SO FRENCHY, SO CHIC!
Harper's BAZAAR Singapore|August 2024
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
SO FRENCHY, SO CHIC!

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.

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