French Women Always Wear This Jeans-and-Flats Outfit Formula

You don't have to be a math genius to figure out how French women have perfected the outfit formula. When the goal is effortlessly chic, a wardrobe of staple basics can be mixed and matched to achieve a look polished enough for any event but easy enough for every day. 

Case in point? Michelle Williams. The Montana native and noted fashion aesthete was spotted wearing our favorite outfit combination of straight-leg jeans, an oversize blazer, and Mary-Jane flats in New York City. The four-piece look, complete with a strawberry-red lip, was polished enough for Williams's morning TV appearance and perfectly practical for running around the city now that it's officially springtime. Even better, you don't need a Hollywood stylist to re-create this outfit at home. Just grab your favorite blazer, jeans, flats, and button-down shirt. Roll up your sleeves, swipe on a bright lip, and you're good to go. Easy enough, right? Oui! 

Don't have these basic outfit building blocks in your wardrobe? You're in luck. We've pulled several pieces that can be combined to create the perfect jeans-and-flats outfit formula for anyone who wants to take French style for a spin—no passport necessary.

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(Image credit: Getty)

On Michelle Williams: The Row shoes

Shop Our Favorite Mary Janes

Re-Create the Full Outfit 

Next: Kate Middleton's Skinnies-and-Flats Outfit Is the Epitome of Quiet Luxury

Drew Elovitz
Director of Content Strategy

Drew Elovitz is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but has spent the last decade living and working in New York City. She earned a master's degree in media and popular culture from New York University, then began her career on the internet as the Twitter voice of Barbie. She worked previously at Who What Wear as the director of content strategy and also spent several years leading the social media teams at Teen Vogue and Entertainment Weekly. You'll find her byline on the site around topics such as celebrity fashion, must-have basics, beauty favorites (particularly nail polish), and wellness tips and tricks. Her personal style tends to favor the classics: She loves crisp white button-downs, sneakers, and skinny jeans—and no look is complete without a great pair of oversize sunglasses and a trusty leather jacket. After she finishes reading the entire internet every day, she can be found dining out at her favorite restaurants, trying new beauty treatments, or indulging her historical-fiction habit.