Finally, Let's talk about the fashion attitude of French women

French women have this seemingly innate style that makes them the object of envy of other counterparts who buy the same labels -- sometimes even the same outfit -- but are surprised when they aren’t instantly transformed into Catherine Deneuve.

The French look is effortless. They are not slaves to their hair, not their makeup, not their clothes. They play with fashion and have more fun. Also, they assess their assets and make the most of them.

The style seems very off the cuff. French people don’t have yet the celebrity culture, so they believe that fashion and style isn’t dictated by celebrities who sometimes don’t have the right taste levels. They take a few cues from fashion professionals but are even more likely to trust their own instincts. They don’t try to look like anyone else other than themselves. They know who they are and make the most of what they have. Allure, to them, is more about a statement than physical beauty.

You’d be hard-pressed to find women wearing skinny pants just because they’ve been labelled a must-have item, and no one does a head-to-toe look of a particular season or a particular designer. French women mix and match, they go vintage.

True, they have their beloved pricey labels, but since they buy things that match their personal style, they get a lot of mileage out of their most expensive pieces. For everything else, they have more choices when it comes to fast-fashion stores.

French women know their own brand DNA and work it. Ever wonder about all those carrot-haired women on the streets of Paris? It’s part of their brand identity, and it did not cost much to build.

A Frenchwoman’s wardrobe is built around classic silhouettes with chic investment-piece accessories, such as an alligator bag or an Hermes scarf. Ah, the scarf. Almost everyone used the scarf as a metaphor for French/European style. It transforms everyday clothes into a chic outfit, while at the same time seems a casual afterthought added just as a woman was dashing out the door.

A French woman starts wearing scarves young and, therefore, isn’t afraid of them. Scarves are part of their wardrobe, as much a part of their wardrobe as an American woman putting on a T-shirt. . . . Don’t treat it like such a serious thing.