A Note on Fashion

My fav H&M look -
a sheer ruffle dress
with a faux leather aviator jacket

Taking advantage of the good weather, we spent the first half of the day exploring the neighbourhood park and we ventured into the city again, this time after lunch. We walked straight to Viex Lille, the old part of the city, lined with beautiful mansions of different eras, churches (Notre Dame church dates back to 1277), and boutiques.

The city is all in preparation for Braderie de Lille-  a massive second-hand fair. I also had a chance to look around and enjoy not only the architecture but the local fashion as well. The main adjective of the style here is effortless. Outfits look more like an after-thought rather than a thorough thought-through (forgive the pun) process. I can almost feel how in the morning the Lille girls and women pull out a couple of shirts and leggings, a warmer top, shoes, a scarf and a bag before running out of the door. But somehow everything comes together to create a fashionable ensemble- understated, but very tasteful and striking in its simplicity. Canadian street fashion is said to be simple, but French way is simple in a different way. Simple in its elegance and effortless taste.

If I were to choose a store to represent the line of the female style here, I'd pick an H&M layered look. Accessories are very popular - hats, scarves, and bold (mostly silver-toned) jewelry. I wish I could snap a few pictures of the outfits I particularly liked - but the one that struck me the most was a girl on a bus who wore a business suit: a fitted black blazer and shorts and Western boots. Something that's hard to imagine that goes well together but it did look well.

The Impression of the Day. French women are not into hair-style products.
Very much used to finding an isle dedicated to shampoos and conditioners, and another one to hair gels, mousses, and sprays in North America, I was amazed to find a minuscule selection of sprays (about 10-15) and 5 mousse containers. I guess au naturel applies to hair styling as well.


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