EVERYONE CAN LEARN SOMETHING from the muse, model, former face of Chanel and current face of L’Oréal and Roger Vivier, Legion of Honor recipient and best-selling author, Inès de la Fressange. Inès is the original Parisienne—Caroline de Maigret and Jeanne Damas all came later. Style-wise, the younger generation can look her “less is more” aesthetic. Nothing is ever too revealing or loud, and everything works in symbiosis. Decided to wear your golden bangles? Then leave your nails without your signature nail polish. Need to break out of the monotony of navy blues and monochromes? Add a small red silk scarf, but leave it at that; do not overdo it. In fact, be so simple that you invest in a capsule wardrobe of signature separates that will combine together in a nonchalance that can’t be emulated, with the correct accessories, of course.
Working women too busy to dress by a trend will appreciate the timelessness of her style. It’s key pieces that are rotated: perfectly tailored and hemmed crepe or wool pants, an array of cashmere sweaters that are slightly oversized, silk blouses, navy blazers that she quotes as her life savers, and her beloved Roger Vivier ballet pumps. Once Inès finds her signatures, she sticks to them, whether it be her favourite perfume — Mitsouko by Guerlain — or her personalised antique watch. After all, “fashion and good taste are made with a little bit of bad taste. It’s like perfume. To make a fantastic, mythical perfume, you need the most incredible flowers, the best quality of products. But you need another product that really smells terrible to make the whole thing work. Fashion is like this. Somebody who looks totally perfect would be a little bit boring.” — Victoria.
1 – Theory cotton shirt (similar here and here), 2 – Chinti and Parker cashmere sweater, 3 – J Brand mid-rise slim boyfriend jeans, 4 – Saint Laurent sunglasses, 5 – Guerlain Mitsouko Eau de Parfum, 6 – Saint Laurent blazer, 7 – Roger Vivier leather ballerinas, 8 – Balenciaga silk scarf, Aurélie Bidermann earrings, Jennifer Meyer gold bracelets. 
Images: 1 – Altesse, 2 – ELLE, 3 – Loreak, 4 – Madame Figaro, 5 – Astylebum, 6 – ProgrammeTV, 7 – Pinterest, 8 – ELLE UK, 9 – Vogue, 10 – Switch Magazine, 11 – Fashionism, 12 – Pinterest, 13 – The Luxer, 14 – Google +, 15 – Stylure, 16 – La Plume de Flo, 17 – Vogue, 18, 19, 23 – ELLE, 20 – ELLE, 21 – Edithsparis, 22 – Grazia, 24 – Harper’s Bazaar.
