The "French Aesthetic".. How do they do it?
The effortless look... so what exactly is it?
The french aesthetic is the one that mostly captures the look. French girls, in fact, give the impression of looking fresh, chic and sexy, all at the same time, as if they had just woken up. How is this possible? How can they be so attractive even with messy hair? How is it that, when we wake up, we feel like we need to take a three hour long shower, an hour appointment at the beauty salon and a full makeover of our wardrobe?
I hate to break it to you ... but I always thought Parisian girls were just cooler. Nonetheless they do have tricks, despite what I thought for the longest time. Because, let’s admit it, we are all kind of jealous of their looks, we are going to ‘go through’ all the steps to reach.. or at least try to achieve their aesthetic. What makes these girls so appealing is not only their style but also their beauty know-hows and tricks.
So what are the first steps to achieve the ‘French effortless look’?
- Buying quality pieces that can be intertwined both with basics and statement items;
- When purchasing basics, items need to be versatile, able to take an outfit from day to night;
- Statement is in the details: shoes, make-up, accessories etc., that can completely overturn a look.
Even though the above points are the major milestones to imitate the Parisian aesthetic, there’s no doubt in mind that Parisians women have always had a charm to them. In the 19th century, in fact, Haute Couture had a major increase in France, especially Paris. Due to the fashion explosion in the 19th century, the chicest brands and magazines were born: divinities for today’s fashion victims. Coco Chanel and Vogue were, in fact, born in the 1920s.
From Coco Chanel to Christian Dior, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga to fashion icons like Brigitte Bardot, Vanessa Paradis, and Caroline de Maigrette. These idols are who defined the Parisian style, which is a bend of sexiness, elegance, mystery and objective natural beauty. In all these scenarios, in fact, ‘less is more’ was the preferred motto and, as Caroline de maigrette stated in a British Vogue interview, ‘it’s all about revealing the non obvious in a subtle manner’. Feeling femminine, without being vulgar. Feeling masculine without being a tom-boy.
If we have all these instructions that go so far in history, you may wonder, why is it still so hard to achieve the effortless, chic and sensual aesthetic? This question might have a whole range of di"erent responses and mine is… well every person has its own style and, we love style so much because it’s so personal. It portrays our personalities. I guess my advice is to leave the ‘french aesthetic’ aside, while just embracing who you are, and try to see what really makes you stand out in terms of fashion. Because isn’t this fashion’s objective?
Hope to chat with you soon… Maybe with a glass of wine in hand.
