A la Parisienne

Simple Paris style from The Sartorialist

I had an absolutely wonderful stay in Paris last week. It was my second time visiting Paris and I was staying with friends from university so it was wonderful to be able to go beyond yseeing the tourist sites and to go off the beaten track. I have never quite comprehended the admiration that surrounds French women, or at least their clothes. Yes, they are well groomed and presented, seeming to be universally blessed with clear skin and great bone structure. They also supposedly don't get fat (although my childhood holidays in the south of france so not support this), have successful, sexy marriages and well-mannered children. But stylistically it all seems so...safe. While one may appreciate the elegance of classic style and see its beauty. Provided you have the funds to buy quality it is not difficult to pull off. It is the kind of clothing I pull out in a hurry on a lazy day in order to look 'put together'.

Edgy accessories elevate a simple white shirt and jeans

An art teacher of mine at school used to say that he could teach anyone to be a good draftsman but the sign of artistic talent is the ability to use colour. It requires a certain eye for putting things together that cannot be taught. Dark jeans + simple top + blazer or leather jacket is a great formula but, especially when in monochrome, not adventurous. This does not stop one aspiring to this effortless and simple style but for me I am much more impressed by risk taking. Be it layering, colour, accessories or print. Even a simple variation of an interesting cut or accessorising can elevate the chic to stylish cool.

Pops of colour give an outfit a wonderful lift

More on what I got up to in Paris, as well as fashion week notes, when I get back from Cornwall. And yes I'll probably be writing about that too so at this rate my writings will be turning into a travel blog!

 

Dropped into LFW and nipped across the channel

What a whirlwind few days, on Saturday morning I received a text from a friend asking if I wanted to go to London Fashion Week. Of course I responded "yes!" and a few hours later I was watching models stomp down the John Rocha catwalk. It was such an amazing experience and also slightly surreal, having read about this since I was at school! to suddenly be there. I will write a proper post about this and my stay in Paris which I just returned from. Another spur of the moment turn of events! I booked my Eurostar tickets on Friday after chatting to a uni friend who lives there and suggested I come over for a few days. I really want to do more of these kind of impulsive things from now on. For too long I have hesitated when opportunities come up for fear it will go wrong or that I cannot justify the expense etc, etc. I want to take life by the balls and grab all the amazing opportunities that I am fortunate enough to have come my way.