How to create a chic and minimalist wardrobe the Parisian way

Over the last few years, there has been a growing interest in the way that chic Parisian women dress, with many women wishing to create a chic and minimalist wardrobe based on their style.

 

Parisian chic is essentially frugal and minimalist in approach, based on purely practical reasons - many Parisians live in small apartments and due to lack of space are unable to store large quantities of clothes.  

As a result many Parisiian women have embraced the "less is more" approach to dressing. 

"Parisian Chic: A Style Guide" by Ines de la Fressange, was published recently. 

Ines was a supermodel and the face of the Chanel brand for many years.

In her book Ines identifies the Top Seven Items that all women should own in order to create a chic and minimalist wardrobe. 

 

I think they offer a great basis for building a chic and minimalist wardrobe and would like to share these ideas with you.

Outerwear - 3 items:

The first three items are outerwear:

• A Trench-coat- a practical item, ideal to wear all year round.

• A Leather Jacket - ideal to wear with jeans for a smart casual look or over a floral dress. 

• A Black, masculine style blazer - again can be worn with jeans with the sleeves pushed up or for evening with black evening trousers.

Tops - there are two tops recommended that are versatile and can be worn in a variety of ways.

• V-Neck Navy Jumper - this can be worn with jeans and dressed up with a scarf or necklace, or under the leather jacket for a smart casual look. It also looks great with white jeans for a nautical look.  Navy is softer than black.

  Neutral coloured Short-sleeved Top - The Colour could be white, black or grey. It should be short- sleeve or sleeveless such as a t-shirt,camisole or vest top. The fabric should be slightly luxurious such as having a small amount of silk or cashmere. It can be worn with jeans and the leather jacket for a smart casual look, or can be dressed up with sparkly jewelry for evening.

    

  The final Two Essential Items:

  I am sure these will come as no suprise as they are great basics to have in your wardrobe:

  The LBD - Little Black Dress - this item can be worn in the daytime for a smart look or dressed up for the evening. Choose a simple versatile style such as a black wrap dress in a good quality jersey fabric or a shift dress. 

  A great pair of jeans - that fit well and for in a dark blue wash for most versatility. They can be worn casually in the day with the black jacket or leather jacket or with the silk top for a casual evening look, just add a pair of evening shoes.

   

  I hope you have found this post useful. 

  I think Ines' " Top Seven Items" are a great place to start building a chic and minimalist wardrobe around. 

  If you have enjoyed this article and found it useful, you may like to read one of my articles that I have published with Hubpages. It uncovers the secrets of how Parisian women create a chic and minimalist wardrobe.

  If you would like to read it, click the following link:

  http://hubpages.com/hub/The-essence-of-French-Parisian-Chic