I spend a lot of my work time analysing the wardrobes of French women. From the microtrends they adopt each season to the brands they shop most regularly, there’s so much we can learn from our Parisian counterparts, and there’s nothing I love more than decoding what currently makes them tick. Today’s focus? Colour!
Newsflash: French women wear colour. The French aesthetic is often portrayed as one centred around staples and a largely neutral palette. This is definitely the case—most of the French women I religiously follow rely on classic, everyday pieces to build their outfits upon—but they do still make room for colour. It just comes with a bit of nuance.
On the cusp of a new season, I was eager to see which shades my favourite French fashion people were already wearing, so I scouted their most-recent looks and, soon, a pattern began to emerge. There were five distinct fashion colour trends that I kept seeing over and over—elegant ones at that! French women have a knack for unearthing items with longevity, and that can certainly be said for the colours I’m about to talk you through. Avoiding the anti-trend likes of black, white and navy, scroll on to see the five timely colour trends French women are wearing for 2024.
French women always manage to look richer than they are, and I truly believe this comes down to their collective palette. Even when they do “colour”, it’s with nuance, and this pale yellow shade is the perfect example of their ethos.
Where bright yellow might be overpowering, this muted tone works just as a neutral—think a warm beige or taupe—to lift darker colours without jarring the overall look.
This vintage-looking jacket will earn you so many compliments.
Just add a grey knit and ballet flats.
V-neck jumpers are having a moment.
Brown was one of the biggest colour trends last year, but French women have long been wearing the versatile tone, cementing its relevance for 2024 as well.
From top-to-toe trouser-and-jacket looks like the one above to easy, throw-on brown dresses, French women use this shade as a soft alternative to black and navy.
I own this coat in grey, but the brown is very tempting indeed.
These come in a slew of chic colours.
This Arket bag has gone straight to the top of my wish list.
All-grey outfits were core to the 2023 aesthetic, with French women continuing to show their appreciation for the look as we head farther into 2024.
Match your grey tones to make your look cohesive, or layer charcoal with dove to create a subtle clash. Note: Grey also makes a great base for brighter hues such as red. Speaking of which…
Such a great jacket shape (one that’ll layer even over the chunkiest of knits).
Pencil skirts are another major French-girl 2024 trend.
Red might be on-trend for 2024 but this bright, tomato-red shade is actually very timeless, never really going out of style. Hence why it proves ever popular amongst French women who embrace classic stye.
Red accessories are an easy way to nod to the trend, as is a red jumper which you can throw on with everything, from jeans to miniskirts.
There’s nothing more luxurious than a cashmere sweater.
So elegant—I’d wear these with on-trend pedal pushers.
I just know this Mango jacket will fly…
When it comes to green colours, olive is perhaps the most versatile to match to, which is precisely why French women have zeroed in on it.
As seen here, olive green is another colour that creates an ideal base for brighter colours you might want to experiment with, making it a handy addition to any wardrobe.
Arket’s bestselling blazer now comes in this khaki colourway.
