The Portrait
of Ines de la
Fressange
Ines de la Fressange is the icon and symbol of Parisian style, she is a figure of French fashion and is one of the most famous women in France.
Ines de la Fressange embodies a form of joyful luxury, natural elegance and casual chic that the world has called "effortless chic".
Model at 17, she quickly entered the category of the most talented and famous models in the world, parading on the international podiums for the biggest French Houses such as Christian Dior, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Yves Saint Laurent and many others.
Karl Lagerfeld's muse, she is chosen as ambassador for the House of Chanel and is the first model to sign an exclusive contract with a luxury brand. A true French icon, she was chosen as the face of Marianne, symbol of the French Republic, and has her statue in the Grévin Museum in Paris.
Ines shared her secrets in her book, "La Parisienne" ("Parisian Chic" in English), which has been a huge worldwide success, published in 17 languages and constantly reissued it has already sold more than a million copies worldwide.
Ines inspires and now directs the creation of the Ines de la Fressange Paris brand, which offers women all over the world the opportunity to access the best of Parisian style.
To create is the most
beautiful of the professions
How would you describe your fashion background?
Varied! I've had many different roles: model, writer, consultant, communications director and especially stylist, which is my favourite occupation. Creating is the most beautiful of jobs.
What's the best memory of your career? (Meeting, anecdote...)
Memories are numerous, the best are those of meetings with people who often became friends afterwards: Paolo Roversi, Naoki Takizawa, Karl Lagerfeld... But I remember a fashion show for my brand with models from 7 to 89 years old which was particularly warm and cheerful, made with the means of the side.
Can you describe your style in a few
words?
A handbag that costs more than the whole outfit put together! (laughs) White jeans, a navy blue sweater and some nice accessories. Piqué clothes for men who become very feminine. A simplicity a little studied. New clothes that seem timeless. Luxurious but not ostentatious clothes.
Your philosophy
of life?
Let's make a list of what's good instead of what's annoying. After the rain, the weather is fine, but the rain is not so bad. Let's try to find an advantage to each stain.
La Maison
Ines de la Fressange Paris
What is your role in the House?
Advise, encourage, find, inspire, criticize, congratulate but above all be concerned and give confidence to our clients.
How do you decide what you want from one season to the next?
My desires are like my breath, they don't stop. Just by looking at a fabric I can see the pants or coat I would like to wear; this is the key: to want to wear the clothes yourself and imagine that your customers are your friends and will follow you in your wishes. The desire comes from the lack too, there is always something missing in my wardrobe: a parka to go out in the evening, dressed trousers, a big soft sweater...
Where do you get your
inspiration?
Everything is inspiring, today we are inundated with images with for example on Pinterest; There are also museums, exhibitions, cinema, people we meet but what is difficult is not to have imagination but to choose what we are going to do or not. Eliminating, editing, removing and keeping a range of colours and a very legible line seems more difficult to me.
I love the streets
of Paris
Can you describe the brand in a few words?
A friendly brand that finds help and solutions for women; A desire for honesty in style, quality and price. A reliable company that wants to keep surprises in store. A desire to bring joy. A reasonable side but avoiding boredom. For a woman who assumes her frivolity but is not light-hearted. A desire to be in the trend without becoming fashion victims.
Who are Ines de la Fressange
Paris clothes for
?
A person fleeing consumerism, wishes to have little but good. A woman who wants to come and buy a coat and at the same time offer a dress for her little girl in the same place. A woman who has to dress a certain way to work but does not want to look sinister. A young girl who needs a jacket or well-cut trousers for special occasions but wants to wear them again at all sorts of times. A woman who continues to be curious, wants to keep her style but is willing to make a few changes. A woman who keeps her clothes and wants them to age as well as she does. A person who wants to make a gift, finding a scented candle, a vase, small leather goods or a pair of glasses.
What's your definition of Parisienne?
I hear there's a great book on the subject! (laughs) In short, it's more a state of mind than a civil status statement. It's a woman who cares about her appearance and knows how to mix the new and the old, the luxurious and the sporty, wants to have style more than to be fashionable, but remains vigilant about what's happening in her time.
The Paris of Ines
Your favorite
walk?
I love the streets of Saint-Germain des Près where it's easy to imagine how it was in the 18th century as it was in Juliette Gréco's time. The streets of Férou, Servandoni or de Tournon are magnificent and intact.
Best neighborhood for shopping?
I also like the left bank with shops like Isabelle Marant's or Marie-Hélène de Taillac's and also the inevitable Bon Marché. I also go to Kerstin Adolphson or 45RPM which are not far from my shop on rue de Grenelle.
Left bank or right bank?
The left bank is historically less conventional but I really like the gardens of the Palais Royal and the Marais on the right bank.
The best time of the year in Paris?
September is cheerful, there is still a holiday atmosphere, the weather is still nice, you can keep your basket and sandals but I would advise tourists in June to hang out at the terraces of the bistros and get lost in the streets.
If Paris was a artwork?
(A book, a painting, a song or a film)
It would be a collage because being in the faubourg Saint-Honoré or in Belleville has nothing to do with it and that is the richness of the city: its variety. So let's imagine a painting of Basquiat with a bit of Bonnard and Jean-Baptiste Sécheret in a Renoir film described by Françoise Sagan in collaboration with Maupassant and Balzac! (laughs)
