5 Reasons Why French Women Look Chic And Slim

Ines de la Fressange

Many people wonder why French women seem to exude this nonchalant, yet chic confidence in themselves, even when they are not 'toutes jeunes'. They usually appear slim, or slimmer, too. 

So why is this?  
It is not because we are all skinny and young. It is not because we are beautiful and perfect. 
Far from it. 

So, what are the secrets to our chic and slim appearance? 
Do we copy the style looks featured in fashion magazine before we leave the house?
Do we punish ourselves by eating only lettuce leaves three times a day?
Again, far from it! 

As a French woman myself, I feel well placed to give you the five main reasons to our chic and slim look. These are easy and simple things that you can do yourselves, I assure you. So, here they are:
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Food

French women do not eat to excess. We prefer to savour our food. We do not eat quickly and in large amounts in one sitting. We take time to chew and appreciate the taste of our food. We enjoy and are mindful of every delicious mouthful. This way, we tend to eat less. Our predilection is for quality ingredients that our taste buds linger on. C'est tout.

Weight 

Sometimes, we put on a couple of pounds, due to celebrations or 'our vacances'. We notice straight away by the way our clothes feel on us. When they feel a little too snug for our liking, we know it is time to do something about it. We prefer to nip this weight gain in the bud. This way, we are more likely to succeed with our little 'régime'. So we make little adjustments here and there to our daily eating habits, instead of cutting out whole food groups. We may opt for instance to eat only one slice of baguette for lunch instead of two. We shall choose between 'un morceau de fromage' or dessert. We shall drink only half a glass of wine instead of a full glass. This only has to be for a week or two until the extra weight is gone. 

Silhouette

What French women learn from a young age is to wear what suits us. We are aware of our body shape and what will show our silhouette to its best. So we tend to stick to these rules. Wouldn't you? However, while keeping to the styles that suit us, we are not very experimental in new  fashion trends and colours. Instead of embracing new trends wholeheartedly, we keep to our classics, to what we know works for us. In order to bring our outfit up to date, we add little accessories or other trendy pieces. What ever we choose to wear has to show our shape and body to its best advantage, so no jogging bottoms and loose sweatshirts when we go out. 

Fit

There is a simple visual trick that French women are aware of and use to look slim, or slimmer than we are. Would you like to know what it is? Here it is: drum roll...  The trick is to wear clothes that are your size! This is it, c'est tout simple. So, if you wish to appear a few pounds lighter than you are, try this. Avoid clothes that are too tight for your size and shape. Tight and clingy clothes have a nasty tendency to exaggerate our lumps and bumps. Instead, wear clothes that glide over your shape like a sweet caress.

Detailing

As I mention in my books, the more detailing and 'frou-frous' your clothes have, the larger your body will look. Any extra pocket, frill, epaulette and every other types of needless add-on on a garment will work contrary to the lean look you are after. This is why French women avoid clothes which might emphasise their ‘rondeurs’. They go instead for lean lines and simple, elegant cuts and designs. We also prefer ‘basic’ colours instead of in-your-face flashy prints. Our motto is less is more.

French women are not perfect, far from it. The thing we do, though is try to look good every day by the 'keep it simple' method. Be mindful of what you eat and how you eat it. Don’t let your weight rise unchecked. Know your shape and wear simple clothes that fit your size. So, that is it in a nutshell. 

If you want to know more about French women and their classic, timeless style, feel free to discover my style tips and advice here.

A Bientôt
Marie-Anne ♥︎

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