7 French fashion brands for the Parisian Look (Other than Sézane)

The Parisian je na sais quoi style is fancied by so many fashion lovers and I wanted to break down some of my favourite brand discoveries outside of Sézane for achieving a feminine, subtle, wearable, everyday style. Looking beyond just the clichéd beret and straw bag aesthetic when it comes to Parisian inspired outfits, here's a list of my favourite French fashion discoveries.

I discovered some of these brands in real life this year while in Paris

Balzac

One of my favourites has to be Balzac for their sustainability as well as stylish designs.

Balzac is a sustainable French fashion brand that has an incredibly inspiring philosophy. At the heart of the brand is ensuring their pieces are made to last from having classic designs to using sustainable fabrics such as Tencel. They produce these pieces in local European factories and remove wastage of fabrics by using their scraps for things like scrunchies (which I received one for free in my last order).

I have made two orders from Balzac and I am very impressed with them so far. They make classic pieces in timeless cuts that falls on the casual side with frequent floral prints popping up in their collections. They are definitely a slow fashion brand as their line of clothing and styles is not constantly expanding which is something I appreciate about fashion brands as it feels more considered and like they have their own brand DNA down.

The three pieces I've tried include the Erine skirt, Sally skirt and Martine Tee Shirt which were all true to size. I wear the XS or 34 in Balzac and I'm an US 0-2 and AU 6.

Flolove Paris

Flolove Paris is a Paris boutique who's clothing pieces are made by a small team in Picardy, France. I have fallen in love with their ultra-feminine and effortless pieces. This brand embodies a mix of whimsical and feminine clothing that is dreamy for anyone who favours more girly and playful pieces.

At first glance, expect a lot of embroidery, floral accents, frills, voluminous blouses and wide legged trousers. On my wishlist from Flolove Paris is the Patchouli Blouse (shown below white with black dots) which seems like a versatile and feminine piece to pair with jeans for a cute weekend look or styled up with a pencil skirt to wear for work.

Soeur

I visited Soeur on my recent trip to Paris (2022) and loved the sophisticated and timeless design of Soeur. All of their clothing pieces feel thoughtful and classic, using quality fabrics and elegant colours. Out of all the French brands here, this one is the most understated and timeless.

My best way of describing it is that instead of using details like ruffles or excess ornamentation, their pieces are subtly designed capturing a more sophisticated look. Created by 2 sisters, this brand’s vision is to dress all women regardless of age and style. Having visited a few of their boutiques, I definitely notice a wider age range of people shopping at Soeur.

Rouje

I discovered Rouje on Instagram a few years ago after following French it-girl Jeanne Damas. Their line has a tonne of feminine and vintage style pieces inspired by the 'Jane Birkin' look with playful wrap dresses, cute cardigans, flared jeans and straw bags.

I've owned one piece from Rouje (which I've now parted with on depop) but it was a beautiful black midi skirt with red flowers. I received a lot of compliments from co-workers on this piece as it feels quite unique and different to pieces I would normally see in stores here in Australia. The quality was nice though nothing special but I love Rouje mainly for style inspiration and their designs.

Orta

Orta is another small boutique French brand with dainty and feminine classics. I first discovered them on YouTube when their chunky stripe knit was featured on a a French YouTuber's channel. I fell in love with the look of their clothing as well as their transparency when it comes to factories and production where their pieces are made in France and Portugal.

Sessùn

Originating from Marseille, this brand has an extensive line of classic wardrobe staples that feels more chic and classic than some other more feminine brands mentioned here. Every piece has a unique twist or detail, but all the pieces look incredibly versatile to be worn again and again in a wardrobe.

After Sezane, this is one of my favourite brands. In Paris, I visited their boutiques often, and loved seeing all the fun colours, unique textures and feminine designs. They lean more detailed and feminine, often with a free spirited bohemian twist.

Mes Demoiselles

Mes Demoiselles is a popular boutique brand found on Farfetch, Net-a-Porter and other large retailers. This brand has a more bohemian look and style to it whilst releasing their classic silk slip dresses, silk camis and silk skirts as part of every release. I often browse their collections for inspiration as they have a mix of very casual holiday style pieces and dressier items made from luxurious silks.

I have loved browsing these boutiques online for inspiration on how to style pieces I already have as well as adding certain pieces that might fill a gap in my wardrobe onto my wishlist. All in all, these brands have classic styles with a feminine and chic twist that I love.