10 Things Elegant Ladies NEVER Wear in Summer!

I used to work as a lawyer on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, and I grew up spending my summer in my grandparents' château in the south of France. And my grandmother, who was from Haute-Bourgeoisie, taught me every summer how to dress elegantly. So in this video, I want to share with you 10 things that elegant ladies never wear in summer, and suggest what to wear instead if you want to dress elegantly. And the first thing that elegant ladies never wear in summer are flip-flops, especially flip-flops with heels. Obviously, elegant ladies do wear flip-flops at the beach, but that is the only place where they will ever wear flip-flops. That is because elegant ladies want to reserve flip-flops to their initial purpose, which is to protect your feet from the hot ground. Either the sand on the beach, either hot stone when you exit the pool. The second reason is that flip-flops are made of plastic, obviously so, and plastic is not a material that an elegant lady wants to wear, because plastic is cheap. It is associated with disposable plastic packaging. It does not age beautifully, and it's not made to last, and it's also made in conditions that really damage the planet. Additionally, flip-flops, because of their design, do flip and flop when you walk, and that is definitely not a sound an elegant lady wants to make as she walks. And now that flip-flops are even a trend, elegant ladies even less want to wear those because they don't want to be associated with wearing something trendy. Somebody who follows trends appears as someone focused on showing that they are following what everybody else is doing, and an elegant lady very much wants to portray herself as a leader. I'll get back to the heels question a bit later in the video, but for sure, flip-flops with heels are not something that an elegant lady would wear. Instead, what an elegant lady is going to wear, and that is obviously when she's not either at the beach, either at the swimming pool, a sandal like this one that has the same kind of laid-backness as a flip-flop, but is still way more elegant. First, because of its material, so these are both made of leather. Leather is a noble, rich material, so very different from plastic. And second, because of their shape. An elegant lady is going to be looking for a sandal that covers her foot in an elegant and delicate way. So the weaving or the shape of the leather is going to be a part of her outfit and what she wants to put forward. So it's going to be very important for her to choose a sandal that is delicate. These she would wear to stroll in the city, she would wear to dinner, she would wear in most situations that you would encounter during the summer. These can also be worn in a laid-back professional context. When picking your leather sandals, there are a few things you should pay attention to, to be sure that they are comfortable, look good, and last. The kind of leather that you'll want to have is a leather that breathes. I'm going to get back to the materials that are suitable for summer, but patent leather definitely is not, because in summer we want to be relaxed, we want to breathe, and we definitely want our feet to breathe if the climate is hot. So I'll be looking for as raw leather as possible, because this leather is going to be supple, it's going to allow my foot to breathe, and it's also going to take the shape of my foot much more quickly than a leather that is coated. I'm also going to pick sandals that have a sole that is either in leather, either in gum or rubber, because I want to have a good grip. And if I have sandals that have a plastic sole, I'm going to slip very easily and I'm not going to be able to walk comfortably, which is going to take away from my elegance. Having leather soles also allows you to resole your shoes, which makes them last much longer. The second thing elegant ladies never wear in summer is shapewear under a summer dress. Because in summer, we want to express that we're relaxed, we want to express that we're in flow, we want to express ease, and shapewear expresses constraints, especially if it is visible under a summer dress. In general, an elegant lady is never going to pick a dress that requires any kind of shapewear. Anything bodycon in summer doesn't express the flow and the femininity that she wants to express. It also shows sweat much more, which is obviously not something that an elegant lady wants to display. Instead, she's going to choose a dress that flows and that expresses that effortless femininity. That is how you're going to be comfortable. That is how you're going to avoid being warm, because there is going to be space between the fabric and your body, which helps with cooling down your body temperature. It's also going to be the most feminine option, because femininity is expressed through flow. The best kind of summer dress is going to be a dress that has structure at the shoulders and structure at the waist, so that we express femininity through the hourglass shape. That's a shape that is going to be flattering for all body types, and that is going to express that effortless femininity that summer is all about. Number three are stiletto heels, because summer is about effortlessness, and stiletto heels are definitely not an effortless kind of shoe. The kind of femininity that an elegant lady wants to express in summer is a very goddessy, flowy femininity, as opposed to a sexy kind of femininity, which is really focused on sexual appeal. That's the heels, the short bodycon dresses, anything that reveals either the body, either the shape of the body, and that has elements that have very sexy or sexualized connotations. An elegant lady, in any case, wants to stay away from those, and especially in summer, she wants to be very much in that flowy energy. And that is why she's going to avoid wearing stilettos. She will very likely avoid wearing any kind of heel, because she really wants to have that