Vintage style is hugely popular in France, and especially Paris. What I love about living here is that I meet so many women who share the same passion for vintage style from the 60s and 70s as I do! Vintage fashion has its fans in the States, but it’s really a ‘niche’ passion. In France, vintage fashion is almost mainstream – far more than in the US.
Here, French women love to mix vintage pieces with more modern ones. French girls will take a vintage jacket and pair it with a new pair of pants, or vice versa. They’re always mixing old and new.
The benefits of shopping vintage are multifold. For one thing, you’re not contributing to the surplus of clothing production. We all know that fashion is one of the planet’s most wasteful and polluting industries, so shopping second-hand is always a big plus for the environment.
Secondly, you’re getting a truly unique piece that no one – ok, maybe I’m exaggerating – else owns. Sure, a few French grandmas might have the same piece you buy stuffed in their closet, but who knows when it’ll see the light of day again?
While I love certain French clothing brands, I’m not going to lie that it does scare me a bit that someone else might wear the in-season piece I just bought. After all, if you buy something in season, hundreds of other women did too!
With vintage clothing, you don’t have to worry about that as much.
If you want to take on the French vintage style, I recommend you start by raiding your mother or grandmother’s closet. If that’s not an option, then you can start by hitting the pavement and checking out some of the best vintage stores in France.
If you can’t make it on the next flight to Paris, worry not. There are several amazing online vintage stores that can sell you some beautiful vintage pieces found in France!
That’s how you get French girl vintage style!
