In this age of fight against clichés, let's take a look at the Parisian woman's stereotype. A French woman like the others? She has the luxury of living in the capital. And for the rest of the world, it's not a small thing! An overview of the incarnation of this figure as chic as she is elegant.
She drinks coke, but diet coke and prefers tea but only if it comes straight from Mariage Frères. The macaroons from Hermé are "amazing". And when a Parisian woman meets another one, she will not fail to recommend the "new soup bar" or the "best bo-bun" in Paris. On Sundays, she brunches in Saint Germain des Près, buys Télérama magazine and listens to France Inter radio. Always elegant and sophisticated, the Parisian woman wants to be at the forefront of fashion while displaying a timeless style.
What if the Parisian woman was simply unclassifiable? The fruit of the collective imagination like the English monarchist or the slightly macho Italian, the Parisian woman can quickly become a stereotype. One thing has defined her nevertheless for decades: her ability to inspire many fashion designers. Considered as a muse, The Parisienne (let's capitalize it) is a living monument, just like the Eiffel Tower (but smaller) or the Louvre (just as varied). She is an integral part of the French capital.
Fashion dominates the provincials, but Parisian women dominate fashion.
The image of La Parisienne finally escapes all arbitrary definitions. Paris is the city that invents, makes and undoes fashions. So the woman who lives there is admired, adored, she has been a model in terms of elegance and attitude for centuries. Under the influence of Mademoiselle Coco, her dressing plays the card of discreet refinement, seduction and dashing femininity.
More than a specific status, La Parisienne is an attitude: she is not tedious but casual, she adopts an air of neglect but studied enough not to appear so. Faithful to her classics, she wears her Chanel bag negligently, is a fan of ballerinas, the famous trench coat and the red lipstick on her lips. But, refractory to clichés, the Parisienne won't let herself be defined by a heel, a hair color or a lip balm color, simply because she is a style in her own right.
A figure of French elegance and spirit for a long time, the Parisienne is multiple. From Joséphine de Beauharnais to Charlotte Gainsbourg via Catherine Deneuve and Loulou la Falaise, she scorns trends while manipulating them. Provocative, extravagant but never "too much", this particular Frenchwoman gives equal importance to sophistication and transgression.
Since 2014, Inès de Fressange has been the emblem of the Parisienne. The former star of Chanel, now a businesswoman, handles natural elegance and relaxation to perfection. As early as 1989, she was chosen as the model for the creation of the bust of our French allegorical figure: Marianne.
What if La Parisienne, after all, was a French woman like any other? Amélie Nothomb told us the opposite, and we won't prove her wrong: "La Parisienne is a legend, therefore, she exists more than other women, and this for eternity".
Valérie from Comme des Français
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Revise your French classics with these other articles:
- The little black dress
- A timeless accessory
- High heels
