Tips please to help me look effortlessly chic French style...

[FanjolinaJolie]

I hope to create a capsule wardbode...

Other than navy and white striped Henley tops..

Scarf, yes or no. And what colour?? Large slouchy bag??

Any tips most gratefully appreciated.

I too saw Now You See Me last night and YES the French Interpol officer was very chic/casual and very much what I admire. She wore lots of stripes.

I am slim enough, more or less. Size 8-10 but not tall, I am 5'3.

I think the slim chino needs to be my friend. I have seen them as esprit so will revisit. Ankle length is great for summer/spring but not sensible for Autumn/Winter surely?

Thin, good hair, no colour, grumpy face (for Paris chic)

I am guessing that pink is out too.

No to pink. Coral would be acceptable.

Outside the Paris Fall Couture shows - plenty of colour and prints in these pictures, not much in the way of the overweight or unattractive. But plenty of bags, sunglasses and long hair!!!

Lose any sense of irony you have, stop eating, sigh a lot and smoke.

More eyeliner. Less smiling.

Whatever you do, DON'T STAND OUT.

Accept infidelity with a shrug, but lose your shit if you're asked to work longer hours.

Add some more eyeliner.

Tethers so true

Tethers

There's a picture of that Anna Dello Russo in the link above. Scott Schuman is always shooting her for The Sartorialist aswell. But personally I think she looks just dreadful. Really awful. Leathery perma-tan, over processed hair, try-hard clothes exposing too much skin. The complete antithesis of French chic. Mind you, she's not French to be fair... but she is a Vogue editor.

Ah us french people aren't that bad surely?

Having said that neither are we all stick thin and effortlessly chic.

I think if you are going for the sort of look you describe you need good quality, neutral coloured, well cut classics. The neutral and classic cuts will mean that you can mix and match more and keep them for a long time. I do realise though that finding said items are easier said than done, but my mother used to love Marks and Spencers when she came to england.
Same rules would apply to accessories, classic and best quality you can afford.
Hair and make up wise, you would be aiming to look groomed but not overly done up. Eyebrows waxed, clean and blow dried hair (well i cheat and use dry shampoo every over day to save time), tinted moisturiser, mascara, lipstick or lipgloss (again not too stand out colour), nails tidy (you don't need a full manicure just they are filed and shaped).

I do wear scarves, they are brilliant at hiding my belly.

Those harems that bag to the ankle are funny.

Qazxc not too bad at all - my first trip to Paris this summer and I found the Parisians to be delightful, not all all like their snobby sneering stereotype would lead you to believe, I just didn't find them anymore stylish than the ladies in London. I was a little bit disappointed by the lack of Le Chic but hugely impressed by everything else.
I suspect Parisians are better dressed in the colder seasons.

Snowlie I agree that ' French women are all chic ' is a myth. Some French women are. Most are not. I believe that many Spanish and Italian women are very chic ( and better looking than the French). But again not all of them.
British and Irish girls/ women wear too much make up and our weight can be a problem. I do hate generalisations though ( says she who has just stated that Spanish and Italian women are better looking than the French)

Agree holly. Women in Northern Italy are very chic. Far more so than Parisians.

Google parisan chic (or go on pinterest and use their search button) for more inspiration.

French style not suit a lot of women - sombre colours do not suit people with the wrong colouring (e.g only Winters can wear black) and some of the styles do not suit certain body shapes no matter how slim they might be.

I do think though that you can pick certain elements that suit you.

I would agree with your comments on colouring, MadAboutHotChoc. I admire French style (cliché that it is) but I'm too pale and blonde to look French so I go for elements of French style mixed with Scandinavian style instead.

MrsHorationNelson, you are spot on about the oddness of some of the clothes in France. There's the mythical French style we hear about in the magazines which I am partial to and then the reality which is something else entirely. Some of the outfits you'd see on people in France are extremely naff in some undefinable French way.