I was downtown yesterday, shopping for my husband’s birthday gifts. (Sidenote: i still default to starting to type ‘boyfriend’ instead of ‘husband’!) After a successful haul (will share what they are, once the day is done – Feb 26!), i somehow found myself sidetracked into H&M. I still love H&M. Knowing that i’m a good 10 years older, at least, and several dress sizes larger than the majority of the clientele, still doesn’t deter me from bargain hunting when i feel so inclined.

Yesterday however, the usual Saturday scrum was even worse than usual. The reason? Super chic French designer Sonia Rykiel was debuting a new collection for the mega giant Swedish brand. On entering the store, i was thrown headlong into the melee, finding myself fighting over items with 16 year olds and 65 year olds. Of course, the size meant for normal women were the first to go , leaving a glut of XS and S on the shelves, but I still managed to find a few items to feed my nascent longing for French chic. I purchased the first two, but sadly, the last one will have to wait until i lose, ooh, about 50 pounds! All pics are courtesy of the official H&M Website:

Don’t these clothes just make you want to move to Paris, spend all your time in side-street bistros, drink wine and smoke a Gaulois? (Another sidenote: that could be one of the ways to lose all those pounds and look super skinny French chic, were it not for the very obvious fact that cigarettes can kill you – not to be recommended!) I was reminded of the way Carrie Bradshaw fell head over heels for Paris, pulling out all her special ‘French chic with a touch of whimsy clothes’, before of course getting her heart broken and finding her way back to Mr Big. And who do you think provided the clothes for those scenes? Well, Ms Rykiel of course.

So, my new fashion kick is going to be French chic all the way. Well, all the way that someone British with very un-French curves living in America can go… Think stripes, black, white and navy, with the odd touch of a bright pink or red, feminine and a little quirky, but with a few structural touches. My other inspiration, the beautiful Audrey Tatou in Before Chanel. So-so movie, amazing style! I might not pull this off all the time, but for special nights out, it’s definitely going to be my aesthetic of choice. Vive Le Chic!

Photo credit: http://cherriesandpearls.wordpress.com

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