I really don't think French style has changed in the 40 years since I lived there, so feel qualified to comment. I was a nanny for middle-class French families, all very chic. They are obsessed with their appearance. Utterly rigorous. A 12-year-old girl I looked after had to body-brush every morning with a really hard brush, finish with an ice-cold shower and moisturise all over. People are quite vicious if they see anybody (!) but particularly children slouching, dragging their feet, eating in the street ... very long list of solecisms. Complete strangers would tell me off for my unconventional outfits - this was in central Nice; I've heard folks there are still as rude.
Women talk about how to improve their figure at length, and often. They worry a lot about the right sort of nail varnish, the wrong texture of hair, etc, etc, et bloody cetera. If they've enjoyed a fattening meal they will eat nothing but lettuce and goat's cheese for days afterwards. The men are almost as bad - and also highly critical of any woman not up to scratch.
It's only a different cultural attitude, and I did come back looking chic, but I found it quite oppressive. Effortless elegance seems to come at the price of constantly harsh self-criticism and quite a high level of anxiety.
The chic I came back with was mainly due to a very good haircut and cashmere cast-offs from my 'mesdames' 
And I learned how to cook properly, which was my main take-away from the French experience! Much prefer the cookery talk to agonising about which type of cellulite I have where, tbh.