quilted if you are over 50

(that's right, we are talking Chanel, and we are talking lots of) 

or plain for the younger ones. Absolutely no rucksacks.

 Clemence Poesy

   

 

 3. The effort is always worth it

That means no outfits for bad-hair

days/fat days/can't-be-arsed days.

The irony about those outfits is that they actually make you look worse: no matter how fat you feel, wearing a big kaftan is going to make you look 10 times bigger.

So, instead, slip into your little cropped trousers and pair them with ballet pumps.

Audrey Tautou 

  

4. Pancake or au naturel

If you are over 35, slap on the full face of makeup, including lippy, before even your husband sees you in the mornings;

if you are under 35, just keep it plain, with lipgloss.

As in so many areas of life, boys have it even easier. Theirs is a choice between the shabby, unshaven man who resembles an extra from Jean de Florette and his more groomed, handsome counterpart.Happily, for any boys after the true Parisian look, both make one look like a character in a Truffaut film.

  

Anna Mouglalis




 

 

 

5. Think helmet hair

 

Not only in shape but colour.

Parisian ladies favour the solid block
of colour not the streaky-bacon look.

Inès de la Fressange 

 

 6. Gold

 

Silver? Pah! But gold? Ah, ma cherie, c'est bon!

They are quite right. Wear too much silver and you resemble a rock star's 16-year-old, or a Hell's Angel, or both.

Yes, a knuckle slathered in gold will bring the Oh la la factor.

Brigitte Bardot

 

7. Coordination is a beautiful thing
  

A French woman coordinates her entire outfits days in advance, ensuring her socks match her hairclip, which matches her top, which matches her coat.

Carla Bruni 

  

  

8. Men wear scarves

There must be some law about this in Paris.

Of the 37 males you can count in 15 minutes,
35 will be wearing scarves and the other two will have polo necks.

Guillaume Canet

 

9. Fur! Glorious fur!

 Even in the summer, you love your skins.

Think mink, think fox - do not think hamster.

And remember, the bulkier your coat,

the better to push people out of the way.

Julia Restoin-Roitfield 

 

10. Petite Robe Noir 

Always, any occasion, day or night, cocktail or to go shopping. Just buy every PRN you see, it's the thing you'll be wearing all the time!

 
Marion Cotillard 

(Few extra tips)

• Black. Or black and white. Or stripes+black. But forever black
• Pearls. A la Coco Chanel
• Smoke. I know, it's so bad for your health, so you may just hold the cigarette.