Sunday 14 August 2011

5 piece wardrobe - the French way to create a chic and minimalist wardrobe

French women are  famous for their chic and minimalist wardrobes and here is their method of using just 5 pieces to create a core wardrobe. 

Step 1

Each season, decide what your 5 basic pieces will be. These form the core of your wardrobe and you will wear these day in, day out.

They should be classic in style, of good quality, a neutral or basic colour and perfect fit. Over the years you should aim to build a wardrobe of basic staples.

Here are a couple of ideas for both a Spring / Summer and Autumn/Winter Core Wardobe.

Autumn/Winter
  • A warm Winter Coat
  • A warm black jumper
  • A Dark Pair of Jeans
  • A Black Wool Pencil Skirt
  • A pair of black knee-high boots

Spring / Summer
  • A raincoat
  • A White T-Shirt / Top
  • A light-weight pair of Trousers in a light neutral colour
  • A light-weight Pencil Skirt in a light neutral colour
  • A pair of ballerina pumps or sandals

Step 2

Add just a handful of new items to keep it fresh. New items could include:
  • A new basic staple item - so you continue to build them up over the years.
  • Trendy / Interesting pieces
  • Accessories - basic and trendy.
  • One noticeable flirty item! - High heels, a leather skirt, a skim of black eyeline, red lipstick. The trick is to wear just one item, never two!
  • One expensive classic that will last a lifetime! - A Vuitton bag, a Hermes scarf, a pair of Charles Jourdan heels, diamond earrings.
  • Signature Item - Find what you love and make it your signature. It might be your long flowing hair,  a chic bob haircut, scarves, statement jewellry, mini-skirts or long boots.
  • Perfume

Aim for less - Less clashing colours, less make-up, less costume jewellery, but one ravishing perfume.

The result - A closet that although is minimalist, is fresh and high on style.

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If 5 items of clothing aren't enough for you, you may like to read one of my other articles:

The 10- item wardrobe - How French women create a chic and minimalist wardrobe.

Summary:  Best selling author and one of my favourite fellow bloggers, Jennifer L Scott (The Daily Connoisseur), recently published a book "Secrets of Madame Chic: 20 stylish secrets I learnt while living in Paris." It is based on her year spent in Paris as a student, where she lived with her host family (Family Chic) in an apartment in the wealthy 16th Arrondissement. To Jennifer's suprise, the mother of the family, "Madame Chic", only had 10 items of clothing in her wardrobe, but always looked chic and well dressed whatever the occassion. 
I love this method of creating a minimalist wardrobe and have adopted it myself. It works!
To read my full post and learn how Madame Chic achieved this, click here.  I have also
included Jennifer's YouTube Clips, where she shows us how to create the chic 10 item wardrobe, as well as a clip of her interview on TV.  
Click here to read my full post.

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I hope you found this article useful. For more FREE ARTICLES & TIPS you may like to visit:

Chic and Minimalist Wardrobe Blog HOME PAGE

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I have also published the following articles on Hubpages which are FREE to read:
  
How Parisian women create a chic and minimalist wardrobe

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