FASHION

The Style Formulas French Instagrammers Swear By

Très jolie!

You’re probably bored of hearing how chic French – and particularly Parisian women – are, but you can’t deny there’s something fascinating about their sartorial insouciance.

You see, they don’t really care about trends, so much as investing in timeless pieces they know looks great on them.

That said, there are a few winning style formulas I’ve noticed some of my favourite French influencers wearing on the regular, which are pretty easy to recreate when it comes down to it. Scroll down to shop them below.

The Paired-Back Summer Dress & Basket Bag

Shop: SALONI Fara broderie-anglaise cotton midi dress for $705 from MatchesFashion.com

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https://www.matchesfashion.com/products/1198107?qxjkl=tsid:30065|cgn:xU*ITpjPkO4&c3ch=LinkShare&c3nid=xU*ITpjPkO4&utm_source=linkshare&utm_medium=affiliation&utm_campaign=uk&utm_content=xU*ITpjPkO4&rffrid=aff.linkshare.2149872.35725

Shop: Mango mini picnic basket bag in natural for $48 from ASOS

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The Slip Skirt & Men’s Shirt

AnneLaure Mais Moreau, founder of French online shop Musier, knows a thing or two about balance. It’s all about dressing down a fancy item to make it more wearable, the key to looking French is never trying too hard after all. Case in point: the sexy slip skirt, teamed with an oversized shirt.

Shop: Bow satin skirt for $63 from Mango

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Shop: Cotton shirt for $23 from H&M

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The Flares & Slogan Tee

Jeanne Damas is one of those people whose style is so inherently cool that she would be just as on trend 30 years ago as she is now. Flares may be very of-the-moment, but she’s been wearing them forever, adding a dose of cool with a slogan tee or Breton top.

Shop: Indigo Flared Jamie Jeans for $70 from Topshop

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Shop Now: Ma Cherie Amour Logo Tshirt for $86 from Whistles

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The Classic Suit

A la French, le classique suit (sorry) is worn oversized, in a neutral shade such as navy, and preferably with nothing underneath, as demonstrated by Marta of Life of Bohème. The blazer can also be style with a men’s shirt and straight leg jeans for another staple look.

Shop: SHAWL LAPEL BLAZER for $158 from ZARA

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Shop: FLARED TROUSERS for $70 from ZARA

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The Vintage-Style Tea Dress

Whether it’s Camille Charrière, Jeanne Damas or pretty much any other French influencer, the one staple everyone owns is a pretty floral dress for summer, which can be teamed with biker boots, sneakers or sandals.

Shop: RIXO LONDON Abigail floral-print silk-crepe wrap dress for &447 from Net-A-Porter

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The Biker Jacket & Feminine Skirt

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As mentioned before, the key to Parisian style is all about balance. Here, Margaux SLV proves that a tough black leather jacket can be softened a tad with a retro skirt and a t-shirt.

Shop: Balfern biker for $557 from ALLSAINTS

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Shop: GANNI Pineberry floral-print stretch-jersey pareo for $298 from Net-A-Porte

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Without going to far into stereotypes, striped t-shirts and denim dungarees will always have room in a wardrobe, but in reality French style is so much more creative and unexpected that that, all the while staying classic.

This article originally appeared on Marie Claire UK 

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