So This Is Where French Girls Get Their Style Inspiration

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(Image credit: @sabinasocol)

At the Who What Wear offices, everyone started calling me our French expert. Now, this isn’t because I’m French (though I’m convinced I need DNA testing for conclusive proof), but it’s because I’m so fascinated by all things French. I lived in Paris for a summer, and ever since, I’ve been enamored by Parisian style and the effortlessness of it all.

I also work with Sabina Socol on her monthly column for Who What Wear, so I closely follow her style and ask her for insight into French-girl style from time to time. Recently, though, I was following a Q&A series she had on her Instagram Stories and was intrigued to discover that she actually looks to Americans for most of her style inspiration. Fascinated, I asked her to tell me more.

“I think actually my favorite accounts to follow for inspiration,” she explains, “and also my favorite brands, are Americans!” Interesting, because this whole time I’ve been looking to French girls to glean a good portion of my style insight.

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(Image credit: @alwaysjudging)

Sabina Socol looks to L.A.-based Courtney Trop of @alwaysjudging to discover new brands.

Who, though, are her specific points of inspiration? Socol told me, “Whenever I’m looking for inspo or cool new emerging designers, I look at girls like Courtney Trop (@alwaysjudging) or Reese Blutstein (@double3xposure), and they always manage to create the coolest outfits with never seen before brands.”

I, too, look to them as cool tastemakers who shine a light on up-and-coming brands, so this similarity is interesting.

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(Image credit: @double3xposure)

Socol also looks to Atlanta-based Reese Blutstein of @double3xposure for fashion inspiration.

But, while French girls are incorporating many of these new brands into their wardrobes, the way they’re wearing them still looks distinctly French to me. “It’s pretty funny to see how, coming from different countries, we can style similar clothing completely differently!” says Socol.

So, maybe the styling and approach to fashion is the real difference in American versus French style, rather than the actual pieces they’re wearing. Ahead, shop pieces you'll find in Socol's Parisian closet.

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(Image credit: @sabinasocol)

Beaded bags are the piece you’ll see on the arms of both American and French girls this season.

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(Image credit: @sabinasocol)

French brand Rouje is a staple among French girls, but you’ll also spot it in the States.

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(Image credit: @sabinasocol)

Australian brand Réalisation is beloved across the globe.

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(Image credit: @sabinasocol)

We’re seeing fashion girls everywhere wearing sandals from By Far.

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(Image credit: @sabinasocol)

L.A.-based fashion brand Staud is designing some of the year’s most coveted bags.

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(Image credit: @sabinasocol)

When in doubt, slip into some cool strappy sandals like this rainbow version.

Now, find out the eight-piece French-girl summer wardrobe.

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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.