11 Over-40 French Women Who Only Get Cooler as They Age
French women have a timeless quality that's hard to put into words. It's a combination of not looking like they tried and somehow appearing perfectly put-together. It's not something that can be readily taught, but these 11 women make it look easy. Every one of the French women featured here is as chic as can be and each is all over age 40. Not only that, but they seem to get cooler by the decade and make fashion over 40 look easy.
The women we're calling out include actresses, fashion editors, and former models, but there's nothing flashy about their style. They clearly have the fashion industry at their fingertips, but their classic aesthetics are indicative of French women in every field. Check out their cool confidence ahead and start looking forward to getting older.
Keep scrolling to see which over-40 French women inspire us and to shop pieces that they'd surely love at the end.
Caroline de Maigret
Age: 45
Caroline de Maigret is a model and the co-author of How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are.
Follow: @carolinedemaigret
Carla Bruni
Age: 52
Carla Bruni is a songwriter, former model, and former French first lady.
Follow: @carlabruniofficial
Marion Cotillard
Age: 45
Marion Cotillard is an Academy Award–winning actress, a musician, and the face of Lady Dior.
Follow: @marioncotillard
Emmanuelle Alt
Age: 53
Emmanuelle Alt is the current editor in chief of Vogue Paris.
Follow: @emmanuellealt
Isabelle Huppert
Age: 67
Isabelle Huppert is a veteran actress who was recently nominated for her first Academy Award for her work in Elle.
Follow: @isabelle.huppert
Vanessa Paradis
Age: 47
Vanessa Paradis is a model, singer-songwriter, and actress who is a front-row fixture at every Chanel runway show alongside daughter, Lily-Rose Depp.
Aïssa Maïga
Age: 45
Aïssa Maïga is a Senegalese-born French actress and producer. Her signature look on the red carpets she frequents is dresses that cinch at the waist.
Juliette Binoche
Age: 56
Juliette Binoche is an Academy Award–winning actress for The English Patient and perhaps best known for her starring role in Chocolat.
Follow: @juliettebinoche
Inès de la Fressange
Age: 63
Inès de la Fressange is a model, style icon, and author of Parisian Chic City Guide.
Follow: @inesdelafressangeofficial
Carine Roitfeld
Age: 66
Formerly the editor in chief of Vogue Paris, Carine Roitfeld now runs CR Fashion Book and is the global fashion director of Harper's Bazaar.
Follow: @carineroitfeld
Catherine Deneuve
Age: 77
Catherine Deneuve is an actress (having appeared in over 100 films) and one of Saint Laurent's original muses.
Garance Doré
Age: 45
Garance Doré is a photographer, illustrator, blogger, and author of The New York Times best seller Love Style Life.
Follow: @garancedore
Shop French Wardrobe Essentials
Want the Parisian look in an instant? Get a pair of Mansur Gavriel oxfords or ballet flats.
A double-breasted blazer makes every outfit better.
A T-shirt as versatile as this is more than a French-style cliché.
Throw this silk shirt on with a pair of jeans and pumps for an instantly polished outfit.
Ten out of 10 chic French women have high-waisted wide-leg trousers in their closet.
A cropped cardigan looks very French when paired with high-waisted denim, no?
Up Next: French and California Women Agree—These 7 Fall Staples Are Elite
This post was originally published on an earlier date and has been updated.
Allyson is a senior editor for Who What Wear. She joined the company in 2014 as co-founder Katherine Power's executive assistant and over the years has written hundreds of stories for Who What Wear. Prior to her career in fashion, Allyson worked in the entertainment industry at companies such as Sony Pictures Television. Allyson is now based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She holds a BFA in theater. Her path to fashion may not have been linear, but based on the number of fashion magazines she collected as a child and young adult, it was meant to be.
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