A French Woman Walks Into Zara—These 19 Anti-Trend Pieces Will Catch Her Eye

I've spent a large part of my adult life essentially cosplaying a French woman. I've fully subscribed to what I admit is the cliché idea that they all dress classically, swerving trends in favour of pieces that feel more timeless and, to my delight, Parisian.
Think cotton blouses with delicate embroidery, basket bags that give good Gallic girl, and jeans without rips or tears or embellishments—just jeans that look as if they were vintage and passed down by an equally stylish maman to her fille. Having written about all things French style for over a decade now, I'm pretty confident that I can pick out the sort of thing all the stylish French women I follow would wear before they even do so. When I went into Zara this week, I couldn't help but feel like things in-store were looking very French indeed.
Between fluid tailoring and throw-on dresses, in a spectrum of neutral linen and cotton, Zara's new spring arrivals double up as the perfect French-inspired capsule. I see woven leather bags that are akin to those I've seen at flea markets filled with such bags, leather-bound books and mismatched glassware. Okay, before nostalgia swallows me whole, let's get back to the task at hand; what I think a stylish French woman would walk into Zara and contemplate buying, i.e., the perfect manifestation of my current shopping mood. Scroll below to see my edit of French-inspired Zara items, all of which are anti-trend and easy to wear. Parfait!
Shop My Anti-Trend, French-Inspired Zara Edit
Perfect wide-leg trousers that will take you from day to night with just a change of a shoe!
You'd be hard pressed to find a Parisian who doesn't rely on great navy blazer.
For the evenings that call for a little extra sophistication.
Through all the denim trends, wide leg jeans will forever remain a staple.
Suede flats are everywhere, but these might just be my favourite on the high street.
I have it on good authority that French women are particularly fond of flip flops. And suede ones for that matter.
This story was published at an earlier time and has since been updated.
Maxine Eggenberger is Who What Wear UK’s Deputy Editor and has over fourteen years of experience in fashion journalism. She been creating engaging and authoritative content for Who What Wear UK since 2018, covering runway reports, emerging trends, long-form features, talent interviews self-styled shopping stories and columns, including her edit of the best new-in buys. She ensures the highest editorial standards are met across the site, leads the editorial team in their search and keyword planning, works closely with the fashion and beauty team on strategy and continues to pen many of her own articles. Prior to Who What Wear UK, Maxine's contributed to publications including Grazia, InStyle Marie Claire, Elle and Look, amongst others.
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