French Chic Archives

Visualizing French Chic: Taupe

Way back when, the original French Chic book listed seven garments, and then a dozen ways to combine them and accessorize them. I've chosen to visualize this potential in a non-black color (and in some "not quite solid" pieces), and in some younger and less conservative iterations...

And please note that your clothes don't have to all be out of the identical dye lot; a bit of blending is quite alright.

Jacket –Paul & Joe, leopard cardigan – J. Crew, lace knit cardigan – Paul Smith, dress –DKNY, skirt – Marc Jacobs, capris – 3.1 Phillip Lim, trousers – Marc Jacobs

Earrings – Alexis Bittar, Tank top – Chinti & Parker, pumps – Unűtzer, sleeveless top – Brunello Cucinelli, bracelet – Debenhams, ... View the Post

Visualizing French Chic: 7 in black

May 19, 2012 One of the sections of the book French Chic, by Susan Sommers, which I read repeatedly, was one in which she listed seven items of black clothing, and then set out a little grid of how you could combine these items, and how they would be accessorized. I could never visualize this. So I decided to put together her suggestions in images. Some of the accessories ideas just scream "early '80's", and so I didn't stick to all 12 plans exactly as written... This is an interesting approach to wardrobe-building, or to packing. The vest is, to me, a difficult garment, and I would probably be tempted to substitute a leather jacket, denim jacket, or second cardigan. And if you're not ... View the Post

French Chic: Expanding on the core wardrobe

So as lovely as the garments above are, this is certainly not going to be enough clothing to even get you through a week. Most of us would want at least five separate tops and bottoms (or a dress) to get through the week. Even if you wear black pants repeated each week, it's nice to have more than one pair.

Thus, I decided to take it upon myself to determine what additional garments Vivienne would want in order to consider this a complete wardrobe. Realistically, I think most of us would do this exercise twice - once for cooler weather, and once for the sweltering misery that passes for summer on much of our planet. But for starters, let's just round out this core wardrobe with a few of the ... View the Post

French Chic: The core of the French Chic wardrobe

One of the things about the book French Chic (Susan Sommers) which intrigued me was the list of garments which included "The seven essentials no well-dressed Frenchwoman would be without". That list included:

A black straight skirt a V-neck or cardigan sweater a suit a pair of jeans a silk shirt a couple of white tee-shirts an Hermes scarf

The idea of a list of essential clothing fascinates me; in a world that tries to compel me to over-consume, that finite-ness of a list like this, in which I could have some discipline and some structure, seems heaven-sent. Knowing that I was going to buy a fixed number of garments would give me the freedom to determine how much I wanted to spend, in what areas I ... View the Post