Purple Magazine
— S/S 2008 issue 9

purple BEST of the SEASON

photographer TERRY RICHARDSON
fashion editor OLIVIER ZAHM
stylist CHRISTOPHER NIQUET

The French woman has become such an international style icon that she herself is now trying to incarnate the fantasy: innate chic, cool sophistication, extreme slimness — although she’s a gourmet of food, a connoisseur of wine and ever hostile to plastic surgery — Rather intellectual, often ironic, and sexually liberated, she still smokes too much, and comes off as arrogant.

Yet, compared to, say, the American woman, the French woman tries to give the impression that she doesn’t take fashion too seriously — so much so that she constantly denies it and even shows some distance to it, though her look is a carefully composed work of art. She might even show a little hostility toward fashion, than publicly acknowledging that she does deeply care and is trying to present an inimatable style — in perpetual but secret competition with her friends.

Without a doubt for her, the most inexcusable faux pas is to look even slightly overdressed, day or night, on the street as much as on the red carpet — something she often thinks of, say, Americans. Her contradictory attitude toward fashion gives her true conviction that her own style is definitely more interesting than that imposed by any trend or fashion mandate.

We invited ten creative Parisians who are involved in fashion to openly interpret the French woman. In collaboration with stylist Christopher Niquet, each of them selected clothes from the summer collections that caught her eye. Terry Richardson captures how the way they dress reveals who they really are.

 

David Swanson and Brian Ziegler, photographers assistants — Seth Goldfarb, lighting director — Charlotte Collet, stylist’s assistant — Emmanuel Samartino @ MARIE-FRANCE, make-up — Coco Clanet and Sandrine Cano, make-up assistants — David Mallett @SALON DAVID MALLETT, hair — Patrice Graf and Giorgio, hair assistants — IMAG’IN PRODUCTIONS, digital management

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S/S 2008 issue 9

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