Wanna dress like a French woman? Wanna have perfect French chic outfits? All you need to do is have the classic French chic wardrobe essentials and be creative with them!
In this post, I will show you the most fashionable and popular French chic wardrobe essentials which can make you look like a chic French woman effortlessly.
Alright, let’s check them out!
Classic French Chic Wardrobe Essentials
Plain T-shirt
Plain black and white (or gray) t-shirt is a quite practical item. First, it never goes out of style. Second, it matches almost all types of clothes. Last but not least, it’s comfortable. And to be honest, it’s a must-have item not only for French women but also for every woman who is into fashion.
Breton Top
Breton top is a classic casual item that makes the outfit not so boring. Although Breton tops (white tops with black, blue, or red stripes.) are the most classic ones, I think other striped tops are acceptable too.
Turtleneck Top
Turtleneck top is a flawless fall/winter item in french chic wardrobe essentials. It matches well with a blazer and a wool coat. When you take off the blazer or the coat, you will still look classy and elegant in the plain turtleneck top.
I recommend black, ivory, and beige color turtleneck top the most. Here is a tip: If you wear a black turtleneck top and put on red lipstick which french women often do, you will look extremely alluring.
White or Blue Shirt
The reason why French women have and love to wear minimal white and blue shirts is probably that when they pair it with jeans, they can have a casual style and when they pair it with slacks or a pencil skirt, they can have a classy style. More importantly, both of them look chic.
I suggest wearing a silk shirt because it is soft and feminine. In addition to making you look more attractive as a woman, you will very likely be considered a person who has good taste in fashion.
Black Pants & Blue Jeans
Black pants and blue jeans are excellent items for French women who value practical things. Similar to the plain t-shirt, black pants and blue jeans are classic and able to match almost all types of tops.
Among many different types of pants, French women often wear straight or slim-fit pants. Sometimes the length could be a little bit short and therefore you will see their ankles. I think that’s one of the big features of French chic.
Midi Skirt
If we have to pick one type of skirt for the french chic wardrobe essentials, I’ll choose midi skirts because they appear in french chic outfits more frequently.
Midi skirts are modest, classy, and good to wear in all seasons. If you want to create French chic outfits with skirts, I recommend A-line midi skirts, pencil midi skirts, silk midi skirts, floral midi skirts, and pleated midi skirts the most.
Elegant Dress
Whether it’s a floral dress, wrap dress, little black dress, slip dress, or whatever, most dresses that French women wear are elegant. Along with many other features, elegance is one of the priorities that they wouldn’t give up.
Blazer
To build a French chic wardrobe, you should never miss a blazer. It’s like French women’s daily jackets.
When choosing a French chic style blazer, neutral colors like black, gray, brown, and khaki are the best colors.
If you want to always be chic, you can choose a black blazer. And if you’re getting tired of classic black blazers and want to try something new, you can wear a houndstooth or plaid blazer.
Trench Coat & Wool Coat
Trench coats and wool coats are essentials for the fall/winter seasons. Trench coats are good to wear in transitional seasons like spring and fall, and wool coats are the best items that can keep you warm and stylish in winter.
If you don’t know what type of trench coat and wool coat you should have in your wardrobe, don’t think too much, just choose the most classic khaki trench coat and wool coat!
Beret
When it comes to French chic, what type of hat comes to your mind first? That’s right, the beret!
It is such an iconic hat that as long as you wear a beret, you almost look like a French woman.
Since French women love to use red color as an accent, it’s nice to wear a red beret. (If you think red is too strong, you can try other colors as well.)
Scarf
The most interesting thing I found about French women is that although they always wear classic, minimal, understated outfits, they are not afraid to wear scarves with bold patterns. In fact, it’s a trick that can make the outfits more colorful and meanwhile stay classy and chic.
I highly recommend a silk scarf because it will immediately elevate your elegance. You can tie the scarf around your neck, use it as a hair accessory, or tie it to your bag’s strap and you’re gonna look remarkably fashionable.
Gold Jewelry
French women barely wear big, fancy, overembellished jewelry. Instead, they love the opposites: Simple, understated, dainty, classy, and most importantly, chic jewelry. That’s what they always pursue and you can tell from their fashion.
Gold jewelry not only meets the standard of French chic fashion but also can make you and your entire outfit even more stylish whenever you wear them.
Black Leather Bag
Classic black leather bags are French women’s daily bags. Especially if the strap is adjustable, that will be better. Because they can carry a bag as a crossbody bag or a handbag depending on their needs.
Crossbody bags are casual and convenient to carry. On the other hand, handbags are more formal and classy. Both of them are necessary depending on the outfit of the day.
Ballet Flats or Loafers
Imagine you’re going to spend a whole day in Paris. It’s probably smarter to wear flats or low heel shoes instead of the opposites. And I believe that’s why French girls prefer wearing ballet flats and loafers.
Ballet flats are cute and feminine, and loafers are good for neutral looks. You can choose the ones that are more close to your style or have them both.
Sneakers
Sometimes your feet need some rest, and so do French women. What they will do is wear minimal sneakers which match many clothes they own to keep their styles chic.
Kitten Heels or Slingback Heels
Practical French women don’t need fancy and uncomfortable heels. All they need is heels that can keep them comfortable and polished at the same time. Therefore, kitten heels (also known as low stiletto heels) and slingback heels are the best heels for them.
Plus, they not only pair kitten heels and slingback heels with formal dresses but also pair them with casual clothes like jeans as a daily outfit.
Block-heel Boots
Without a doubt, boots are indispensable in fall and winter. It’s nice to have a pair of block-heel ankle boots and a pair of block-heel knee-high boots in your French wardrobe because they are comfortable yet sophisticated. Ankle boots are good to wear all seasons and knee-high boots match well with mini skirts and mini dresses.
Those are the classic French chic wardrobe essentials that I want to recommend to you. Hope this post can inspire you to create your own French chic outfits!
All good except the beret. We wear hats in spring and fall and sometimes a beret, but usually other hats. Berets are so cliche to the French. We can always see the tourists wearing the berets, especially when they visit in the summer.
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I like your perspective! Thanks for sharing!