Summer Beauty, Summer Fashion
Be, Feel, and Look Your Best en été
French women are very careful about the sun, especially where their faces are concerned, for nothing adds years to the face or hands like too many youthful days spent unprotected in solar radiance. Saying this, I must note that enjoyment of the sun brings out the American tendency toward unhealthy extremism, and not only in Americans. Devoted readers of health and beauty magazines, ever on the lookout for new products with astronomical SPFs, seem obsessed with going anywhere but toward the light. Others take the arrival of summer sun as the occasion to roast like poulets on a spit, heedless of common sense, let alone medical fact. Raising the bar for what constitutes a healthy glow, they compel their more vampirish sisters to slather on the tanner in-a-tube, which leaves virtually all complexions some shade of cantaloupe. We need a little bon sens here: The sun is essential for our synthesis of vitamin D, without which our bones would turn to coral. So you should make sure to get some, but limit your exposure (a burn can occur in ten minutes without protection), take extra pains to protect your face and hands, and neither a sun worshipper nor a vampire be.
Heads Up
With regular cycling and swimming, two of my favorite activities, I wind up washing my hair too often for a cut that requires a lot of styling. Summer is a good time to faire simple with your hair, although you shouldn’t ignore the necessity of special care. Hot climates, whether dry or humid, do wreak havoc on both hair and skin. As in winter, the need to moisturize is great. For the hair a thick shea butter conditioner is advisable several times a week, depending on how naturally dry your hair might be. Frizz is proportional to dryness, need I say more? Before moisturizing, I rinse my hair with cold water to which I’ve added a teaspoon of vinegar or the juice of a lemon, as my mother taught me to do: this will make it shinier than expensive products will. I also like to rinse my body in the shower with cold water; it’s good for the circulation. These are cold-water beauty routines that are actually a good year-round habit, but if you didn’t grow up in northern France, you might find it easier to start them in summer. The same might be said for my morning ritual of putting an ice cube or two in a facecloth (to avoid breaking capillaries) and gently stroking my face, especially around the eyes. I do this right after I’ve had my day’s first glass of water; the day’s first one is vital, also regardless of season.
Wearing the Season
Summer dress is light dress, often white and light colors, mostly cotton. But don’t forget that on the hottest days in hotter climes more cover can keep you cooler than less, to say nothing of protecting unnoticed body parts from sun damage and far worse. In a French city you’ll see few locals over the age of twelve wearing shorts, and decent “cover” is the norm (except perhaps in Saint-Tropez). I lose the heels in favor of lower sandals or espadrilles—a classic style that never disappears from the maritime regions of France and all along the Mediterranean.
The simplicity of French women’s self-styling is never handier than in summer. I often recommend starting the season with a uniform in mind. A few pairs of flattering trousers, a skirt, and fine cotton T-shirts. Buy the nicest you can. It’s better to have a few good pieces than two weeks’ worth of shoddy clothes. The shirts—mercerized or knitted cotton of good quality gives you a base of simplicity without looking slovenly—should be easily washed and ironed. Simple is best, though a few buttons, a ribbed weave, or subtle piping announces that you are not sporting Fruit of the Loom. J.Crew and Banana Republic are just two of the retailers offering such basics online at a good price. The trousers, if of a light tropical wool, can be hung in a steamy bathroom or pressed with a not too- hot iron several times before you need to take them to the dry cleaner (dry cleaning wears out fibers and makes new clothes look worn, so do it sparingly). If the trousers are linen, their wrinkling is perfectly stylish. With their nice tees and trousers or simple sheath dresses, French women, as I shared, create their different looks with accessories.
Have a look at my suggestions on where to shop in NYC to find summer clothes (and throughout the rest of the year) in Shopping.
Personalizing Your Look
The jewelry does not require a trip to Cartier. I have a string of chunky wooden beads I bought in the souk in Marrakesh, and they lend a very sophisticated touch to a tee and trousers. This year white beads were all the rage and didn’t need to be made of ivory to look elegant. (Who would be so cruel to Babar, anyway?) You could buy a modish ornament at a fancy boutique, but often a look-alike piece from some other emporium—or even a street vendor—will create the same effect for a lot less money. (Makes sense, since the more determinedly fashionable the look, the less likely you’ll want to embrace it next season.) With jewelry, less is most definitely more. If you have a choker making a strong statement, you don’t need elaborate earrings—de trop. To be in fashion as well as stylish (the latter being a more evolved and personal state of being, a mind-set as much as a look), limit yourself to an element or two—a color, a shape of handbag—that signals you are not totally oblivious to the pages of Vogue and Elle.
Remember: French women do not “buy the mannequin.” Nor do they adhere militantly to the haute bourgeois ideal of always looking totally “done.” They do one part uniform, one part fashion statement and one part strictly idiosyncratic and personal. The specific choices are yours.
This way, you should navigate the street chicly in summer. But what of the air- conditioned bubble? Don’t blow money on trendy glad rags if you haven’t invested in a classic crewneck cardigan in light cashmere, if you can afford it. It is always elegant, can be draped over the shoulders or folded into a tote, and may save you from hypothermia at your desk. A good cashmere cardigan, occasionally hand washed and combed for pilling, can last for years. Next summer you can start building your collection, adding a new sweater each year. (A little quality goes a long way—you needn’t bankrupt yourself buying en masse.) Start with a neutral color you can wear all the time.
Another means of deliverance from the artificial Arctic is the scarf, which perhaps sounds like the last thing one would need in summer. In fact, like a cunning string of beads, a neckerchief can dress up and lend individuality to a simple tee-and-skirt ensemble while taking the chill off, too. When not wrapped in one, French women keep the scarf handily tied to the handles of their handbags. This is part of the effortless look commonly called BCBG (bon chic, bon genre)—half style, half attitude, meant to channel the bien dans sa peau spirit if not taken to fussy extremes. I tend to wear cotton, muslin or chiffon scarves in summer, and I tend to wear them differently than in other seasons.
About Face
So, creams, sun protection, and moisturizers for hair and body are part of the seasonal toolbox. But in summer, makeup too takes a holiday. Go light, without foundation for the chic, un-made-up look of Parisians. Put on some sunscreen, and let your skin breathe. A mask is a good idea. My mother had two wonderful ones for summer: strawberry (mash a few strawberries and mix together with 1/2 teaspoon of honey and ½ teaspoon of Vaseline moisturizer. Apply to your whole face; after fifteen minutes, rinse off ) and cucumber (mix a few cucumber slices with 2 tablespoons of yogurt and apply to your face and eyes. Cover with a wet cloth; after fifteen minutes, rinse off ). As for fragrances, I vary them by season, too, in spring and summer preferring eau de toilette to perfume, light florals and refreshing citrusy scents, nothing too complex or heady. For more fragrance ideas, click here.
