I've just got back from five days in Le Marais, and I've decided I want become Parisian, s'il vous plait.

[TossDaily]

So there.

EVERYBODY looked fantastic. EVERYBODY. DP and I just sat open-mouthed in fascination. Whatever their age, they looked amazing.

So I'm sitting here on a diet, wearing an Isabel Marant jumper and frantically googling 'How to turn French.'

As far as I can tell, the rules are:

1. Be thin, despite the fact you are walking down the street at 11am gnawing a cheese and ham baguette the length of your forearm.

1. Have your hair the colour and texture of natural hair.

1. Have the most amazing skin, despite the fact you have a permanent Gauloise on the go.

1. Never get pissed and lairy, despite the fact you are having a glass of red wine with your lunch and it's Tuesday.

1. Wear shoes you can walk in.

1. Have an amazing coat.

1. Know how to tie a scarf so it looks like you have slung it on and it's just choosing to snuggle up to you because you are SO FRICKING GORGEOUS.

1. Have a pharmacy on every corner that is just an Aladdin's Cave of miraculous skincare delights for less than a tenner each.

Anyone else have any tips? Joking aside, I loved the style - the shops, ohmigod the shops! It was like I'd walked into my internet shopping history.

I could actually walk around in my biker jacket without feeling like a twat.

I want to be French. Aidez-moi.

That Justine vlogger is BRILLIANT, sadly I've fallen down her rabbit hole and have done no work, so I won't be able to afford the classic, well cut and fabulous items on my new list.

I've always struggled with wanting to look expensive/classic and at the same time wanting to look cool/up-to-date. In all the pictures she shows, the women seem to do both, so contemporary and cool without being fashion victims.

I may be still in my jimjams at my computer, which is definitely not on message though...

I think Justine is helpful because she's factual, doesn't mean I always agree with her but it's always informative and well researched. It is all a bit safe (and why I termed her as more the French approach rather than Parisian earlier on in the thread) but that has its appeal for many. I doubt her sweater in that video is major money, she doesn't shop fast fashion but she doesn't spend crazy money either but it'll probably not be a recent item either.

Her video on is a very comprehensive one and she has much of the same criticism I have of getting your colours done. It primarily suits Caucasians with distinct cool or warm undertones and it disregards that there's more to colour than its hue, it's light/shadow/texture/proportions as well. However, if you struggle with it in general, I can see how it's helpful to get a consultation done. By the sound of it, the independent route of boldly seems better value for money than the known entities as you're getting something custom rather than being assigned one of a few limited seasons.

I love Justine.

But I can't make head nor tail of what season I am. I can't even decide whether my arm veins are green or blue. They're a greeny-blue

I have adopted her makeup method today though! BB Cream instead of foundation, cream blusher, a bit of eyeliner and mascara and a red lip.

I might be kidding myself, but I think I look a bit younger for it.

Justine is very simple to follow cathyandclare I've spent the morning watching them too .

botemp I had my colours done by an independent image consultant too, using directional colour analysis iirc, which is supposed to have more colour palettes. I was given it in terms of those three aspects, so very cool, a bit light and moderately muted. It comes out as summer using seasonal, but some of my best colours are "winter" ones, bright white, emerald, etc. I can wear quite bright/jewel tones but not too much. I agree I think it's best to think of it in terms of guidelines rather than rules.

TossDaily (great name) you might not be particularly cool or warm, but another aspect might be more prevalent eg. light/dark, soft/bright. Some "winters" are supposed to be cool but are actually very clear or bright so would wear bright, clear colours very well.

I would rather listen to Justine than the Violette type, who although gorgeous, annoys me, she isn't really somehow. i can never hope to be her. Whereas Justine seems more 'real'.
I have £500 gifted to me for my birthday in september. (50th). I haven't made my mind up what to spend it on. Clours might be a good investment, but I wasn't happy with going with big companies.
I just want to know what colours my skin has , what to avoid and what to look for.
I love reds, oranges, pea/deep greens/plums, navy. Black makes me look dead. But those might not be my colours!
I would be horrified if I had my colours done and they told me I should wear yellow and salmon pink or any thing pastel.
I could be worth the investment seeing as how I'm still feeling wobbly about my appearance.

I'm wondering about having mine done, too, Lavs.

I know I look appalling in yellow and bright blue - beyond that, I've no idea.

When I had mine done, I also had a style personality done, which is actually more important. I do suit icy pastels, but they're not me, so I would choose other cool colours instead as they are more "me". If that makes sense.

Stole review! It arrived this morning, I ordered mine through Amazon of which more in a moment. It is very plush and it is as long and thick as it appears on the model, it's an honest representation. When I first opened it I was slightly disappointed however as it's not what I would call grey and most of my clothes are grey, black, white and navy for winter. I've held it against my coats and clothes and it just doesn't work

Someone described it as having lilac undertones and I would agree with that. It's a bit of a chameleon and it changes with the light and movement. The tips of the fur are definitely dark brown and I would say the rest of the fur has more of a brown/fawn tinge than grey. Against grey things it looks very much brown. If you look at it on Amazon it looks browner than on the Parfois site and I would say the colour is somewhere in between.