relaxed, flowy attitude, but in the evening, a heel might be welcome. In that case, she's going to stick to a low-block heel, so a shoe that still expresses effortlessness, because it's still easy to walk with a low-block heel. This shoe is a great example of an elegant summer heel, because it is made of woven leather, which has this laid-back connotation. It's also golden, which adds some femininity, and it has a very comfortable shape. The heel is in wood, which is also a summery material, which I'm going to get back to. And the sole of the shoe is leather and rubber, and that is something that you can know by looking at those pictograms that you have on any shoe. If you see a little leather skin sign, it means that your shoe is made of leather. And if you see a little diamond, it means that your shoe is made of some kind of man-made material. It doesn't mean that it's bad, because man-made material can be actually rubber or gum, but you will definitely get that diamond if your sole is made out of plastic, which you want to avoid. You'll be able to tell the difference, because plastic is very shiny and has a very plasticky kind of sound, as opposed to rubber, which is much more matte and has a more matte sound. The fourth thing that elegant ladies never wear in summer is a full face of heavy makeup. Because summers are hot, we sweat, and sweat with a very cakey makeup on definitely doesn't look elegant. The light is also very strong in summer, and that shows the build-up much more than a cool winter light. And that's one of the things my grandmother always insisted on. In summer, you have to barely wear makeup, so ideally you have a skin that allows you to be bare-faced or with just a little bit of blush, and obviously your sunscreen. Either you have a skin like mine, which does require a little bit of coverage, in which case the best that I can recommend is to use a CC cream, because you're going to have the sun protection, but you're also going to have a little bit of pigment that is going to unify your skin. It's very light, so it's not going to mark your wrinkles like a foundation would do. And if you use it simply, which is what I do, with your lipstick, on your lips, on your cheeks, on your brow bones, and on your temples, you're going to have a very healthy look. And then the last thing that is very summery, but that is only if your skin is white, is to have brown mascara. Because in summer, we're all about being natural and being effortlessly gorgeous and glowy, so we want our lashes to look as minimal as possible. And if you have a very fair carnation like mine, if you wear some black mascara, the contrast is going to be too sharp and it's going to look too artificial. Always in elegant French makeup, we want the makeup to be invisible. So if your skin is white, switch to brown mascara. And if your skin is brown, your lashes are naturally going to be brown, so using a black mascara is just going to be emphasizing your natural beauty. Brown would decrease the contrast and it would look awkward. Fifth thing that elegant ladies never wear in summer is something transparent without intention. Because you can obviously play with transparency in your outfit, but nowadays, the quality of fabrics has become so crappy that something that shouldn't be transparent actually ends up being transparent. It's particularly the case with cotton t-shirts or linen suits. So it's very important that you do your quality check before buying the piece. And if you already own a piece that's rather transparent, then make sure that your underwear is the same color as your skin, so that your panties don't stick out from your very beautiful linen suit. As soon as I'm wearing something light, which is definitely something that I wear often in summer, I do a little check before I walk out the door to make sure that my underwear is not visible. Because even though summer is about beach, it is not about underwear. Underwear are about sleeping and other things that happen between two consenting adults, so that it's not something that you want to put forward in your appearance. Sixth thing that elegant ladies never wear in summer are sneakers. Because we want to express the effortless femininity, lightness, easiness of summer. And sneakers are chunky, masculine, usually made out of plastic, and they definitely don't have an elegant feminine silhouette. Obviously, sneakers are a great shoe to visit a European city in the summer, but they are not elegant. Luckily, there are alternatives. Loafers are the best one. That's definitely what I use when I'm touristing by 30 degrees or 90 degrees Fahrenheit. They give you the comfort of a sneaker, but the allure of an elegant woman. To pick the right loafers, though, you have to make sure that you pick some that are in suede, because suede is very light and very supple, so it's not going to give you blisters. Because if you were to buy loafers in patent leather or box leather, you would very likely get blisters, which is not something you want on a trip. Loafers in suede, you can wear them for 10 hours the first day, you're not going to have anything on your foot, and that is tried and tested. The other thing that you're going to be looking for in your loafer is some kind of dampening in the sole, so when you press it, you can feel that there is a little cushion. And then the last thing that you should be looking for is a rubber or gum sole, because it's going to be very flexible, so it's going to follow your foot, it's not going to constrain your foot. An alternative to loafers are very comfortable sandals, and as I was saying at the beginning of the video, it's very important when you choose your sandals that you choose very supple leather. You want, when your sandal is new, to really be able to move the leather very easily and to feel that the leather is very supple. The second thing that you should be looking for in those sandals is also a little dampening of the foot, because you're going to walk long hours and you