Wednesday 4 August 2010

Elegance is refusal

































As my obsession for all things French steadily grows (and showing no signs of abating), so does my interest in the concept of the French Wardrobe - the notion that you can base your entire wardrobe on a skeleton of 4-5 (usually high quality) key pieces. In the recent months, I've found this idea especially appealing namely due to the alarming prospect of having to fit my vast array of clothes into my matchbox studio in Paris. Long gone are the days of envisioning a wardrobe worthy of a place in UK Elle's monthly feature Closet Confidential...
Although at the tender age of 20 my style is constantly evolving, I definitely have a uniform that I can always fall back on which consists of good quality basics - a pair of Acne jeans, a Zara leather blazer and my French Sole ballet flats for day and a black See by Chloe dress or Day Birger et Mikkelsen blouse for evening. It's fair to say that I wear a variation of these outfits seventy five percent of the time in place of the more frivolous, 'on-trend' pieces in my wardrobe. Although this at first seems like a boring approach to fashion, the less-is-more approach to dressing is ultimately far more satisfying. After all, I would much rather by one more expensive, classic item that I really love and can wear in a multitude of ways in place of the latest highly covetable Balmain jacket or It bag.
When I think of women whose style I admire - Coco Chanel, Sofia Coppola, Jane Birkin, Emanuelle Alt et al - they all embrace a distinct uniform without sacrificing the covetable nature of their style.

See my 5 autumn/winter essentials on my previous post here. And my edit if money were no object...

1. Chanel 2.55 or Sofia Coppola for Louis Vuitton leather duffle bag
2. Chanel two tone ballet flats
3. Isabel Marant Bator Coat
4. Repossi yellow gold maure ring
5. Maison Margiela or Helmut Lang tee shirts

(image from I Heart Sofia)

13 comments:

  1. I am absolutely loving this post. I was about to write the same post as yours, now I can just copy+paste it. haha!

    Do you have the Isabel marant Bator coat? Right, it's the most perfect short coat ever. I'm still in love with it.

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  2. Dead Fleurette: No sadly I don't own the Bator coat, but I'm considering saving up for one of the new season jackets from the Etoile line!

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  3. i wrote a similar post as well a few months ago! still trying to cut my wardrobe down to the essentials that i wear constantly, which really are a precious few things, so i ought not have all the extra, but it is so hard to part with such long-held items.

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  4. So true! Aaaah that we could afford all the luxury basics for our wardrobes..one day though x

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  5. Hi there,

    I really enjoyed your blog, it's great.

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    x

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  6. Great post! I think I'm going to make a list of my 'wardrobe essentials' soon!:)
    Btw, really cool that you're moving to Paris!

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  7. oh man! one of my first ever posts on my blog was about the french wardrobe. after reading this I think im going to go back and look at it to see how my style has evolved since then... i know it's changed, it was about 2 years ago, but i'm hoping that maybe the things i picked are as relevant to me then as they are now. i had similar things, a 2.55, two tone ballet flats (which i now have, and i have to say, are one of the best investments i've ever made, they are beautiful, beautiful shoes and i wear them everywhere).

    i still dream of the isabel marant bator coat. i tried it on and didn't buy it and am no regretting it sorely.

    X

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  8. I love this post, too, and that jacket is so pretty.

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  9. your top 3 is pretty much my dream top 3 as well. especially the chanel flats, what I wouldn't give for those..

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  10. I have a secret love for all things French as well. I love their sweet subtle dressing and my favorite- French stripes.

    invasionista

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  11. I've decided to get a(nother) vintage Chanel next month, this time a classic flap. So pretty. And I keep thinking about getting Chanel two tone flats, but I refuse to pay full price for them and on eBay they are hard to come by.. I love your list!

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  12. Sofia Coppola, her style is always so simple and chic. I love her LV bag as well.

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