Le temps pour de l’inspiration…
For my 20th birthday Mark surprised me with a trip to Paris for my birthday. To this day Mark still jokes that he missed a trick by taking me on a fancy schmansy holiday the year before the more celebrated 21st birthday milestone and in the end maybe he was right because just before we left I was struck down with a UTI that left me on antibiotics for the duration of our jaunt. However, the few days that we spent there fully funded by overdrafts and the bravado of thinking that it was totally cool to miss lectures, were lush. I’d been previously with the school, but being in the city of love with your actual lover is a whole different kettle of fish. We visited museums, galleries, went to a concert, people watched from cafes and ate a meal at Hotel du Nord restaurant where we still don’t know what we ate (Mark ended up with what we think was raw beef and I had some kind of white wish which remains a mystery but was delicious).
Fast-forward to the present day and I’ve been lucky enough to visit Paris a fair amount of times, and although the surroundings still make me go all heart-eye emoji, it’s the French women and their fashion that really gets me drooling. Parisian women are the epitome of effortless cool it appears, to a bumbling Brit outsider like me. The whole ‘I woke up and threw this on, but actually I look like a street style DREAM‘ is their vibe and I’m into it. It comes naturally and so any looks generated with intention will perhaps be sprinkled with imitation, but hey – a girl’s got to try. And try I do. These days whenever I find myself scrolling through Instagram and doing the double click – a like followed by a save – the chances are that she’s some chic chick who resides in Paris. So today I thought I’d share with you the gals that I love to follow for general fashion, beauty and ‘CAN I PLEASE JUST BE YOU?’ inspiration…
@adenorah – AnneLaure lives in Paris, has the perfect blonde long-bob and is also the Founder of @musierparis, her very own clothing label. You sold already? Although her style is classic she isn’t afraid to mix colour into her palette, but in a very understated and subtle way, which is why she makes for perfect Instagram fodder for me. She also owns that Realisation Par skirt that I keep going on about and is one of the main reasons why I’m still pining over it. Follow for: casual feminine silhouettes, with chic nods to colour.
@sabinasocol – Sabina is a journalist living in Paris, who I first discovered thanks to an Into The Gloss article. Everything she wears looks flippin’ amazing, but also really comfortable and like she just woke up looking like it. Her style is relaxed and she’s a lover of a basic with a twist which means she’s a great account to scroll through if you’re addicted to wearing denim with a t-shirt and can’t see a way out of your funk. Follow for: links to her articles, swimwear inspiration and elevated ‘jeans with a top’ ideas.
@jeannedamas – I was first directed to Jeanne’s account thanks to Shot From The Street and I’m forever grateful for that point in the right direction because this girl just oozes French flavour. She’s a model who travels with world with the most perfect shaggy fringe I’ve ever seen, plus she founded her very own clothing brand @rouge. She has an unrivalled tea dress collection so if you’re in the mood to buy a dress then BEWARE, but I also loved her account during the winter because she knows how to rock a boyfriend cut jean and a blazer well. Follow for: travels and a plethora of pictures to take with you next time you go to the hairdresser.
@leiasfez – A quick flick through Leia’s pictures and all of a sudden I’m ready to say goodbye to the shorter hair life and hello to long locks with a fringe again (another one to show your hairdresser). Also Leia is a MUM OF TWO and her children are just as stylish as she is. Like the other accounts I follow, she seems to love a bit of colour and the odd splash of polka dot or leopard print here and there, but mostly her outfits really focus on the basics and I am down for that. Jeans, black t-shirt, a pair of ballet flats – done. Follow for: simple French gal style that will make you want to up your basics game, like, now.
@louisefollain – A model who splits her time between Paris and New York, Louise is S.T.U.N.N.I.N.G. Again great fringe inspiration, plus she loves a red lip too. There’s a lot of modelling shots on her grid, but there’s also a tonne of personal style ones as well and I love how she dresses denim up with quirky accessories. She loves a jumpsuit (HOORAY!) and makes me feel like I need a white blazer in my wardrobe immediately. Follow for: Bardot-vibes and and French girl style with an NYC influence.
@emmanuellealt – Emmanuelle was the lovely lady who began my love affair with French lady dressing. The Editor-in-Chief of French Vogue since 2011, her Instagram is more of a personal mood-board rather than shots of her and her outfits, but I like the insight nonetheless. She’s the Queen of wearing all black (I BOW DOWN!), knows how to rock a blazer and I often find myself pinning away over on Pinterest because she has this ability to make the simplest of basics look so good (I mean!). Follow for: a look into the creative mind of one of the most stylish women on the planet.
Photos by Lauren Shipley
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