There’s just something about the way French girls dress—like they rolled out of bed, threw something on, and dashed out the door looking effortlessly chic without so much as a glance in the mirror. Is it something in the water? A happy side effect of daily pain au chocolat? We know French girls wear certain pieces on rotation, but there’s also a certain flair when it comes to the way they put their looks together. In search of that elusive je ne sais quoi, we tapped model-turned-blogger Elizabeth Minett of Haut Appétit, who splits her time between Paris and L.A.
“French style is rooted in centuries of exposure to the details of elegance and refinement in fashion,” she notes. “I love to [look] feminine, but I keep it modern with sneakers and masculine silhouettes.” During Paris Fashion Week, for example, Minett stepped out in a pink slip dress with Chelsea boots and a vintage athletic jacket. “Less is more. I don’t over-embellish or over-accessorize,” she says of the look, explaining that French girls rely on subtle styling tricks to take an outfit from mundane to elegant.
Want to lock down French-girl style? Minett styles Parisian basics from AG’s spring collection into something extraordinary below.