The How To Be A Chic Parisianista Series | 7 Steps to French Chic

Maybe not wearing underwear with flower dresses in the heat is an English thing, but the French seem to have the opposite approach: wear it come rain or shine, hot or cold – no questions asked. Definitely wear it appreciatively, discreetly (not on the outside displayed for everyone!), beautifully, and above all - confidently. After all, you never know when you’re going to flash a French dad at the school fair like La Mom did.

You see, French women wear nice underwear all the time. It’s not just for special occasions, dates, job interviews, or parties. It’s second nature, like wearing Dior perfume or making crêpes!

Take it from La Mom – I’ve been in France long enough to have observed how serious French women take the art of underwear dressing. It’s like a national sport after sun tanning. From college dorms to gym locker rooms, roommate apartments, posh spas to maternity wards, French women know that one of the secrets to feeling good about yourself is by wearing nice panties underneath their fashionable duds.

Wearing nice underwear is a state of mind. Mind you, you don’t always have to spend a fortune to look polished underneath your Parisian polish (Chanel Chanel Chanel!) Believe me, your husband and lover will give you a big 'Merci' for it!

So where do you go to stock up on what only a select few ever get to see? These few brands should give you a starting point:
H&M

This inexpensive clothing store sells their own brand of trendy and fashionable lingerie. If you’re on a budget yet want a variety of cute, pretty, classy, basic, or vampy lingerie - then make sure you check out H&M en première!
_{(Average price : bra 13 euros, panties 3 pack for 8 euros).}

Aubade

If you think wearing Aubade underwear will make your derrière look like the ones they feature in their ads, then run, don’t walk, to the nearest boutique! Oh, and don’t you just love their philosophy: ‘The art of loving, the French way’?
_{(Average price : bra 50 euros, panties 30 euros).}

_{(images courtesy of Aubade)}

La Perla

La Perla is crack for lingerie addicts. Ok, so their prices may be chèr for everyday underwear, but you can’t put a price on seeing your lover’s jaw drop and remain on the floor right? If antique collectors buy centuries old knickknacks for their craftsmanship, design, and quality - you buy La Perla for the same reasons.
_{(Average price: bra 180 euros, panties 90 euros)}

_{(images courtesy of La Perla)}

So put a French twist on your mother’s insistence on clean underwear and always wear nice underwear. You never know when you're going to fall into the water fountain at the Louvre or in front of the Eiffel Tower. When you step out and your wet white dress is clinging to your body, you better hope that your underwear underneath looks good!

Unless you're Naomi Campbell and wearing a flowered dress of course. --La Mom

--August 20, 2009