Your Own French Lifestyle Inspo

Do you ever wish you’re sitting along the River Seine, sipping a latte and eating a croissant instead of sitting in class, drinking the day old coffee you saved in your mini-fridge?    

Yeah, me too. 

(The cover of Madeline, which my mom read to me night after night, and then me, still in my beret.)

My love affair with the French culture started at a very young age, with the book Madeline. Madeline lived in a house and walked in two lines. Her guardians were nuns who cared for her and she constantly found herself in an adventure. I wanted more than anything else to be Madeleine. The beret, the rhyming, and the color scheme! Everything seemed so picturesque and perfect. 

 I realize now that I have never quite given up on that image of Madeleine and her red hair, walking in two straight lines. I took French for three years and even though my accent is still tres malade. (Even my name in class was Madeline!) And I did actually go to a school with nuns, which was just as fun and crazy as Madeleine made it seem. I probably, at some point, even walked in two straight lines. 

As I got older, I found other French role models. Icons like Francious Hardy, Jane Birkin and Bridgitte Bardot emulate the carefree, slightly unpolished French style. They prefer classics like ballet flats and stripes. I always tell myself that it doesn’t matter if I look “ perfect” because for the French culture, it’s better for you to be a little undone.

Today, many people are under the same French spell I have been under my entire life. Influencers like Jeanne Damas have reinvigorated the fashion community with ultra-cool French style and beauty. She utilizes the same spirit of the ‘60s, but with a unique twist. She has a true “je ne sais quoi” attitude about her (which means that there is no real way to describe thing; it just is). French style embodies this phrase because it is just effortless and natural. You wear and live the way that makes you feel the best. 

So I leave you with a mood board filled with French style inspiration, for you to dance the whole weekend away with tousled bangs while carrying a wicker bag. 

Au revior!