French chic on a budget.

You don't need a lot of money to have

French Chic.

Being well dressed doesn't need to cost a lot of money. What it does need is a lot of creativity.

The ordinary French woman is no richer than rest of us. The money they do have, they use to their advantage by using tried and tested fashion rules.

French women NEVER wear flora design. Ugh.....way too fussy.... Keeping your style to simple classics, stops the need to buy this years pricey offering from the high street.

Chic on a budget – jeans are an essential. They don't need to be expensive – just be well cut and fit perfectly.

Jeans that are too tight, apart from being uncomfortable to wear, will emphasise any excess weight you have. Bulging flab hanging over your waist band 'ain't' chic. Trying to hide your fat under a tee-shirt is a definite no no. Tee-shirts should be worn inside your jeans not outside.

Buy the size of jeans that you can wear now, not a size you wish you were or plan to be in the future.

Baggy jeans are equally unattractive. You want your bum to look curvaceous not saggy.

And jeans don't need to be Calvin Klein. I have a really great looking pair of boot cut jeans that I bought in a sale from Sainsbury's, Tu range, for a fiver. Even came with a belt.

Sales are an essential – when you are on a budget. Scour them, and if like me, you are below the average size 16 – there's a good chance you will pick up some really good bargains. Thanks to the larger sizes having been sold first.

Long cardigans and jumpers are always in a French woman's closet. Buy these items in the end of winter sales, and your light blouses, and tee-shirts in the end of summer sales. If you buy tailored classic lines, then they will fit into next years fashion.  

It's a good trick to wait toward the end of the sales period. Again the smaller sizes tend to get left behind. Waiting can get you as much as 75% off the original price.

Don't neglect the dear old Charity shops. Thrift shops in the USA. Don't view the stuff they sell as second-hand, hand-me-downs. Think of them more as re-cycling. People buy antique furniture. It's still second-hand furniture. So what's the problem.

Depending if you are lucky enough to have a designer thrift shop near you, it is possible to pick up some fabulous designer gear, for a fraction of the original cost. These shops usually have the clothes dry-cleaned, but if they haven't, paying to have something you have bought for way below market price, dry-cleaned is still getting a bargain.

Even if you don't have such a shop near you, I bet there are plenty of Charity shops. I've bought, hand bags, jewellery, scarves and belts, many of which had never been used.

Scarves, especially long ones, can give you a really great look. Hermes scarves cost anywhere from £200 to over £300 – they may be truly beautiful, but when you are on a budget over the top, price wise.

Zooming down in price are scarves from the high street. £10 is an average cost for an okay scarf.

I bought the most gorgeous pure silk scarf for 99p, in my local children's charity shop. Having very carefully hand washed it, the scarf  now takes pride of place in my scarf collection.

Do French women wear belts? Absolutely. Just as you should always tuck your tee-shirt into your jeans, a belt is an essential finishing accessory to show off a slim waist.

Here's a great combination. Wear a wide black patent belt with a white blouse, coupled with a pair of either white or blue jeans. Add some black beads, and voilà a great outfit for not a lot of cost. You can either wear the blouse inside your jeans or outside - both ways create a great look.

I wore this combination the other day, carrying a large black and white hand bag. And enjoyed the many compliments I got. 

The out-fit cost.

Belt – 99p. Charity shop.

The blouse £5 – high street sale,

White jeans £7 – high street sale.

Beads - £1.99. Charity shop.

Bag. £3.99. Charity shop.

Total cost = £18.97

I added a pair of black ankle boots that I've had in my closet for ever.

A good way to keep your boots and shoes looking like new, is not to throw away the boxes or the tissue paper keeping them in shape. After each wear, clean, and re-stuff. That way, your foot wear can look as good as the day you bought them. Except for sandals – of course!

Lastly - Don't overlook internet shopping. No business rates, means better pricing. Bad for the high street – good for your bank balance. The downside, you don't get to try on before you buy. That said, if you are honest with yourself when you measure your vital statistics – and buy from a reputable site (one that has a good returns policy) – then buying on line saves a lot of time and money in travelling.

Next time – partie # tres – Make-up – French style.

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Novelist. Blogger.

Small French woman with an English father. 

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