The Chic List: 'Why I taught my wardrobe French' - YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Fashion The Chic List ‘ Why I taught my wardrobe French’ By You Magazine - August 1, 2021 As normal life slowly trickles back, travelling has become a thrilling possibility once again. Suitcases excitedly dragged down from attics, up from cellars and out of cupboards, dusted off, and packed for that much dreamt about adventure away from home. A prospect which, for what feels like an eternity, has seemed as distant as a trip to the moon. Heading for a coffee in Paris in a Celine jacket, Frame jeans, Arket vest top, Jil Sander shoes and Gucci bag Our surroundings have such a huge influence on how we dress and present ourselves to the world. And, for me, a large part of the pleasure of travelling is dressing for your chosen destination. A kind of fashion metamorphosis takes place whenever you step off a plane or train to somewhere new. As I write this – PCR tests, double-vaccination certificates and all the other palaver permitting – I’m hoping to be back wandering round one of my favourite cities, Paris, very soon. Oui, oui, oui! As a long-term admirer of the French, the gold-star achievers in chic, I am planning on packing nothing less than my A-game. Parisian women love to look at other women and what they wear. It’s part of their culture and a rite of Parisian passage. But, as an outsider, there’s nothing more scary than walking into a brasserie packed full of fashionably glamorous locals. Unapologetically, the women turn to give everyone who sits down for their salad niçoise the once over, sweeping their eyes up from your shoes to the tip of your head, and back down again. Pointy flats, good blazers and my favourite jeans, large vintage Chanel sunglasses and some sexy black dresses are all going in the suitcase for an attempt at the Parisian version of me. This me is completely different to, say, the Greek island version or the Tuscan version, which are much more laidback and like to waft around streets in long linen dresses and kaftans. Adapting our dress to different cultures is why when we shop abroad – for me, another absolute joy of travelling – some things bought can seem unlikely choices when we return to rain-swept reality. But if you take them back to where they came from, they slip seamlessly into your wardrobe again. Is there anything more satisfying than unearthing something unique to bring back home? Over a year and a half of travel deprivation has only made me more determined to hit the ground running, straight into an away-from-home version of my style. And to roam the streets, museums, shops and markets again. I’ll let you know how I get on… Bag, £280, Dragon Diffusion, matchesfashion.com A leather version of the Jane Birkin basket. What’s not to like? Dress, £99.95, massimodutti.com I adore this apple green shade. T-shirt, £25, trilogystores.co.uk A perfect black tee for your basics collection. Necklace, £135, Eliou, net-a-porter.com This simple gold chain will go with everything. Jeans, £195, Frame, matchesfashion.com Effortless, soft and by my favourite denim brand. Jacket, £89.99, mango.com With its tie-front, this linen blazer is a go-to for easy-breezy dates. Follow me on Instagram @thestylistandthewardrobe RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Rochelle Humes has launched a gorgeous new edit with Next Shop the YOU Magazine Instagram YOU picks the best new-in buys from M& S Popular in Fashion Laura Jackson has teamed up with Next for the chicest knitwear January 22, 2020 Holly Willoughby’ s birthday dress is another Zara bargain February 10, 2020 The Instagram-famous & Other Stories wool blazer is back in stock August 31, 2022 Lorraine just wore Emma Willis’ Next collection from head to toe March 17, 2020 The prettiest spring dresses under £100 March 1, 2022 Everyone is buying Holly’ s gorgeous gingham Oasis dress May 14, 2020 13 bargain dresses to buy in ASOS’ s extra 20 per cent June 10, 2020 This £20 H& M dress is set to be the social media June 26, 2020 Stacey Solomon x Primark is back for a third collection with July 20, 2020 Searches for this perfect heatwave summer top style are up 5000% August 10, 2020 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. All Rights Reserved