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Style: The French Twist
| Article
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15998 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
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7 / 1989 |
568 Words |
| Author
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Jeanne Viner Bell
Jeanne Viner Bell is president of the American Newswomen's
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Fortunately, it is possible to achieve Paris perfection even if you can't pay Paris prices. One way to keep up with trends is by doing what America's Seventh Avenue has done for years--copy, copy, and copy. Although flying to Paris to see the showings of new fashions may not be affordable or feasible, anyone can read about them and study the photographs and sketches in the trade press. If a great seamstress can be located, these fashions can be closely recreated. Many wait months until local stores feature manufacturers' knockoffs, less expensive reproductions. The tailoring won't be the same, and neither will the fabrics. But the style remains in the lines, the colors, and the effect.
Many fashionable women, especially among the French, do not have large wardrobes, and they expect their clothes to last many years. Those who understand fashion know that the little black dress or its equivalent, perfectly or imaginatively accessorized, can spell pure chic. It isn't so much what is worn, but the way it is worn that can bridge the gap between merely presentable and absolutely smashing.
The style of the Paris woman is what the rest of us want to capture. It is elusive, but it is also achievable.
The stylish Parisian woman who lacks a large fashion budget purchases a few high-quality items--perhaps three good skirts, a fine jacket, and a few sweaters and blouses; she insists on good fabric, good cut and good fit--and then concentrates both her money and her creativity on accessories. It looks effortless, but it rarely is.
Shoes, scarves, handbags,
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