The ParisSharing Blog

La Parisienne par excellence

Those who hold Paris to be the most (or one of the most) beautiful cities in the world usually also consider its women to be among the most attractive (for men) and envied (by women).

Sophisticated or sultry,  stylish and stiletto-heeled, free-minded or frivolous, the Parisienne has maintained her international reputation over the centuries. As recently as three months ago, a collector’s book was published entitled “La Parisienne dans l’art“. Théodore de Banville is cited there as having written in 1876:

“If you want to know how a Parisienne will act in any given situation, imagine just the opposite of what is customary and you will know exactly. You can be sure that she will always behave contrary to popular notions of elegance and intellect”.

What does it mean to be a Parisienne in 2012? Let us unravel her for you, all the way down to her culotte.

As imagined by Yves Saint Laurent, the inventor of the perfume that bears the name Parisienne, her main characteristic is boldness to do as she pleases. In the current advertising campaign (seen below), she is shown in her black trench coach, strutting across the Pont des Invalides in the wee hours, presumably after a steamy night out.  She seems to have misplaced most of her attire, but fortunately only has to walk a short distance before arriving at her Seine-front penthouse.

Parisienne - Ad by Yves Saint-Laurent Perfumes

Along with the trench coach, a slim-fitting black dress is an unconditional part of her wardrobe. According to Inès de la Fressange, muse of Chanel and one of the most emblematic Parisiennes, every parisienne should own at least five variants. In her book, Parisian Chic: A Style Guide she hints on how to dress like a hip Parisienne. The core doctrine is summarized in this slideshow featuring her daughter, Nine d’Urso, as a model.

The most familiar Parisiennes are those we see (over and over again) on the big screen. Remember Juliette Binoche in the Lovers on the Bridge? Or Audrey Tatout as Amélie ? They have the astonishing particularity, like great Bordeaux wines, of becoming more admirable with age.

Actrice parisienne, Audrey Tatout

Actrice parisienne, Juliette Binoche

Now for the unraveling part. What do Parisiennes wear underneath? Aubade is one of the most famous and successful parisienne lingerie brands. Its advertising campagne “Lessons in seduction” is second to none.

Culotte by Germaine des Près, Bed & Breakfast by ParisSharing

But do Parisiennes wear such things on an ordinary Sunday morning?  We recently scouted out a counter-chic underwear brand called Germaine des Près, based as the name suggests in the heart of the ultra-hip St. Germain des Près. Germaine offers a series of lollipop-style cotton culottes, describing them as quintessentially parisienne: delicate with a fighting spirit, fresh, spontaneous, joyous…maybe a bit stubborn and een fierce on occasion.

Perhaps the idea here is that even the most ordinary clothing item, with a just a “touch of Paris”, invites you into a different mode of being.

If  underwear can’t even be ordinary for a Parisienne, are there any ordinary Parisiennes ?  Do they indeed have a certain je ne sais quoi that captures your attention? For ParisSharing, that is the most interesting of questions, since it is mostly Parisiennes who invite you to stay in their homes, either while they are away on vacation or in a bed & breakfast.

Over the course of 2012, ParisSharing will organize a series of interviews with parisiennes with panache who you may well run into while buying your baguette at the local boulangerie. Many of these will be ParisSharing hosts. We will ask them about what they love in Paris, how they think of themselves as Parisiennes, and their favorite places in the city to dine or shop. Read the introduction to these interviews here.

Until we release our first interview, here are some shots of stumbled-upon parisiennes going about their daily affaires. With an eye for detail, you will see that there is something particularly parisienne in each of them.

By j'faisc'quej'veux on Flickr - click to see more

Ultimate chic on a public bike

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