I’m loath to even discuss the unattainable fashion standards set by naturally stylish andelegant Parisiennes because it’s so often debated, analyzed and discussed but alas, it’s a pervasive issue. One of the most vaunted aspects of living in Paris is the fact that you are surrounded by some of the most naturally beautiful women in the world but this is intrinsically intimidating for many foreign women who feel that everytime they leave the intimate comforts of their apartments they are being judged. Well, they are.
Their anachronistic style is just as much as a mystery to the French as their sartorial splendor is to foreign women. There is mutual fashion perplexity.
Many expat writers have detailed their experiences in Paris and their encounters that caused them to question their sense of self but few have done it with such accuracy and wit as Sarah Turnbull in Almost French. I find myself nodding in agreement as I go from chapter to chapter, checking off the obstacles she faced from my list. “Went through that, had someone say that to me, saw that, felt that….”, I say to myself. In some ways I was particularly reassured upon reading that her boyfriend (now husband) bemoaned her fashion…
