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Style Counsel: Unfussy French Girl Style with Lucile Demory

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Style Counsel: Unfussy French Girl Style with Lucile Demory

June 7, 2013

I first got to know Lucile in the same way many friendships begin these days, through email. After writing back and forth for a few months, we finally met in Paris last month; what struck me immediately was her effortless, well-tailored classic style and her warm personality.

Lucile works for A.P.C. from their flagship offices, producing their seasonal photo shoots for look books, campaigns, and special events (she also works with ceramicist Cécile Daladier in her Paris atelier). She started out studying museology at Paris Unis, and after interning with an event-planning agency, landed her current position. When she was offered the spot she thought, “I love A.P.C. already, the perfect job at the perfect brand.” Today, most of her wardrobe is comprised of French-style classics coupled with a simple look focused on natural beauty (antiseptic lavender water, one lipstick here, a little nail polish there). Read on for her tips and everyday basics, and for more from Lucile’s keen eye, visit her blog Post-Patternism.

Photography by Natalie Weiss for Remodelista.

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Above: Lucile’s room in the 19th arrondissement flat she shares with her sister, Clarisse Demory.

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Remodelista: How would you describe your personal style?

Lucile Demory: With my clothing, I gravitate toward a more tailored, tidy look. I wear shirts and fitted pants and lipstick–but then, I’m not trying to look like a business girl either so I won’t wear shirts with pointy collars. Colors and fabric dictate my choices: floral patterns, lots of earthy, soft color. I only really buy cotton or wool, sometimes silk. I would rather own fewer clothes but all of good quality, which I do actually. I hate being cluttered with things and tend to give away my clothes if I don’t wear them anymore. I find it really satisfying to get rid of things and I never keep anything “just in case.”

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RM: Wardrobe basics?

LD: Wedges for shoes because I’m short and I want to wear heels but I can’t walk in them. Chinos or A.P.C. Petit Standard Jeans, and button-up shirts–I wear loads of them. When you wear clothes that fit and feel just fine, I think it helps to be more confident. There is nothing worse than trousers that you need to pull up every five minutes or a viscose shirt. My perfect outfit would be navy blue chinos, a simple leather hand bag, and a black macintosh.

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Above: Lucile wears A.P.C.’s Perforated Wedge Sandal in golden yellow tanned calfskin leather.

RM: What season works best for you?

LD: Summer is great. Although I prefer spring, actually, because I sunburn very quickly and need to be careful. Spring is perfect because I can start wearing my favorite outfits, I can find shoes, and start wearing my skirts because I don’t like to wear tights. In the winter I find it really hard to find shoes and I’m always too cold–it’s hard to find nice big coats; the ones I like are always too thin.

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RM: Hair maintenance and beauty essentials?

LD: I don’t do much to my hair really, but I use dry shampoo a lot. I love it, the one from Klorane because it has no scent. You can’t totally wash your hair everyday, you have to push it a few days. For makeup? I have my lipstick–it was really hard to find. I was trying to find a lipstick that was the natural color of lips so that it would be really subtle. I found this one from MAC, Brick-O-LA, and I think it’s pretty close. This is the one for now.

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RM: Go-to scent or perfume?

LD: I don’t wear perfume because I have this Rodin hand cream. It’s my treat, it smells of jasmine, and I think it’s enough–I don’t like overwhelming perfume. I think that you shouldn’t be able to detect when someone is wearing it. I like when my clothes smell of laundry–that’s good enough for me.

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Above: “This is my Margaret Howell key holder. I love Margaret Howell but I can’t wear the clothes because of the cut. I was happy to find something from them and it’s a so nice because I hate keys–the sound of them–and I like hiding them this way. It’s just such a beautiful object to have in your bag and hang on the wall when you’re in.”

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Above: “My favorite linen water: diluted lavender essential oil. I use it massively for cleaning because it’s antiseptic and smells amazing. It’s from the Drí´me, I got it at the market and every time I go I get a new bottle.”

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RM: Room fragrance?

LD: Clarisse brought it for me from Florence; it’s Santa Maria Novella’s Potpourri. The traditional ancient one from 1612 is amazing, it smells a bit like a church.

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Above: “This plate is Raku made by a friend of Cécile’s who is also in the south of France, in the Drí´me. She made it for me and I think I’ve had my breakfast on the plate every day since. When you understand how hard it is to get that color variation, you really appreciate it.”

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RM: Do you have a signature piece of jewelry?

LD: No jewelry. I don’t like the feeling of the cold on my neck, wrist, and with rings. I feel like such a lady when I wear rings, it just doesn’t work. To me, if you’ve got makeup on, you don’t need jewelry, so I chose makeup instead.

RM: How does a French girl put herself together?

LD: Right now, in Paris, I know girls are wearing socks with their sandals and heels, their hair in high buns, and these Woody Allen-esque tortoise shell glasses. Oh, and their nails! French girls often have their hands and feet painted. At work [at A.P.C. shoots] a girl won’t remove her shoes if her nails are not painted. It’s something I discovered last year and since then, I gave in too.

RM: What do you travel with?

LD: I always take my Moleskine notebook and Astier de Villatte pencil. I do some sketches for my pottery when I’m on the train. I find it so much more pleasant to draw when you have nice tools to work with, they have an aura about them that inspires you.

RM: What was your most recent splurge?

LD: Actually it’s the pottery studio at mom’s house in Lille. I’ve been saving up for the kiln and the wheel so for me, that’s the big investment for the next ten years.

RM: What’s next on your wish list?

LD: This shirt that I’m wearing is my all time favorite, it’s an A.P.C. shirt and I asked the stylist to re-do it for the next collection. He liked the idea so I’m looking forward to buying at least four of them next year.

See the other houses and people I visited while in Paris in our Travels with an Editor: Paris series and for more style advice, see the Style Counsel section of our archive.

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Product summary  Item 6 157Item 7 158

Style Counsel Unfussy French Girl Style with Lucile Demory portrait 15
Air Fresheners & Scents

Pot Pourri

$35.00 USD from Santa Maria Novella

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