Whole tomes have been written dissecting French fashion. Hem-lengths, the precise cut of a sleeve or the way that darts are placed on the back of a tuxedo jacket are endlessly analysed. Yet the French approach can probably be summed up thus: dress for your man (rather than other women), wear what French women call “bourgeois staples”, and never buy into anything that's too fashionable. These core values, of course, aren't always that appealing to a British sensibility, where we usually prefer pile-it-on exuberance and mismatched dynamism. And yet, there's no denying that style aficionados the world over can't get enough of French labels.
Many of these have been around for years. You may well have heard of Vanessa Bruno, APC, Zadig & Voltaire or Isabel Marant (just some of the labels that we feature in our Parisian style feature on p10-11). For the most part they are rather classic - at least when compared, say, with the bonkers-ness of a Gareth Pugh fetish ensemble. Yet they are also the sort of clothes worn by women that we want to look like - you know, the ones who always do great bed-hair and make smoking (dare I say this?) still look the epitome of cool.
The underlying point of Parisian chic is that it's actually very conservative, even bourgeois and being called bourgeois in France isn't a euphemism for dull. Sales of black berets have doubled since the credit crunch - the symbol of French pride now constitutes a serious fingers-up to the collapse of the Anglo-Saxon economy. Instead, these labels, though all different in some way, are marked by an unifying aesthetic that addresses that very French idea of feeling “bien dans sa peau”, literally, good in your own skin.
The silhouettes are forgiving, anti-ageist and don't mark the wearer out as a fashion-victim. So why not just go to Gap and buy your “classics” there? Well, because the French look is also a little subversive and discreetly sexy (this is where dressing for your man comes into it). It speaks volumes that the Japanese paparazzi who tirelessly circle the fashion media are more interested in photographing the handful of French fashion editors they deem to be the ultimate image and taste-makers, than they are in snapping celebrities.
And despite the growing hype that surrounds brands such as Isabel Marant - which smacks at times of the emperor's new clothes - the popularity of French style continues to grow.
So what explains this resurgence? The vogue for pared-down, minimal lines has lot to do with it. If there's one thing that French women fear most, it's looking as if they have tried too hard or, worse still, that they look vulgar. And vulgarity is nigh-on impossible when all you've done is thrown a slouchy jacket in a neutral tone over a pair of mismatched, tailored trousers. “It's true,” says Val Margulies, co-founder of Aimé in Notting Hill, London, who has stocked APC, Isabel Marant and Les Prairies de Paris for the past ten years: “London style can at times look pretty trashy. You wouldn't see someone one in Paris wearing pink leggings from American Apparel in the way you that might see in Hackney. French girls want to look feminine.”
Just as importantly - and this is where the effect of the recession kicks in - these labels successfully interpret designer tailoring at an affordable mid-price. “What you are getting,” says Margulies “is the quality of designer clothing without the ridiculous prices, and this taps into how we want to shop now.”
Matthew Moore, the manager of The Shop at Bluebird in Chelsea, where French designers make up 40 per cent of the stock, agrees: “Labels such as Isabel Marant are perfect for consumers who want to pay £300 for a gorgeous dress but can't stretch to £1,000. These brands capture the essence of looking individual while sticking to the tailored silhouette that women want at the moment.”
The French may not have anything as vibrant and colourful as the clothes on our high street but our offerings are actually looking a little worn round the edges, as retailers try to figure out how best to survive an economic downturn.
The two-for-£20 tops that last only a season no longer hold the appeal that they once did. And who still gets a kick from bagging a pair of £5 ballet pumps, when we've all seen documentaries on the grim factory conditions for workers in the Far East. “Parisians just don't have that throwaway mentality,” points out Margulies. “These French designers have cornered the market in clothes that look special enough now, but which won't date after a season.”
Perhaps it still takes a dose of British irreverence to bring these sombre-coloured French labels to life, however. There's something undeniably appealing about the way Brits confer “cool” on an outfit. And, in the spirit of friendly rivalry, we wouldn't want to give away the “street style” trophy that we've held on to for the past decade, too easily.
Many of these have been around for years. You may well have heard of Vanessa Bruno, APC, Zadig & Voltaire or Isabel Marant (just some of the labels that we feature in our Parisian style feature on p10-11). For the most part they are rather classic - at least when compared, say, with the bonkers-ness of a Gareth Pugh fetish ensemble. Yet they are also the sort of clothes worn by women that we want to look like - you know, the ones who always do great bed-hair and make smoking (dare I say this?) still look the epitome of cool.
The underlying point of Parisian chic is that it's actually very conservative, even bourgeois and being called bourgeois in France isn't a euphemism for dull. Sales of black berets have doubled since the credit crunch - the symbol of French pride now constitutes a serious fingers-up to the collapse of the Anglo-Saxon economy. Instead, these labels, though all different in some way, are marked by an unifying aesthetic that addresses that very French idea of feeling “bien dans sa peau”, literally, good in your own skin.
The silhouettes are forgiving, anti-ageist and don't mark the wearer out as a fashion-victim. So why not just go to Gap and buy your “classics” there? Well, because the French look is also a little subversive and discreetly sexy (this is where dressing for your man comes into it). It speaks volumes that the Japanese paparazzi who tirelessly circle the fashion media are more interested in photographing the handful of French fashion editors they deem to be the ultimate image and taste-makers, than they are in snapping celebrities.
And despite the growing hype that surrounds brands such as Isabel Marant - which smacks at times of the emperor's new clothes - the popularity of French style continues to grow.
So what explains this resurgence? The vogue for pared-down, minimal lines has lot to do with it. If there's one thing that French women fear most, it's looking as if they have tried too hard or, worse still, that they look vulgar. And vulgarity is nigh-on impossible when all you've done is thrown a slouchy jacket in a neutral tone over a pair of mismatched, tailored trousers. “It's true,” says Val Margulies, co-founder of Aimé in Notting Hill, London, who has stocked APC, Isabel Marant and Les Prairies de Paris for the past ten years: “London style can at times look pretty trashy. You wouldn't see someone one in Paris wearing pink leggings from American Apparel in the way you that might see in Hackney. French girls want to look feminine.”
Just as importantly - and this is where the effect of the recession kicks in - these labels successfully interpret designer tailoring at an affordable mid-price. “What you are getting,” says Margulies “is the quality of designer clothing without the ridiculous prices, and this taps into how we want to shop now.”
Matthew Moore, the manager of The Shop at Bluebird in Chelsea, where French designers make up 40 per cent of the stock, agrees: “Labels such as Isabel Marant are perfect for consumers who want to pay £300 for a gorgeous dress but can't stretch to £1,000. These brands capture the essence of looking individual while sticking to the tailored silhouette that women want at the moment.”
The French may not have anything as vibrant and colourful as the clothes on our high street but our offerings are actually looking a little worn round the edges, as retailers try to figure out how best to survive an economic downturn.
The two-for-£20 tops that last only a season no longer hold the appeal that they once did. And who still gets a kick from bagging a pair of £5 ballet pumps, when we've all seen documentaries on the grim factory conditions for workers in the Far East. “Parisians just don't have that throwaway mentality,” points out Margulies. “These French designers have cornered the market in clothes that look special enough now, but which won't date after a season.”
Perhaps it still takes a dose of British irreverence to bring these sombre-coloured French labels to life, however. There's something undeniably appealing about the way Brits confer “cool” on an outfit. And, in the spirit of friendly rivalry, we wouldn't want to give away the “street style” trophy that we've held on to for the past decade, too easily.
Source: Times Online
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