Super-influencer Lucy Williams of Fashion Me Now may reside in London, but we’ve always thought her laid-back style had a certain Parisian je ne sais quoi about it. Perhaps it’s her ability to make the simplest fashion formulas feel enticing—“I love the kind of outfit you barely have to think about,” she tells us. Or maybe it’s that artfully dishevelled blonde hair. “I’m fastidious about skincare and haircare,” she says, “but I only ever air-dry my hair, and I don’t paint my nails.” We wouldn’t be surprised if it’s her year-round tan combined with the occasional Breton top.
“Casual and laid-back with an emphasis on comfort,” says Lucy on the pillars of her personal style—a sartorial mantra we know many French and British girls would agree upon. “I always like to verge on underdressed rather than overdressed, and I rely a lot on staples like denim, T-shirts and leather accessories.” So far, so easy, but we know there’s more to making a wardrobe sing with a French accent than that.
Here Lucy reveals how to enhance your style with a little Parisian magic.
“Keep your hair and makeup low-key and undone and your jewellery subtle (the sort of pieces you never take off). Invest in a great pair of non-stretch blue jeans and a leather shoulder bag that just gets better with age,” says Lucy of the fastest route into looking more French in a flash. Even if you’re hitting up Notting Hill or Soho dashing around for meetings like Lucy, rather than cycling around the Marais with a baguette in your basket, you’ll want to know her go-to secret source for getting it right: Sandro.
The French brand’s A/W 17 collection is chock-full of the kind of considered, perfectly designed staples that you know our Parisian counterparts are snapping up right now. From the ultimate everyday bag (meet The Pepita, as carried by Miss Williams) and boots through to the best checked blazer that ticks off this season’s most important closet update, there’s a great deal here that straddles the signature styles of both the UK and France.
“This kind of look is a real staple for me, so I like having new pieces to rework a much-loved formula to keep it fresh,” says Lucy, explaining that it’s the green slogan jumper and slightly ’90s silhouette of her jeans that provide the London twists in the mix. While she references Jane Birkin, Caroline de Maigret and Emmanuelle Alt as her French fashion pinups, this look was actually inspired by retro outfits of her mum’s.
With the linchpins of a fantastic leather bag, simple black boots and plain, perfect-fit jeans, Lucy has multiple ways she’ll restyle these French basics: with a plain black roll-neck under her blazer worn with gold hoops or a striped tee with a biker jacket for dressed-down days. If she’s heading for a drinks do, it’ll be all about a matte red lip and simple silk shirt. Who wouldn’t want that kind of get-dressed-and-go attitude?
Shop Lucy’s look below, and get your autumn wardrobe to speak French.
SHOP LUCY'S FRENCH LOOK
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