Megan Hess - Elegance: The Beauty of French Fashion

For

Craig

When I think of Paris, I think of you.

Contents

French fashion is all in the details. It is delicate, understated and demure you only need look at a classic Chanel suit and its woven wool tweed made in France or, if you can get close to one, run your fingers over the soft leather of an Herms Birkin bag. The masters of French fashion do not rely on excess, instead approaching design with simple elegance.

In my career as a fashion illustrator I have always been drawn to French haute couture, but I was sketching the famed looks of Chanel, Dior and Saint Laurent long before it became my livelihood. I first experienced French fashion as a little girl, when I was mesmerised by Audrey Hepburns effervescent Holly Golightly. It was while repeatedly watching Breakfast At Tiffanys that I became familiar with Golightlys simple yet glamorous wardrobe. The way she wore her little black dress and string of pearls instantly struck a chord with me, and I remember drawing my own version of her outfits in my little sketchbook.

Until this point in my young life I had never thought to find out who designed the clothes I thought so beautiful. But now I needed to know who was responsible for such fashion mastery, and I came across a French designer named Hubert de Givenchy. It was at this moment that my love of French fashion was born.

The ten designers featured in this book have had an enormous impact on me as a woman and on the way I see the wonderful world of fashion. I have selected my favourite looks from recent collections and a special few from decades past, hoping to highlight the stories of these designers that are so loved today.

One of the reasons I love French fashion is because its slow and focused. Sometimes in this busy world we need to be reminded that beauty cannot be rushed. The original style of many French designers has remained intact since their beginnings.

Herms, the oldest designer featured in this book, started selling leather horseriding accessories some 180 years ago, and the house is now home to the most recognised handbag in the world the Birkin keeping the link to leather at the forefront of everything they do. The cinched waists and full circle skirts of Diors New Look, which debuted in the 1940s, are still referenced in collections today; the same is true for Chlos enigmatic, whimsical style, first seen over breakfast and croissants at Pariss famous Caf de Flore in 1956.

But French fashion also has the ability to adapt with the times, with a new wave of designers who have reinvented these heritage labels. Karl Lagerfeld led Chanel creatively from 1983 until his death in 2019, while Marc Jacobs was the first designer to introduce wearable fashion into Louis Vuittons long leather history in 1997, and Phoebe Philo was responsible for dressing the modern French woman during her decade at the helm of Celine.

Intermingling the new with the old has kept French fashion perpetually in demand, and from that mix we have seen classic designs perfected over decades. I love how nearly all French fashion houses have their signature piece that so uniquely represents them. For Saint Laurent, its the famous tuxedo suit jacket; for Herms, the silk scarf; and for Louis Vuitton, the iconic monogrammed travel trunk.

Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.

Coco Chanel

French fashion has also led a revolution in the way we dress and interact with fashion every day. It gave us prt--porter clothing: Chlo founder Gaby Aghion believed fashion should be accessible to all and made her clothing ready-to-wear, removing the exclusivity of haute couture. French fashion taught us that style does not have to come at the expense of comfort: Coco Chanel was the first to move away from the corseted and restrictive styles of her era, instead designing liberated, looser fitting garments made from jersey and tweed. Meanwhile, Hubert de Givenchy offered women choice with his 1952 debut range of separates: in a time when a womans wardrobe largely comprised dresses, this allowed women to pick and choose what they wanted to wear based on comfort, style and personal taste.

French fashion is wearable art, and the city that inspires it is the canvas. Over the years I have been fortunate to visit Paris many times for my work. I love everything about the fashion capital. It is one of those rare cities that you can enjoy to its fullest no matter what you are doing. Paris makes the ordinary extraordinary: from a freshly baked baguette wrapped in beautiful paper to a corner store that will box your single macaron with a silk ribbon, even the simplest tasks are completed with grace.

During Paris Fashion Week, I often think of the overwhelming contributions to style that French designers have made. Its not so much the women on the runways, but the women in the audience that remind me of the importance of French fashion. Whether attending a show, on their busy morning commute, or inspecting seasonal vegetables at the market, Parisian women are always dressed impeccably. For those who have grown up surrounded by French fashion, style is effortless.

Fashion should be a joy, not a chore. French designers show us that innate style comes from within: you must dress yourself for your self. Its a simple philosophy, but thats what makes it so perfect.

Its no secret that I love Coco Chanel Ive already written an entire book about her colourful Parisian life. Her revolutionary designs changed the way women dressed forever, while her rags-to-riches story goes to show that with hard work anything is possible.

Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.

Coco Chanel

Coco Chanels resilience and determination to forge ahead in life was a product of her difficult childhood. Born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel in 1883 in Saumur, a town in western France, Chanel faced a series of hardships in early life. Her parents struggled to make ends meet and provide for their family, and this only intensified when Chanels mother passed away in 1895. Her widowed father made the heartbreaking decision to send twelve-year-old Chanel and her sisters to an orphanage run by nuns in central France, hoping a better life awaited them there.

This turned out to be the most fortuitous event in Chanels life: at the orphanage the nuns taught her to sew. The intricacies of hand-sewing ignited her interest in fashion and self-sufficiency, and would later inspire her in the foundation of the Chanel empire.

On leaving the orphanage, Chanel found a job as a seamstress, but also moonlighted as a cafe singer. It was at the cafe that Chanel acquired the nickname Coco, and left behind her difficult past as Gabrielle. A new name presented the opportunity for a new beginning. Chanel became the centre of a flourishing social scene, befriending the cafes upper-class patrons. However, realising she lacked the voice to become a professional singer, she decided to stick with the one thing she knew how to do well: sew.