Whether I was ready or not, whether I actually wanted them or not, I was about to learn two lessons. One would be a lesson in French style and the other in the French understanding of appropriateness. The sales assistant wouldn’t have had it any other way. I’d come to the obvious conclusion that I […]
Style
57 posts
In good news, we’ve come out of Covid lockdown here in Melbourne, Australia. In not so good news, friends and loved ones in Europe and the UK have been thrown into the same situation we recently emerged from. To anyone enduring restrictions today, know that Scott and I are thinking of you, and sending you […]
What’s the first thing you notice when you arrive in a new-to-you part of the world? For me, it’s always what people are wearing. For whatever reason, I almost immediately get a feel for the local style, whether that be dressy or laid back or something in between. And more often than not a single […]
Back in 2014 I purchased my very favourite cropped black leather jacket. It’s travelled the world with me. I wear it to work and for play. And it was the jacket I wore in our Parisian photo shoot with Carla Coulson – which means it has featured regularly on Distant Francophile. Simply put, I love […]
Well, spring has almost sprung in Melbourne town. And the somewhat warmer weather has inspired me to conduct a wardrobe cleanse. Personally, I love cleaning and organising my wardrobe. However, from working with women I know that so many of you cannot think of anything worse. You see, clothes can build emotional ties. Which, in turn, […]
French girl dresses are definitely a thing. Sit for just two seconds on any Parisian terrace when the weather is just a touch warmer and you will see examples of them everywhere. And you don’t have to take my word for it. Who What Wear recently featured The Cool Dresses French Girls Always Wear. So […]
It has been such a long time since I’ve pulled together a French inspiration post like this one. I used to write them quite regularly and can’t quite remember why I stopped. I’m thinking that it probably had something to do with the amount of time I kept losing in the name of ‘internet research’… […]
I was chatting with a colleague at work the other day about the pressure on her 14 year old daughter to not only fit in, but also to own what is currently considered ‘the best’. Being a teenager has always been kind of tough. And I vaguely remember this kind of peer pressure from […]
“Ha. Style. It’s just too hard. I gave up on all that a long time ago.” I was chatting with someone the other day who shared exactly these words. She went on to express the fact that in her mind, style is frivolous and inconsequential. As a Style CoachTM, I obviously take a different view, […]
Want to know the biggest lesson I’ve learned since becoming a Style CoachTM? I have to tell you that I’ve learned so much since deciding to dive into all things style related. I’ve learned about shapes and colours, accessories and style personalities. But the biggest lesson? It can be condensed down to just six words. […]
One of the many and varied reasons that I originally established Distant Francophile was to share some of the many beautiful photos of France that Scott had taken on our travels. I promise I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that we already had thousands of shots when I started DF. I thought that they […]
As I promised I would be, I’m continuing to ponder the stack of questions I’ve received recently from Distant Francophile readers. One query that I realised I’d better answer in a hurry was around the success – or otherwise – of my most recent vacation packing efforts. I was also asked to share the […]
I’m just going to come right out and say it. When it comes to foundational style principles, I feel like the importance of clothing fit has become more than a little under-rated. Discussions around trends and designers seem to dominate the style landscape. (And to my mind, these factors fall more into the category of […]
Earlier this year, I clocked up 27 years in a corporate environment. My day job is not something that I write about regularly here on Distant Francophile. It’s just not all that relevant. But, deep down, I’m actually quite proud to have spent almost three decades with one organisation. An organisation that, until quite recently, […]
It happens every single time I visit France. I am absolutely inspired to lift my style game. It is as simple as that. It starts as a little niggle soon after I arrive. And by the time I head for home it is a full blown commitment. I return to Melbourne just wanting to look […]
I honestly didn’t expect to be writing this post. Following our last few visits, I’ve reported back on what they are wearing in Paris. This time around, I’d already decided that such a post would most likely be a little boring. I was genuinely thinking that it was very unlikely that anything would have changed […]
I love perfume. No, I’m going to go a step further. I adore perfume. So much so that I’ve often thought that if I wasn’t committed to blogging about all things French and style related, I could easily have a site dedicated to beautiful fragrances and the sparkling bottles that house them. That said, you […]
Well, our countdown is finally over and I’m writing this post as we travel to Europe, and our first stop, Prague. I promised regular readers that I would let you know the outcomes of my packing decisions, which I’m pleased to report were super easy after I’d sat with my Step Four questions for a […]
Packing for Paris. Once upon a time, those words made me feel more than a little apprehensive. It’s such a stylish city, and it is easy to feel like you might muck it up. Thankfully, visiting Paris at least once a year for the past decade has removed my packing nerves. But I won’t pretend […]
Dressing ourselves. It’s something that we do every day of our lives. And yet – unlike many things in life – practice doesn’t automatically make perfect. It can happen all of a sudden. One day, you simply wake up and utterly detest everything in your wardrobe. Alternatively, it can sneak up on you. Fleeting feelings […]