SO FRENCHY, SO CHIC!

For decades, the mythical French Girl' has been valorised in fashion circles. In 2024, is she a harmless fantasy, or a a calculated business propositionor something else entirely?

- DIVYA VENKATARAMAN

How much ink has been spilled trying to capture, to codify, and then to school others on emulating the art of dressing like the “French Girl”? A casual perusal online of the “French Girl Style” yields more than one billion search hits, each promising an education in the department of Gallic je ne sai quoi: “How to Dress like a French Girl”, “Ten French Girl Winter Essentials”, “This is How French Girls are Wearing Their Scarves”. And on and on it goes.

The French Girl has shiny, maybe tousled hair; her lips are smudged with not-too-carefully applied red lipstick; her skin is clear and smooth, but bears no evidence of cosmetic intervention. Sartorially, she walks the line perfectly between feminine and louche: today, she wears a marinière shirt with ballet flats, or a simple shift with a leather jacket over the top. She is never too much, or too loud, or in any way gauche. Her traits are somewhat ahistoric, having been a part of the French Girl mythology since its inception, though marked by subtle differences as per the era: in the ’60s, she took the sex-kitten form of Brigitte Bardot; in the ’70s, it was waifish bohemian, à la Françoise Hardy and (ironically, Londonborn) Jane Birkin; in the ’80s and ’90s, she grew into the more minimalist stylings of Inès de La Fressange and Carla Bruni.

“We do have a recognisable style, always effortless, and we don’t wear too much makeup,” confirms Paris-based consultant Viki Lefevre, who, at first glance, is the modern French Girl incarnate. “We never really do our hair; we love to look natural. I can always recognise a French woman so easily on vacation,” she laughs.