Pure French Perfection with Clémence Poésy

Sporty separates give floral prints a cool, masculine edge. Clémence Poésy works a modern twist on spring’s perennial favourite.

- Chloe Mac Donnell

‘I felt very embarrassed being in the pool with those kids doing amazing dives, while I just stood there in a flowery dress,’ Clémence Poésy reveals as she pops a mint into her mouth. ‘They were probably wondering what the f*** I was doing there!’ We’re in a car post-InStyle shoot, leaving a sports centre in south London’s Crystal Palace for Hackney in east London, where the French actress and Lagerfeld muse calls home. She’s ill with a cold and is bundled up in the back seat in a Christophe Lemaire tweed coat, teamed with an Acne jumper and jeans. ‘Actually, most of my wardrobe is Acne,’ she admits. We’re stuck in rush-hour traffic, and if it hadn’t been for me suggesting we chat en route, I get the feeling Clémence would have jumped on the tube home – which is pretty radical for someone who’s appeared in Harry Potter, In Bruges and 2012’s cult TV drama Birdsong, alongside Eddie Redmayne. Despite all this, Clémence says she only gets recognised occasionally in London, but the return of The Tunnel – an Anglo/French adaption of the Nordic noir The Bridge – might well put an end to her anonymity when she’s topping up her travel card.

You grew up without a TV. Were you an arty family?

‘My parents took me and my sister to watch lots of films, and to the theatre. At some point they caved in and got something that could play tapes and films, and pretended that the TV part didn’t work. We bought it until we caught my dad watching tennis.’

Did you and your sister put on plays?