Mireille Guiliano is back with a new book and more French secrets to living (and eating!) well.
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You’ve let us in on the secret to French women staying slim, what’s the key to French women’s style?
The first book was about changing your relationship with food. The second book was about applying the same principles to anything in your life like style and fashion. There are a few basic philosophical points you can apply: less is more, quality over quantity. If you have a little black dress, you don’t need to buy a new one every six months, you can accessorize it with jewelry or a beautiful scarf and you have a whole new wardrobe. French women like classic and timeless, but we try to add a little touch of fun, whether it’s in colour or design.
How would you describe your personal style?
Simplicity in all things. I love to be well dressed but I’m not a shopper. I like to read about trends and look at magazines and take some ideas but basically with a few pieces I can make myself look “fashionable” every season with very few changes. I think it’s a discovery of yourself over the years and learning what suits you best.
What are your five key wardrobe pieces?
I LOVE leggings—I have dark purple, black and grey leggings and with that, I can go anywhere. And I love layers and scarves because you can really have some fun and play with it. A perfect white blouse goes a long way and this season has some marvelous white blouses, longer ones you can wear one top of leggings. And I have a few colourful blouses as an in-between. And for me, stilettos are no longer part of my wardrobe—I rarely wear them. This season it’s again flats, loafers and now Derbys are coming back big time in Paris. They’re very comfortable and you can even wear them at night—they look really great!
Who is your style icon?
Maybe because I’m French but I still go to Coco Chanel, Madame Carven and Schiaparelli as the greatest women. They understood the human body better than anybody else.
If I were younger and had to go out a lot (and could afford it!) I would wear Lanvin. What Alber Elbaz does with drapes is amazing. It doesn’t suit my size and personality exactly today but I love what he does for women. To me a good designer is a mix of an architect and an interior decorator—the clothes really have to be well cut and few designers can do that really well.
If you are in Toronto, don’t miss the rare opportunity to meet Guiliano on April 19, 7pm at Indigo at Manulife Centre (55 Bloor St. W.) where she’ll be sitting down with our Editor-in-Chief Rita Silvan to discuss her new book and how to find pleasure in all things a la Francaise.
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