12 Ways To Be More French Today

Tackle these 12 tips and you will get a little more French with every step.

These tips were compiled and advised by a genuine Frenchie, with added Irish commentary from a Dub.

?F: Wear stripes; live the Breton way, maybe get a navy beret too?

D: If you don’t own at least five stripy tops you can forget your Parisian dream.

F: Ditch the foundation and opt for a strong red lip (find the shade that suits you best, ?be it a dark red or an orangey tone or more towards the pinks) but make a statement with it.

D: This will be a real difficulty for the pale-skinned Irish but let’s try it. Step away from the trowel, ease off the seven stages of contouring and remember that your ‘HD’ brows need not be visible from space. Let your lips do the talking.

?F: In France we don’t do hugs; greet your friends in a typically French manner with two kisses; one on each cheek.

D: This one’s going to be a toughy with awkward Irish folks, but knowing you don’t have to grapple with the half-handshake-half-hug-full-embarrassment that we endure all too often, you’ll never second guess yourself again.

?F: Embrace the caffeine, don’t sip forever on your Americano – boost your energy with shots of black coffee. (Potentially find a terrace and engage in some people watching, my favourite pasttime in Paris).

D: There’s nothing chic about your chai, mocha-chip frappucino with added cream and sprinkles on top.

F: When you are by the sea, take your lovely knit and throw it over your shoulder, tie the sleeves into a little knot hanging loose and low over your chest.

D: Normally reserved for Irish folks that make you throw your eyes to heaven ( ‘who do they think they are?’ ), over the shoulder jumpers need no longer mean you’re too wealthy for your own good; it’s just French, okay?

?F: Ditch your heels and buy some lovely ballet flats; we very rarely wear heels unless we are going somewhere extremely fancy or to someone’s party.

D: Imagine a world where Irish girls wore shoes they can actually walk in and don’t fall on the cobblestones of Temple Bar? Irish women may once have considered flats a little frumpy but they’re anything but, if you wear them right.

?F: When the weather is warm, whip out the round wine glasses and drink chilled ros? or champagne if you have the funds.

D: Ros?, not a 6 pack of cider by the canal.

?F: Wear monochrome, always and forever.

D: What she said.

?F: Own 50 shades of grey jumpers; that’s our uniform throughout winter.

D: You’ll never see a French girl donning a luminous pink hoody.

F: Always look fabulous, period (*or f**kable, as Caroline de Maigret suggests it in her book on how to be a Parisian anywhere you go).

D: This doesn’t mean you’ve got to have a blow dry every single morning, but always dress like today is important, or dress as though Olivier Martinez may bump into you at any moment.

F: Have a tiny bag that you wear over your shoulder and let it sit on your lower belly.

D: You don’t need to bring the entire contents of your apartment out with you when you’re popping to the shop.

F: Make yourself some Sunday crepes not pancakes.

D: And pray, that with all the pastries you consume in a bid to be more Parisienne, your metabolism turns French in the process.

F: Laura Chabal, D: Caroline Foran