Dec 27, 2018

What Our French Fashion Friends Don't Shop For at Zara

by Hannah Almassi

How to shop Zara like French women is something we ask more often than you might imagine. Why? Well, the French are notoriously a little bit more discerning when it comes to affordable stores, but, of the chic Parisian women we know, they are all still partial to un petit peu of Zara. Ergo, if they deem it of a quality good enough for their concise capsule wardrobes, then there must be a very French way to sift the wheat from chaff and zone in on the most sophisticated things our favorite shop has to over—without getting distracted by impulsive buy-buy-buy urges on the way.

Photo:

Aria Di Bari

Parisian women always look for items with longevity and seek out classics, so we grilled our favourite French blogger, Aria Di Bari, because she not only specializes in uncovering the most deluxe pieces on the affordable side, but she's a Zara advocate on her site—often cherry-picking the must-haves before they've become so.

Read on to get her top tips for how to shop at Zara like a French girl, what to buy and what to avoid, and you can pick up a few of our key buys, too.

Photo:

Aria Di Bari

"The one thing I always buy from Zara is shoes. Zara shoes are always the prettiest! I mostly buy leather boots and heels, and sometimes I borrow sandals from my mum."

Photo:

Aria Di Bari

"The only thing I don't like about their shoes is that they can be really uncomfortable when they are brand-new. The leather is usually quite stiff despite the good quality of it, so I usually break in the shoes at home before I wear them outside."

Photo:

Aria Di Bari

"There are things I wouldn't order online, like shoes; I would rather try them on in-store. But when I go to my local Zara, I'm there to buy anything that really catches my eye."

Photo:

Aria Di Bari

"As well as shoes, I would always buy the blazers as they are very well tailored."

"I would recommend to buy at Zara Woman and not Trafaluc. It's a little bit more expensive, but the fabric is usually nicer and the clothes are well-fitted and last longer in my opinion."

Photo:

Aria Di Bari

"When I shop online, I usually want to buy a very specific piece. It's usually one of these on-trend items that would fit my style or a basic I don't have yet (like blazer or a pair of tailored trousers, for example). Sometimes, it's just a piece I saw a friend or another blogger wearing that I would want to try myself!"

Photo:

Aria Di Bari

"I think the jeans don't fit very well and the denim gets really lose after a few hours of wearing them—but the trousers are usually well fitted. Also, I won't buy their linen T-shirts anymore [because] they don't last very long."

Photo:

Aria Di Bari

"When I shop, I'm usually very picky about the fabric first, but I studied fashion so it's easier for me to spot clothes made of quality material. I also look at the mannequins, as Zara usually puts all of its nicest clothes on them."

Photo:

Aria Di Bari

"I've never sent anything I bought online back; I know how the sizing works at Zara and I've never had bad surprises so far—so keep trying items on to work it out if you haven't already."

Photo:

Aria Di Bari

"I usually don't tailor anything I buy from Zara. If I have to tailor anything, it usually means that it doesn't fit to my body shape and I don't buy it."

Photo:

Aria Di Bari

"I do own one piece from Zara from a long time ago that I just can't get rid of: a beautiful black waistcoat with silver embroidery and beads that I bought at least eight years ago. At the moment, they have some great embroidered and printed pieces."