9 Items Every French Fashion Editor Owns

If your affinity for fashion is of the Parisian variety, there is perhaps no better example than French fashion editors. They are known for their immaculate wardrobes that change very little from season to season. Their closets are built around pieces that can be worn for years—not just of-the-moment items that will be retired after one short season. So what are the fashion items you’ll find in the French-editor capsule wardrobe?

To start, you’ll find plenty of neutrals and elevated basics that can be worn on the regular—pieces like ankle boots with a sophisticated crocodile finish or well-cut turtlenecks for layering. They also have a mastery of dressing up everyday items like jeans and blazers that make them come off as polished instead of ordinary. Ahead, find the nine pieces every French fashion editor owns, and then shop them for yourself to replicate their style.

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Easy But Elevated Accessories
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French editors know that pieces like faux-croc boots and leather bags are the items that will pull together their outfits.

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Turtlenecks for Layering
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Have you noticed every French editor has a closet stocked with turtlenecks? That's because they're the ultimate cold-weather layering essential to wear with a blazer and high-waisted trousers or denim.

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They Take Inspiration From the American West
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Just look to Vogue Paris editor in chief Emmanuelle Alt, who regularly wears blanket-like coats and boots with Western silhouettes. This isn't just because it's a current trend. This is something French editors have been wearing for years.

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Sleek Head-to-Toe Black
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You'll spot black in every French editor's closet because it's the seasonless color that always looks chic. Try wearing tailored pieces together for an instantly stylish look.

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Polished Pencil Skirts
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Carine Roitfeld is known for her signature pencil skirts, and other French editors also wear them on the regular.

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Neutrals, Neutrals, Neutrals
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French editors all know that neutral colors are the perfect building blocks of any great wardrobe.

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Tailored Blazers
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Nothing throws an outfit together like an expertly tailored blazer.

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Utility Green
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Utility wear is on trend for 2019, but it has been in French editors' closets for years in green khaki shades.

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Straight-Leg Jeans
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Denim is the grounding piece of many French fashion editors' outfits, and they opt for straight-leg cuts more than any others.

Next, see the 13 brands I wear on repeat.

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Associate Director, Special Projects

Kristen Nichols is the Associate Director, Special Projects at Who What Wear with over a decade of experience in fashion, editorial, and publishing. She oversees luxury content and wedding features, and covers fashion within the luxury market, runway reporting, shopping features, trends, and interviews with leading industry experts. She also contributes to podcast recordings, social media, and branded content initiatives. Kristen has worked with brands including Prada, Chanel, MyTheresa, and Luisa Via Roma, and rising designers such as Refine and Tove, and her style has been featured in publications including Vogue.com, Vogue France, WWD, and the CFDA. Before Who What Wear, Kristen began her career at Rodarte, where she worked on assistant styling, photo shoots, and runway shows, and at Allure, where she moved into print and digital editorial. She graduated from the University of Southern California, where she studied art history and business, and currently lives in New York.