I have a brown leather jacket with a belt, I don't wear it very often. Dh persuaded me to get it in a sale and although I love it it's different to my usual style. It's a Belstaff triumph and I have struggled to find boots and a bag that look ok with the colour of it. It's also a little tight now but I put it on without doing up the zip, put the scarf around me and fastened the belt over the scarf to hold it in place and it looks fantastic. I've also found a mid brown jumper that it looks good with and a couple of tops that were probably described as mink. I was thinking of giving it to a friend for Christmas who has different colouring to me but I'm going to keep it. If it means I'll get some wear out of a ridiculously expensive leather jacket this winter it's worth it, even if it's not the least bit French!

Ooh is this the parfois stole linked upthread? That's been on my mind. Do you have the Amazon link?

I like the fur scarf over leather jacket look mrshod .

Yes it's the Parfois stole. I'm embarrassingly unable to link, but just go onto Amazon and look up Parfois faux fur stole and you'll find it, the colour looks different to the original website.

Thanks quirky, not something I've done before but I've seen it on Pinterest.

Well, on the back of this thread I have just booked a colour /make up consultation with an independent stylist for Jan, how exciting!
I told her that if she told me to get rid of my Chanel lippies there might be trouble.
My wardrobe actually has very few colours in it. I hope to god they are not the wrong ones

what's a style personality?!!

There were a couple of rather lovely faux fur stoles in Zara more expensive but good to see of they suit you. I'm way too short and they totally swamped me, but like a good little sheep I found a smaller taupe one in a vintage shop. It's faux and just lovely. I wore it with red lips and felt tres Parisienne until DH pointed out a load of red smeared all over my teeth. More faux pas than ooh la la.

Oh those zara stoles are great. I'll never have a blog but if I did it should definitely be called faux fur and faux pas.

Well if you have to ask Proper... I suspect it's where your comfort zone is. For example, I look very good in baby pink but I find it all too frilly and girly so will only buy it if it's very architectural and sharp to counterbalance that. I'm still refusing to ever get my colours done but I have to say my esteem of the independent operating ones as mentioned on here is restoring my faith somewhat that it's not all some mass market swindle.

mrshod, I love an unexpected discovery that brings life to a neglected part of your wardrobe. I've actually been anticipating the re-emergence of brown for a bit now as an alternative to black that isn't navy. Amazon link here to keep the heating on at MNHQ. I'd say the colour is closest to the edges on that pic, slightly lighter and cooler in certain light.

Your unexpected discovery is reminding me though of one of the other few youtubers on my subscription list. Not French at all, very much Brit/London style but she lives in NY. It's very Insta-fashion/streetstyle geared but she has a very engaging personality that really has a good hand at looking at things differently, where to put a belt, or sometimes just cut the top of cowboy boots to make them more modern, turn a shirt into a skirt, etc. She buys a lot of second hand/vintage too, some high street, incorporates menswear, and the odd bit of covetable high end. It's not anything I'd buy too quickly as it's all trend related but I like the energy and the attitude of fearlessness that she exudes. KarenBritChick (Those of you who have to work, do hold off for this rabbit hole, ey )

mrshodgilbert re the Parfois stole. I was the one who described it as almost having a lilac tone and like you I was initially a bit disappointed. However I also tried it with different clothes and I am really now delighted with it . I wore it with plain navy last week and with a beige/taupe coat yesterday. I think it is extremely versatile and good value for money . The way you have styled it sounds fabulous!

I'm looking for interesting jackets (blazers, bikers or bombers). Has anyone seen any? Am hoping to add some to my work wardrobe.

Bloomed I just got a tweed blazer from J Crew it's very fitted with a contrasting blue collar and brown velvet ribbon. Quality is excellent. Style is more English than French.

cathyandclare I saw the Zara stoles on Saturday, camel and black? They were amazing and huge, I did play about with them for a while but I knew the Parfois one was on its way and a more sensible size for me. So very tempting though.

botemp yes it is lovely to revive a neglected piece plus dh will be very pleased to see it come out again. I have a velvet suit that I bought for a wedding about 17 years ago. It's gorgeous and I'm trying to work out how to wear it this Christmas.

gonegrey yes I can imagine it looks great with navy and definitely beige/taupe. I do like brown, used to wear it a lot years ago, and it can look really classy and I nice change from all the black and grey.

zara if you're looking for tweed the Scottish company Walker Slater have a jacket called Emma which is lovely. www.walkerslater.com/emma-jacket-charcoal-herringbone-tweed

Oh wow, I've managed my first link

Thanks ZaraW that sounds idea. I used to rely on zara for jackets with a twist but just haven't found anything.

Sorry, that was for bloomed