French fashion Special 3 - The French high street

As promised I left my snowy mountains this morning and drove down to have a closer look at what a provincial French town has to offer clothes-wise.

To be honest I was expecting grey, grey and more grey. I was not entirely wrong, but in the midst of all these dull, dark colours I spotted the accessory I will be taking back to London.

This season the French are doing something big in fashion - literally: the oversize scarf.

They are in all colours, from clementine-orange to grapefruit-pink.

I later realised that the magazines are ablaze with the question: "the oversize scarf: do you dare, or do you fear it?"

I say: DARE.

Vogue featured it in an Amazonian shoot last year, and the effect is sublime: all wool, it really adds contrast (in colour and texture) to a black or uniform outfit.

The rest of the displays were well set out and embellished but the inside of the shops rather disappointing ...

Take your typical high street store and remove any items containing bright colours, tight fits, sequins and unusual textures (I am thinking the overly popular shinny or leather leggings). Now you have it: the French high-street.

Style, but safe style only.

Coco Avant Chanel

The French love their films and everyone loves Chanel.

This is why Coco Avant Chanel (Coco before Chanel) is on it's way to become the fashion film of 2009.

There is nothing more typically french than Audrey Tautou (Amelie) dressed as Coco Chanel.

And even if German Karl Lagerfeld is supervising the re-creation of certain clothes of the fashion house, the director, Anne Fontaine, is sure to keep the production in a French spirit while they are filming in Paris and Normandy.

The filming has started late, on the 15th of September, while the project was announced last May, and there is still no official release date (although it is expected to be late 2009).

However, the first production still is finally out, and the Amelie star looks stunning in a boyish suit and pose, that deliver well the strength of character of the woman who immortalised the little black dress and 'le smoking'.

Coco Chanel

Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (1883-1971) was a pioneer of modern women's fashion. Born in Saumur, France, she was trained as a seamstress in a Catholic orphanage.

This is probably was unleashed her determination.

She introduced woman's sportswear in 1913. In a post-war atmosphere, she later brought menswear-inspired styles into the mainstream.

Coco Chanel understood from the beginning what feminism taught the world much later: women are supposed to dress for themselves, not for men.

Because it is a French film, it is reasonable to expect a lot of artistic shots, quite a heavy dose of glamour, style and of course romance.

It might also be a long wait before we finally see it on a screen...

Time to break the myth of 'the French Fashion Style'

People keep assuming that the French have the best fashion sense in the world.

It is true that they are renowned for their Haute-Couture houses and The 'Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne' (the Association of Haute Couture Houses), created in 1868, still rules the Couture world.

Every year a Paris based commission declares which houses are eligible to showcase collections under the term 'Haute Couture'.

All this because Paris was undeniably the epicenter of high fashion for centuries, ever since the sublime extravagences of the Court of King Louis XIV (1638-1715).

In the 18th Century, Marie Antoinette had a Fashion Minister, and her dress sense was celebrated and copied everywhere in Europe.

But since then, it has all gone downhill...

The average French person has no idea who designs for Dior.

It is not that the French lack class as a nation, but in terms of wardrobe, it is a little bit limited. The typical young french person has the choice between three main styles:

1. The laid-back classic: jeans, a black/grey/brown top, and black shoes - pumps or 2in heels max mostly.
2. The fake seventies hippie with: large cotton trousers, a large cotton formless top, formless cotton bag and trainers or flip-flops. Dreadlocks are a must.
   
3. The urban Sportswear look: the french version of the Bronx hip-hop/rapper.

A little colourless?

That is another thing that french people resent: colour.

It is considered a crime to wear anything that isn't black, grey, brown or dark blue. Dark purple and a few other dark colours are accepted. As long as nothing is bright.

This is why the streets of Paris are, unlike the common notion, extremely dull.

After all even their top fashion houses employ designers from other countries. Think about John Galliano for Dior, Alexander McQueen for Givenchy (until 2001), or Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel.