In the Metro this week, I came across 'Parisian' (French chic instantly pops into my mind). The Style Counsel featured a woman called Inès de la Fressange, an 80's supermodel and formerly Karl Lagerfeld's muse for Chanel. At the age of 53, Inès is the French face of L'oréal and brand ambassador of shoe line, Roger Vivier. Inès has also written a book or shall I say style guide called 'Parisian Chic'.
Inès describes 'The Parisian Woman' as, "Casual, sophisticated and effortless......chooses things that would fit her over things she sees in the magazine." To this I totally agree. In the fashion world today, it's always like...What to wear this season? You wear this. What to wear next season? You wear that. What I love most about Inès is the way in which she executes her beliefs. She goes on to say, "Sometimes people dont imagine that, for the evening with their chiffon dress, it's better to wear motorcycle boots rather than high heels and diamonds." Love her, truly the epitome of less being more. So thank God she went on to state that no Parisian woman would ever wear..."Lycra leggings and transparent bras in plastic. Low-cut jeans are great but when you see the G-string - no!"
The 80's
Sooooooo Inès...
Inès began modelling at 15, though she was rejected by many agencies, and in 1989 landed the coveted House of Chanel contract before she and Lagerfeld famously fell out.
When she was chosen as France's new Marianne (the symbol of the French republic - her predecessors include Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve), Lagerfeld disowned her publicly, saying he wasn't interested in dressing a "historic monument". She left the runway and in 1990 married Luigi d'Urso, an Italian businessman and art historian.
But 21 years later, she and Lagerfeld are friends again. De la Fressange walked the catwalk for Chanel last October.
