A little dress can lift your spirits and give a new spring to your step. I experienced that boost recently during a visit in Paris where the sweltering heat and my hectic schedule were making me feel dishevelled, sweaty and generally quite gauche. I should mention that those considerations were secondary to the great pleasure I took in spending time with so many close and dear friends and family. Nevertheless, I felt distinctly inadequate next to my smartly turned out companions!
The differences in fashion between Paris and London were also hitting me hard. Paris street fashion whilst usually more conservative and sometimes conformist, is also neater, better cut than London fashion which is freer, more creative but sometimes a bit tatty and not always flattering. Wearing comfortable shoes and serviceable clothes that had seen many seasons, I did not feel elegant nor sexy - I was badly in need of a "parisienne" injection!
Enters the little grey dress, courtesy of
Gerard Darel . That brand which never particularly appealed to me has lately cleverly used interesting models and actresses as its public faces: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Robin Wright - beautiful, interesting and "older".
The grey tunic picked up in the sale together with high-heeled clogs just did the trick: loose but feminine, embellished with "ethnic" chic embroidery, shimmering gently in its polyester fabric, it suddendly made me feel feminine and attractive. My gait affected by the height of the heels took a more leisurely pace and I felt ready to face Paris!
