One recent Sunday my friend Sibylle Eschapasse and I browsed through Bloomingdale’s. Sibylle is a very chic, stylish Parisian who works at the UN and is the author of the children’s book “Argy Boy! A New York Dog Tale.” The idea was to see if and how New York style differs from Parisian.
We looked at purses from Longchamp, Vuitton, and Dior, and we agreed that they were quite lovely with some breathtakingly expensive and some quite reasonable for the workmanship. On the upper floors we looked at clothes and Sibylle tried on a DVF dress that looked lovely, but she wanted it in a color they didn’t have. We were discovering we had much the same taste and style sense. Patterns and styles I didn’t like, she didn’t, either.
Actually, there’s no difference between a chic, stylish French woman and a chic, stylish American. Sibylle, who is fond of quotes—and remembers them—quoted Prada who said, “Fashion is instant language.” We decided that is so true. Fashion tells you so much about a person very quickly. Is she well-bred, attentive to detail, or careless? She also said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” This reminded me of “less is more.”
We both bemoaned the fact that there are less and less chic, stylish women in France and America. Women don’t seem to care enough to make an effort. We both described a stylish woman as one who is clean, neat, well-groomed, and wearing clothes that suit her. As a case in point, my friend picked up a dress that she said would only look well on a very tall, thin young woman. We agreed that clothes must be comfortable. No woman can look stylish if she’s constantly adjusting bra straps, tugging on her skirt, and tucking in her shirt.
Neither of us cared for Hugo Boss, finding his clothes too masculine. Sibylle gravitated to dresses over separates. I asked whether this was a French trait, and she thought, no, it was just her personal preference. “It’s so much easier to look chic in a dress, just put it on, maybe add a necklace and go.”
Looking around Bloomingdale’s, we both commented on how few well-dressed women we saw and how surprised we were that here in New York, one of the fashion capitals of the world, there are so few really chic women.
We discussed whether style is something you’re born with or if it can be learned. I feel that style is something you’re born with, but if you’re lucky enough to have it, it can be honed and improved. I’m convinced that when Mademoiselle Chanel was in diapers, she must have had style. If you don’t have style but do have money, put yourself in the hands of a designer you admire and wear his or her clothes exclusively. If no money either, look to a friend whom you feel does have style or use a personal shopper at a store—they’re free.
Miriam Silverberg is a freelance journalist and owner of Miriam Silverberg Associates, a boutique publicity firm in Manhattan. She may be reached at [email protected].
