Dress Like Her! Issue 1: Only You Can Do It!

I think most of us have a person or two that we try to channel when we get dressed in the morning. I have about a million and though I'm madly in love with all of them, my queen, the titan of my fashion fever dreams, is the one and only Francoise Hardy.

Seriously, what a babe. And she is cool as hell. She was raised by her mother alone. Her absent father gave her a guitar as a graduation gift and she scored a record deal when she answered a newspaper ad for young singers. She was always incredibly shy and struggled with it her entire career but she basically lived my dream life- she was the It Girl of France in the 60s, released all sorts of succulent pop music in French, German, English, even Portuguese.  Mick Jagger described her as his "ideal woman" but she rejected him. Jean-Luc Godard put her in a movie. Fucking Bob Dylan wrote a poem about her.

As amazing as she is, she was never comfortable with her professional life and always felt that the Francoise Hardy presented to the world was a completely different person. As soon as she could, she peaced out on the French Pop Industrial Complex, had a baby with, and eventually married, Jacques Dutronc...

Scuzztown Body Language Expert says they're pretty into each other.

 ....and WROTE A BOOK ABOUT ASTROLOGY.

If only I was fluent in French and could afford to buy a copy of this. (She's a Capricorn, in case you're a curious astrology nerd like me).

Though she wasn't lovin' it, Francoise's style is timeless and looks just as fresh in 2012 as it did back then. She perfected understated sexiness. Her look often bordered on tomboyish but no one would doubt her femininity for a second. Those doe eyes, that perfect hair, those cheekbones!



Feeling like you need to infuse your life with a little more 60s French Cool Girl Swag? You've come to the right place.

The Shopgirls Guide to Channeling Mme. Francoise:

Une: Press Play.

This song is high up there on my summer jams this year. I feel like I'm speeding down a country road in a vintage convertible with the cutest boy in town whenever I listen to it.

Deux:  Regarde ça!

Ici! All of the elements necessary to make people think you just hopped off the red eye from Charles De Gaulle.

Bronzer- Oh, the magic of contouring. Because we weren't all blessed with cheekbones that could cut glass.

Nude Lipstick and Black Cat Eyes- Quiet sexiness is all about neutrality. Play down your beautiful lips a bit and they'll be lost in your eyes.

Black Cigarette Pants-Looking hot in cigarette pants is much healthier than having actual cigarettes in the pockets of your pants.

White Turtleneck- Minimalist sex appeal, perfect for when your striped shirt is dirty.

Black Ankle Boots, Striped Tee and a Trenchcoat- Frenchies love Trenchies! Ooh la la! Pair them with Geometric Sunglasses and a Floppy Hat and hopefully the rock n roll dreamboy whose calls you've been ignoring won't recognize you when you pass on the street. (We doubt it, beautiful, but you can try).