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Written by Yolande Pietersen
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Monday, 01 October 2007 |
It seems like the whole world is vying to be the next fashion capital of the world. Big cities come to a standstill as extravagant fashion weeks are arranged. Hot designers are discovered in obscure towns; unheard of places are fighting for a position on the fashion map. And yet most will agree the heart of fashion still beats strongly in Paris. It may have something to do with all the visionary French designers, but I believe that France will always have the edge when it comes to fashion simply because fashion is a way of life in France.
Because my French is still shamefully incomprehensible I’ve become quite an observer of all things French. I never cease to be amazed at the nonchalant way in which the majority of French people appear to have stumbled off the set of a Vogue photo shoot.
It’s in the way young girls casually and yet brilliantly drape a scarf around their delicate necks. Or the way French men sit in cafés in their best suits without looking garishly overdressed.
This flair for fashion does not appear to have an age restriction. Where I come from women over a certain age start wearing orthopedic shoes; expanses of white rubber swaddling their bunion covered feet. In France age is no excuse, I’ve seen seniors in stilettos that would put any Spice girl to shame. Any one who’s ever been to Paris knows that you walk a lot and that you have to climb magnificent amounts of stairs to get anywhere…even so its impossible to find French people wearing practical/ugly footwear. They seem to float effortlessly down the rue’s in their chic shoe ware; no one limping around in ill-fitting, cheap looking shoes (except me).
After a visit to France, many of us will try to emulate their enviable style – usually with disastrous consequences. Most men discover the error of imitation when their beret becomes the butt of every cruel joke; most women will get closer to strangling than draping when attempting to arrange their designer scarves. I think, much like Kylie Minogue’s hotpants, French fashion is there to be admired – and not to be tried at home.
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Yolande Pietersen |
| About the author: |
| After completing a degree in journalism in Jo’burg, Yolande went on to fly with Emirates for two years. Along with writing, studying, people watching and buying every fashion magazine, Yolande loves to travel. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 04 November 2008 )
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