definitely want to have some dampening. Another alternative is a shoe with an arch support, if that's something you need. And you'll want to be sure to have a sole in leather or in rubber or gum. There shouldn't be any requirement to break a shoe before wearing it. If it's good quality leather and a good quality sole, you should be able to put on those shoes without getting blisters. If sneakers are the absolute only thing that you can wear, then pick them in leather so that your foot can breathe, and because leather is a rich material as opposed to polyester, and pick them with a very minimal design. And the seventh thing that elegant ladies never wear in summer are baseball caps, because baseball caps are very masculine, they're very utilitarian, they're very sporty. They basically have nothing in common with what an elegant lady wants to express in summer. Instead, to protect themselves from the sun, elegant ladies will choose straw hats, which are the epitome of the elegant hat in summer. I've always seen my grandmother with very beautiful hats that always had a little bow at the back to add some femininity. When picking your straw hat, make sure that it's a real straw, because they make some in plastic, unfortunately. You're going to see if it's a real straw, if it's very matte, and also if you have inside the end of the weaving of the hat. I personally find that a beautiful hat is a great piece to invest in, because it's something that you only wear a season, and the quality of your hat is definitely going to tell the quality of your taste and your ability to spot beautiful things. This is a hat I bought during a trip in Thailand, and I don't own any other hats, because it goes with all my summer outfits. Eighth thing elegant ladies never wear in summer are sexy swimsuits, because swimsuits by themselves are already sexy, because they reveal most of the body. What an elegant lady will make sure of is that her swimsuit doesn't have any connotation with sexiness. That means that she's going to stick to neutral tones, very classic shapes, and very minimal classic details. She's also going to avoid swimsuits that are too little girls, so swimsuits with very pastel colors, with a lot of ruffles, with little strawberries, because she wants to express that she's a woman, not a girl. She knows that her beauty shouldn't come from her physical attributes, but from her overall energy and the expression of her taste. So rather than having a sexy swimsuit, she's going to have a classic swimsuit, but she's going to wear her hair down, she's going to have beautiful shoes, she might wear a little bit of jewelry, or she might have a flowy kimono. Once again, the sexy that she's looking for is the Greek goddess kind of sexy, not the adult movie kind of sexy. Ninth thing that an elegant lady would never wear in summer is a heavy, dense handbag, because we want to say in summer that we are effortlessly beautiful, and that everything is light and bright. So having a winter bag that's very professional, very dense, very black, clashes with the expression of that lightness. Instead, an elegant lady, especially a French one, is definitely going to own a basket. Three or four. Because a basket expresses exactly what we're looking for, which is this effortless femininity. With a basket, we have natural materials, we have straw, which is a rustic material, which is a material that adds laid-backness to the kind of femininity she wants to express, and it's also made of leather, which is a rich material. When choosing your basket, just like for your straw hat, make sure that it is real straw, because a basket in plastic straw just takes the light in a very shiny, tacky way, and it conveys that you do not have the eye, and that you do not have taste, which is an important attribute of an elegant lady. Another material that you will see elegant ladies wear often in summer is wood. This is a wooden clutch that I wear to literally any dinner during the summer, because it has the clutch vibe, but it's not as stuffy and uptight as a velvet clutch, or a leather clutch, or a plastic clutch. Wood also has this rustic, rich connotation, in the same way straw does. Alternatively, canvas is a great material to have, because it is cotton, and it is relaxed and laid-back and white. It also has a bit of that rustic laid-backness. And in terms of leather color, we'll always stick to brown leather, because brown leather is much more light and much more rich than a black leather. And the logic is exactly the same with sandals. I want to avoid patent leather sandals, because these are more for fall or spring, and I want to avoid black sandals as well. Obviously, if you're going to a black tie event in summer, it's different, you can be more formal, in which case wearing something black would work. But as a general rule, you'll want to stay away from colors that are too sharp for the softness of summer. And then the last thing that an elegant lady never wears in summer are sunglasses as a hair accessory the whole evening, because obviously sunglasses are necessary to protect your eyes in summer, and it's very practical to have them on the top of your head to prevent your hair from falling in your face. Past a certain time of the day, especially when you move towards the evening, you don't want to look like you have forgotten your sunglasses on your head. You do not need sunglasses when the sun is down, and you want to convey that you have moved also from a mental standpoint into the evening. So an elegant lady will make sure that she has put her sunglasses away, and that she has freshened up, or at least transitioned physically into the evening space. If you are unsure of how to put all of those tips together into an outfit, I have put together 10 elegant outfit formulas, which are the outfit formulas that I use every day, which you can download through the link in the description. Thank you for spending this time with me. I will see you very happily in the next one. A bientot!