From Moscow to Melbourne, women are flipping through pages of French glossy magazines wondering how they can dress with the effortless elegance of Parisian women. Of course, if you want to truly understand Paris street fashion you need to visit the city yourself.
'The best way to get a taste for fashion is to do in Paris as Parisians do: sit at the terrace of a cafe, and watch people walk by,' says Marie Destombe, a Frenchwoman who spent six years in Paris before relocating to Hong Kong.
The creative director of a lingerie company says that 'unlike other nationalities, French women tend to dress down; they are the opposite of fashion victims, never over-the-top, so it is difficult to describe what makes it so special'.
Rebecca Leach, designer for French pret-a-porter label BGN, agrees: 'There is not a lot of fun or folly.'
French women invest in good key pieces in neutral colours such as beige, grey, black and some denim. Then, they complete their look with an accent of colour or a few stronger pieces.
Most foreigners gravitate to areas around the Paris metro stops of Boulevard Haussmann and Opera where the big department stores are, and Rue Faubourg Saint Honore and Rue Saint Honore for the famous high-end shops.