I met New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly in Paris nearly six years ago on one of her many trips to Paris. I had long admired her work, both in magazines and online where she regularly shares snippets of her deft creative hand, and was so pleased to share a drink with her and chat about artistic cultures. Her work has sent her all over the world to speak but France in particular has been an open-arms creative home away from home. As we saw in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, France is a country that embraces the illustrated arts and cartoons with a political bent so her work nestles in perfectly.

Since we’re heading into Paris Fashion Week, I thought it was fitting to share one of Liza’s recent cultural commentaries that gave me a great laugh.

In discussing the spark for this cartoon, Liza told me “it was inspired by French women who know how to wear scarves in SO many ways! And they do it beautifully, not like this cartoon depicts, of course. Whenever I go to Paris, I always feel like I must look so American, even though I try to up my style just a little bit in the subtle ways the French do. I am sure I am horribly unsuccessful”

No matter how many different ways lifestyle magazines recast and repackage their ‘wear your scarf like the French’ articles, much of the public finds itself perpetually befuddled by French men and women’s innate ability to accessorize the neck. Will we ever learn?

To see more of Liza’s fantastic work, visit her website and follow her on Twitter!