The Style Field Guide - Cannes in Late Summer
I was just in Cannes and oh my, the style.
French style is highly understated. Neutrals abound, particularly black and white.
People delicately accessorise rather than wear big print or colour.
Lots of white shirts.
Lots of suits. I saw the most fabulous waistcoat and trouser suit, in beige linen, on a girl in the street, accessorised only with a bit of (real) gold and diamond jewellery.
Flat shoes were prevalent, lovely leather flats in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
Deep, double-fold hems on lightweight crisp fabrics, creating an almost contrast hem of opaque colour.
Tailored waistcoats as a top.
Two-piece suits of all kinds: denim sets, waistcoat and trousers, oversized blazer with a mini.
The lack of print was stark and it got me thinking about my own sewing;why am I faffing about trying to sew prints?! They are way harder to cut out, piece together and sew, yet the French look less classy in the finished, non-printed result.
People achieve sophistication through restraint rather than visual complexity.
I need to do my sewing some in neutrals and plains. Accessorise with hardware buttons or contrast embellishments like piping, bias edging, beading, embroidery etc.
I also need to develop a set of colour combos that utilise neutrals, but aren't black and white. Black and white is harsh on me, and too graphic. Some ideas:
Chocolate Brown + White
Light Grey + Teal
Grey + Pink
Navy + Ivory
Dark Bottle Green + Buttermilk
Other French Inspirations
