Health

The trick to staying chic in a heatwave? Copy the French

The Telegraph · Jul 17, 2026 07:00 · 4 min read

Don’t worry, I’m not about to trot out another bunch of tired old tropes about all French women being more stylish than anyone else. Yes, there’s a definite strain of savoir faire (call it restraint, call it conformity), but in Britain we have flair and a certain fearlessness. That can tip both ways, but the point is that in an age of globalised ho...

French supermodel Inès de La Fressange pairs a white, long-sleeved shirt with high-waisted trousers - Getty

Don’t worry, I’m not about to trot out another bunch of tired old tropes about all French women being more stylish than anyone else. Yes, there’s a definite strain of savoir faire (call it restraint, call it conformity), but in Britain we have flair and a certain fearlessness. That can tip both ways, but the point is that in an age of globalised homogeneity, there are still national preferences across the world – and some of them are worth borrowing.

I was in Paris last week to see the couture shows and I spent a lot of time thinking about Paris When it Sizzles, a 1964 film. The evocatively named romcom did not receive a rapturous welcome. Variety magazine declared it “contrived, utterly preposterous, and totally unmotivated”.

You could say the same of the air conditioning in Paris. But like the female star of Paris When it Sizzles (one Audrey Hepburn, whom the same Variety reviewer called “a refreshingly individual figure in an era of exaggerated curve”), Parisians have a distinctive sartorial response to the heat, which, I noticed, many of the editors, wherever they were from, have also adopted, possibly because it favours crisp simplicity over flouncy romance.

A guest wears medium-length wavy brown hair, black squared sunglasses, a white midi dress with a red sailor collar, and white leather ballet flats shoes, outside Comme des Garçons during Paris Fashion Week in June 2026 — French women eschew fussy prints and patterns for plain, yet crisp dresses in the heat - Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

Parisian women, for instance, have a stronger affinity for shirts in this weather than we do. It’s a heat-proof way to inject a suggestion of tailoring and to cover arms if you want to. Additionally, French women’s famous frugality means they don’t have as many summer dresses as the average Brit, relying instead on separates and co-ords.

A guest wears creme white blouse, silk skirt outside LGN during Day Four of Paris Fashion Week in June 2026 — Airy shirts are a style staple during a heatwave in France, offering both coverage and a more tailored look - Christian Vierig/Getty Images

Plain fabrics date more slowly than patterns. Bubble hems, bias cutting, godet pleating, volume and tying a light weight sweater nonchalantly around the waist all help ensure impact.

A guest wears long curly black hair, oversized black square sunglasses, a sleeveless gray asymmetric top, a silver large cuff bracelet, a neon red pleated maxi skirt, a silver varnished leather crossbody bag, black Mary Jane flats shoes, outside Taakk, during Paris Fashion Week in June 2026 — Instead of patterns, alternative skirt hemlines such as a bubble hem add interest to an outfit - Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

In practice, that means fewer floral dresses than you might see in the UK and more plain, bias-cut ones, sometimes trimmed with lace. Shorts are everywhere: tailored, lace-trimmed, broderie anglaise, casual; some mid-thigh, but plenty on, or below, the knee, making them a smart alternative to trousers, which are mostly too hot in the 34C-plus temperatures.

When it cools (slightly) at night, the Parisian dress code acquires a matching jacket. For day, a favourite staple by far is the vest top of a tailored waistcoat.

“Parisian women don’t like to get too muscular,“ my Parisian source, tells me. “So you won’t see us exerting ourselves with very heavy weights. But we do like to look toned.” Pilates is their exercise drug of choice – that, or cycling insouciantly along the many bike lanes designated by Mayor Anne Hidalgo (much hated by taxi drivers here) in unfeasibly sexy outfits and kitten heels.

Gili Biegun wears a black silk midi dress with white lace detailing by Maria McManus, cream-white leather shoulder bag, red kitten-heel flip-flops, and diamond earrings during Day One of Paris Fashion Week in June 2026 — As shown by fashion influencer and editor Gili Biegun, heatwave dressing is about balancing the amount of skin on show - Raimonda Kulikauskiene/Getty Images

Talking of sex appeal, “always the shirt undone one button lower than you would in England,” purred my Parisian source, as we sat watching the tennis at Wimbledon last week. Always some skin on show, but usually legs and a lot of naked foot, rather than cleavage. “From when I was quite young my mother told me ‘you shouldn’t show, only suggest’,” she said.

For the record, she was wearing an ivory linen Ralph Lauren blazer (she’d replaced the gold buttons with faux horn ones to make it less trad), tailored shorts and sandals and a kilometre of tanned leg. Chic, smart, yet slightly risqué – especially in a sea of dresses and trousers.

Bags are neat and on the flat side, rather than bulky. And yes, French women are still, on the whole, slimmer than a lot of other nations. “I think it’s because we still eat less processed food than in the UK,” says my source.

A guest wears blonde hair in a bun, a light blue shirt from Miu Miu, gold large earrings, a white gold shiny silk midi dress, a blue and red striped print pattern tote bag, — The ‘no make-up make-up’ look is popular - Edward Berthelot/Getty

They also wear less visible make-up and are less bothered by wrinkles. It’s not that they don’t get tweakments – there are plenty of Botox doctors in Paris and someone’s keeping them busy. But give them a lightly touched face with cheekbones over an inflated one any day. French beauty routines are big on skincare. Mascara, concealer, a bit of blush, bare nails and they’re good to go.

Like any nation, France has its tribes. Head to Nice and none of the above applies. “The people in Nice,” declares my Parisian fashionista, “have the worst style in France.” If you’re there this summer, let us know if you agree.