Two New Things We Learned From French Girls for Spring

Let’s face it: Whether you want to scream at me for saying this or you want to run over and hug me, I don’t think it’s a long shot to say that L.A.-girl style and French-girl style mirror each other. Skinny jeans? We’re both huge fans. T-shirts styled with delicate gold jewelry and a jacket graced over your shoulder? Consider it a staple! So it comes as no surprise that L.A. fashion girl (who has a knack for picking up French-girl style) Michelle Madsen of Take Aim took pieces from her go-to L.A. brand, PAIGE, over to Paris while she was in the city for fashion week.

She does think that there’s one difference between L.A. and Parisian style, and it has to do with simplicity. “Girls in Paris typically are simpler in their style and generally seem to value quality over quantity. Some trends in L.A. can be fast-moving—here one day and out of style so quickly. French style is more classic and timeless,” she mentioned. Because we’re also always down to learn a thing or two from French girls, especially when we’re on the heels of a brand-new season, we asked the fashion girl to see what she deems as the perfect Parisian outfits. See her picks here.

Like French-girl style, animal print proves itself time and again to be, well, timeless. The combo of the two? You basically have the chicest outfit of all time. Madsen spotted these snake-print skinny jeans from PAIGE and knew she had to get them in her luggage for her trip.

“During fashion week, I saw a lot of tailored jackets, blazers, and shoes that were unique and minimally designed while still embracing all the trends like animal print,” Madsen told me. As for these statement-making jeans? They were exactly what she was looking for. “Last year, I wore a good amount of leopard, but snake print is a fresh way to embrace it this season. I also love wearing heels with denim during the spring, and these PAIGE stilettos are beautiful with the scalloped detail.”

We know by now that French girls look effortless because their style truly is effortless. For a casual alternative (and to bring an L.A. staple with her), Madsen styled an oversize shirt with her go-to skinny jeans and a pair of open-back metallic sandals for some color.

What makes it feel super Parisian? Take a look at how she styled it: It’s super classic but there are touches of trend involved. “I loved the simple, striped button-down top paired with PAIGE denim, and stripes always have that fun French appeal,” she said. “The on-trend color of the shoes definitely made it feel like a spring look with the open toe and sandal style. I also threw on a barrette because why not?”