Are Parisians really that chic?

Super simple and completely minimal describes Parisian style best. Wondering the streets or travelling on the metro during the day to socialising in the terrace bars at night, expect to see jeans and a classic duster coat, paired with casual and comfy, but always polished trainers. In the winter, add a chunky knit scarf and voila you are dressed in true Parisian form. The transition from daywear to evening attire is too rather minimal. Perhaps a heavier coat is traded for a leather jacket, trainers for understated ankle boots,  and a leather tote bag for an elegant clutch. But the foundations of an outfit remains the same. It is basic and ordinary, some may even go as far as saying boring.

Jane Birkin-1970s.

Yet still there is no denying Parisian fashion conforms to its renowned stereotype as being uber chic. But what is it about teaming a pair of jeans and a plain tee shirt, that makes French girls look so put together?

I have come to realise we are not looking at what the she is wearing and wondering where she got that top... or those trousers from, instead we are drawn to her personal style and beauty in general. As most in Paris wear casual like a uniform, it cannot be what she is wearing specifically that catches the eye, but it is the other efforts she has tried or tried not to make. She has effortlessly left her face naked of makeup except for a bold, statement lip, painted deep purple or red. She might not have had time to put a brush through her hair every morning, but she still wears the understated, tousled, bed head look so well, or maybe she styled it that way deliberately?

Jeanne Damas.

Resembling the French culture and lifestyle, a typical Parisian woman is casual and relaxed, yet her immaculate manicure or tasteful choice of jewellery still shows she is attentive to detail. She is well groomed, yet it appears she has gone to minimal effort. Could the Parisian chic, au natural image be an illusion after all, more is less instead of less is more? Vrai or Faux, it doesn't really matter because she still defines chic.

Simple pleasures: reading + coffee on la terrasse.

Maybe she was born with an eye for the perfect accessories. Or most probably she is just well accustomed to the French culture and lifestyle that she lives in. Therefore, it seems like you only have to be French, with a simplistic sense of style, in order to be deemed 'Parisian chic'... Whatever the code may be, it is needless to say- Parisian chic is the art of minimalism.

Link to article for The Gryphon Newspaper: http://www.thegryphon.co.uk/2016/03/are-parisians-really-that-chic-a-year-abroad/

Alex x