French Girls Never Match (and Neither Should You)

My top tips for creating stylish tension in your wardrobe

Not everything has to match. In fact, it shouldn’t.
That’s not just personal style advice—it’s a mindset shift. Especially for us femmes d’une certain âge, who’ve been conditioned by department store mannequins, Pinterest boards, and the “capsule wardrobe” cult to believe that coordination = elegance.

Mais non. Coordination = boring.

à mon avis.

The French? They know better. They know that imperfection is intimate. That mixing elements—textures, eras, even vibes—tells a richer story. You can sense when someone has a style all her own. It’s in the way she throws a structured jacket over a romantic dress, or how her scarf shouldn’t work with her bag—but it absolutely does.

Let me say it plain: matching is not mastery.

Take my outfit the other day- Navy blouse from Target (yes, I said Target), white Banana Republic skirt with pockets (bien sûr), outlet find), Ralph Lauren leather sneakers, and a touch of dry shampoo prayer. Teal necklace. Orange bag. Tortoise shell earrings. Nothing about it is a “set.” And yet, it sings. Why? Because the real elegance is in the confidence. The wink. The knowing what’s “off” but leaning into it anyway.

It’s the same with your home, your tablescapes, your gallery walls.
A Parisienne Farmgirl doesn’t try too hard. Shes’s curated, but never cookie-cutter. Jamais. She’s dressed, but never desperate.

And for heaven’s sake- she wears the clothes. The clothes do not wear her.

You don’t need a matching set. You need a sensibility.

“The Rule-Breaking Parisienne Closet”

Let’s go deeper. Here’s how to train your eye (and your closet) to break the rules like a French woman raised on old cinema and flea markets—You’ll love this: