Currently in France for the first time and....

[TealRhino]

I'm pleased to say I've seen quite a few examples of the much-envied French style we talk about on here!

Most notably was a woman yesterday; mid thirties, (expensively) highlighted hair just tied back in a knot, trilby hat, simple frayed denim shorts, a simple white top with a bit of lacy detailing at the back and a huge LV tote bag.

She was average in looks and a slim but not skinny build and wasn't wearing anything out of the ordinary but she just looked so amazing!

Ooh, tell me more!! I love that understated, classy style! I am now trying to get my act together and attempt to recreate some looks.

I will probably fail though, am No good with clothes

I love that style, too wickedfairy, and I have to admit I'm loving observing it all. Hoping to pick up a few tips!

I've seen quite a few other very stylish and chic women today and yesterday. Lots of women in their 20s and 30s are wearing simple patterned dresses, and the skinny jeans/simple plain top combo with cute bag and great shoes seems to work well too

I just got back from Thailand and the group of French tourists I met certainly were not chic. One woman badly dyed red hair, parrot dangly earings, magenta mac (well it was the rainy season) and leopard skin leggings which would have been ok but she was in her 60's...........

Do you think hair, make up and nails are the important things in pulling this simple look off? Really skinny jeans and a plain top are nothing special.

I think it is the "no make up" look some French women really take care of their skin and it shows. Having great hair also helps and being slim. Personally, I find it a bit boring.

I rarely see chic in France

I think you are right, Zara. They just seem to look so natural and glowing.

I love this kind of look its the kind of look I wish I could pull together

I think you see it in Paris, but get out to northern France in the sticks, and they are all lardy, tracky bottom and T shirt - wearing like in UK.

I'm just outside Paris, MrsSchadenfreude, so that explains the extreme chic-ness I've seen!

There's an article in today's Times about how hard French women work for that effortless chic look. The diet, the fags.

The Parisian woman's lunch: fat free fromage frais and a diet coke, accompanied by fags.

The Parisian woman's dinner: green salad, undressed, accompanied by mineral water, followed by coffee and accompanied by fags.

Do you remember that weight loss book a few years ago, about eating the way the French women do? Virtually every chapter about a specific woman ... who apparently enjoyed every mouthful of her food and ate slowly, yadda yadda yadda... ended with, 'Sophie smokes 20 cigarettes a day.'

mate of dd's just did his year abroad in france and said the girls were dressed appallingly

I have travelled a lot in France and would have to agree that outside of paris, french women are on the lardy side and dressed quite frumpily.
And they eat crap food too.

*The Parisian woman's lunch: fat free fromage frais and a diet coke, accompanied by fags.

The Parisian woman's dinner: green salad, undressed, accompanied by mineral water, followed by coffee and accompanied by fags.*

Now, I can see how this diet would make you thin. But I cannot see how it would give you glowing skin sounds like a recipe for haggard to me.

I do agree that Parisian women and provincial women are different animals entirely. I did a year's study in France, spending most of my time in my provincial university town and some weekends in Paris. Paris is full of Juliette Binoche types, but my fellow students were as nondescript as any Brit.

She was average in looks and a slim but not skinny build
There you go. That look was all about her figure. Basically, if you have the right figure, you can wear rags and look classy...

I've been thinking about this recently and I've come to the conclusion that its all to do with simplicity and understatedness.In my opinion a lot of mature women in this country tend to overdo it (not us ladies on S&B though!).When some women reach 40 or so they tend to try too hard.You see them everywhere,clothes a bit too bright and a bit too tight,full face of make up and overdyed,usually too blonde and over styled hair (and of course the botox and fillers,as I don't think it makes people look younger it just says I'm insecure about ageing and my wrinkles so they still look 40 or whatever with botox!(not true in all cases though when its subtly done)Its almost as if they're saying look at me I may be a certain age but Ive still got it,but they get it wrong and it all looks a bit sad and desparate.I think on occasions this applies to rather a lot of TV presenters and news readers etc.Where as keeping it all a bit more simple and natural looks far more attractive and stylish.

We're home now, but on the journey home yesterday we stopped off at a service station and I saw another super-stylish elegant woman; early- mid thirties, floral knee length casual skirt and a plain brown top. Hair just a mid brown and tied back in a casual knot. Flat gladiator sandals. She looked amazing though.

I completely agree with what Ilovethewinter said - I saw a British woman at the races in Deauville last year who was exactly as Ilove has described, whereas a French woman stood beside her looked far more elegant in simple linen shirt and trousers with undone hair and minimal make up. You will never look chic if you try too hard. It's about having the confidence not to. There is a massive difference between keeping your style simple and not caring about how you look.

I have never seen plastic surgery like I have here though! Huge lips and immoveable faces. I work in the 16th arrondissement which is known for its love of plastic surgery and the lack of comprehension of the phrase "growing old gracefully." I went to a work lunch the other week, and took my assistant along to take the note of the meeting. I had to divert his attention half way through from the crowd of ladies on the next table, who must all have been in their 70s at least. Hair was all dyed (well, in most cases, expensively highlighted), lips were huge and looked as if they had been stuck on, and the upper part of the face didn't move. They were not dressed in an understated fashion either - very bling bling with the jewellery, bright colours and lots of layers - quite fussily dressed, and of course with the scarf, without which no Parisian woman sets foot outside the house. Make up was bright and looked like it had been applied by a 4 year old (think Barbara Cartland).

I think you have to have small boobs to look chic

Surely it's individuals who are chic/stylish (or otherwise), not entire nations

I think the Parisians are generally more chic, but they are all terribly conformist, particularly the teenagers. They all have long, swishy brown hair, skinny jeans, Uggs and a Canada Goose jacket in the winter. The rebels will have a red jacket, instead of a navy one, and black Uggs, rather than brown.