I’ll Have What She’s Having: Off-handed, easy, wearable Parisian style
Emmanuelle Alt Makes Cool French Chic Look So Easy, so can you!
Style is a lot like cooking.
If you start out with poor ingredients, no matter how many spices you add, the dish doesn’t work… well, at best, it could be just passable.
But if there are a few very special ingredients, the result can be superb!
I’ve been observing the very covetable, easy-going style of Emmanuelle Alt for some time as she is one of my poster girls for pulling off everyday élan in an attainable, distinctive and fuss-free way.
Recently promoted to editor in chief of Vogue Paris, “It is such an honour for me but also a great pleasure to land at the helm of Vogue Paris, a magazine which I know very well,” she says in the telegraph.co.uk.
>> READ MORE ABOUT FRENCH CHIC AND PARIS
What’s most interesting is the relatable way that Alt carries herself and the ease in the way that she wears her better than basic basics that are iconic of a busy modern working woman and mom. Just Google images of her to see.
It’s perfectly undone French cool with a play on classics.
And that kind of casual nonchalance is what trips up so many of us.
So I’ve studied the perfected “unstudiedness” of Emmanuelle Alt and have noticed a formula to her stylish simplicity.
Granted, she is tall and lean and there’s no doubt that, like it or not, that type of figure is easier to dress. But it is also the way she carries herself with confidence and poise that anyone can master. It’s not about the labels, although there are some major ones, but it’s more about how the clothes flatter her.
Related:
- How to Dress French When You Are Not
- French Chic, What To Wear In Paris
- The Secret of French Chic Do’s and Don’ts
There’s a non-obvious, non flashy sexiness to her style… the polar opposite of the Kardashian sisters. It’s about self-assurance and clothes that can be worn again and again. And most important, clothes that don’t wear you!
Let’s do the math on how I see Emmanuelle Alt’s fashion formula…
+ Something structured, like a well-cut peak lapel modern classic blazer.
+ Something easy, like an undone, drapey T-shirt, perhaps even silk.
+ Something lean, like leather or dark skinny jeans, or a micro mini and dark tights that mimic the same proportion.
+ Feminine heels, either the Isabel Marant side bow pumps, or over-the knee suede boots to counterbalance the rocker edge.
= The Result is the perfected proportion of easy simplicity with a downtown edge.
And as far as beauty goes, her hair is a natural brunette, her light tan appears earned rather than sprayed on, and the makeup is barely visible only to enhance her features, if it is there.
Her look is neither garish like a Los Angeles celebutant or heavy-handed like a self-conscious fashionista piling on the trends, it is just right, don’t you think?
- Required Reading for Instant French Chic:
- Join my FREE newsletter and download “Passport to French Chic,” now!
- The French Chic at a Certain Age Series
- French Chic Fashion Tips
- How to Dress French When You Are Not
- Stylist Advice: Should I Revamp My Wardrobe From The Ground Up For French Chic Style?
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- French Chic Style
- Paris Street Style– How to wear IT!
- Cannes Do Chic Series
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- More French Chic posts
We pulled some looks in the cool French chic style similar to Emmanuelle Alt:
Photos via: (top) fashion.telegraph.uk
(others) stockholmstreetstyle
Original Publish Date February 02, 2011