Gorgeous European women and effortless style

[Bobobobbins]

Just returned from Barcelona and my god did I feel like the dowdy Brit abroad despite being generally considered fairly well put-together here in the UK 😂

What is it about European women? Everywhere I went I saw hoards of striking local women of all ages wandering around effortlessly dressed in simple tailored trousers and tank tops. Barely any makeup, just a great tan and some silver jewellery. Hair was never particularly coiffed or styled, but I notice it's always quite nicely coloured with a simple cut and then left to dry into a natural wave.

Am I looking at this through rose tinted holiday glasses? If I saw the same women on the tube in rainy London, would they look less chic? I struggle to think so!

What's their secret?

I spent two hours yesterday people watching (I’m selfless me, I did it for this thread!) in a southern French (not riviera) city and I can honestly say, the women were no better dressed, shod, coiffed, toned or groomed than women in the small SE England city that I live in. Trust me I really concentrated.

I think the downside of only buying a few “classic” pieces a year is that, if you don’t get it 100% spot on, these “classic” pieces can very quickly become dated. Lots of women yesterday wearing dresses and jeans that, while I’m sure they are lovely quality, looked about 15 years out of date rather than classic. And I don’t think French women do this from some sort of moral, fashion conscious superiority. I think they just, on the high street, simply have a lot less choice.

Just talking about France here, conformity is highly valued. In the UK individualism is much more prized. This does translate into a much more uniform look.

I always get asked for directions when I'm in Paris so maybe I look the part.

But I'm a size 20...

@Hastingsontheup surely that’s a massive generalisation. A country that’s produced so many philosophers, writers, ground breaking film directors etc can’t be peopled by a bunch of conformists. I also think we brits are more conformist than we like to admit.

I am Italian. IMO Italian ladies have a cleaner, more conservative style: classic pieces, dresses, hairstyles. They don't go too crazy with jewellery and accessories, and tend to stick to neutral colours for clothing. They will tend to wear what is flattering for their body shape: lots of linen dresses and floaty silk pants for the curvier ladies, for example, rather than shorts and tank tops.

They will tend to wear what is flattering for their body shape: lots of linen dresses and floaty silk pants for the curvier ladies, for example, rather than shorts and tank tops.

just wow! As we’re talking about sweeping generalisations…