Sitting outside Gemma restaurant at the Bowery Hotel in Lower Manhattan, Jeanne Damas gave a classic example of what many would call French Girl style.
She was wearing a camel trench coat over jeans, and her brown hair and bangs were naturally messy, as if she had just woken up. Her visible makeup consisted mostly of red lipstick, which had faded to a more natural tone. On that cue, the waiter approached and delivered her black coffee and croissant.
It was a Wednesday morning in September, the last day of New York Fashion Week. Damas, 31, had arrived from Paris the day before.
Later that night, she was scheduled to open a new store in Manhattan for Rouget, the fashion brand she founded in 2016. The brand became known for feminine basics with a Parisian sensibility. Shortly after she launched her brand “GQ”, called Mr. Damas “The coolest and most beautiful French woman in France right now” French Vogue explained about her as the “personification of Paris Girl”.
Rouje, which started as an e-commerce business, has steadily expanded into a brick-and-mortar retail store. The New York store on Broome Street in SoHo is the company’s first store in the United States. Seven of his other stores have opened in England and France, including London, Paris and Bordeaux.
As Rouget grew up, Ms. Damas said, she made few changes to the aesthetic that has always been ingrained in her own wardrobe. “Her personal style has never changed at all since her teenage years: jeans, oversized jackets, ankle boots and wrap dresses,” she said.
She first became known for her style through her blog. (One of her early fans was French fashion designer Simon Porte Jacquemus, who after connecting with Ms. Damas online, made her the model for his brand. ) upon tumbler and after that Instagram, she would post photos of herself on the cobblestone streets of Paris, in outfits with a glass of red wine and a swipe of red lipstick. She named her brand “Rouje” because she loved red lipstick.
Although Ms. Rouget is influenced by Ms. Damas’s personal tastes, it’s hard not to see similarities between her sensibilities and those of Jane Birkin, the singer and actress who died in July. Although Ms. Birkin was British, for many she became the epitome of effortlessly elegant, especially French style. A full-blooded Frenchwoman, Ms. Damas commercialized that style with her rouge, and she has positioned herself and her brand as the new standard-bearer for the French girl look.
Ms. Damas was recently cast in the role of jewelry designer Paloma Picasso, another French-born fashion muse, in “Kaiser Karl.” Upcoming Disney+ TV series about fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. Jérôme Searle, director of the series, said Damas had a “French style but also modern elegance.” She was a natural fit to play the woman Mr. Searle, 52, described as France’s former “It Girl,” he added.
Delphine Courteille, 48, a Parisian hairstylist who has worked with Damas, said other clients also cite Damas as their aesthetic inspiration. Her hairstyle, in particular, was described by Ms. Courteille as “very Parisian”, with her bangs always being “Jane Birkin-esque”.
“There’s a lot of femininity and lightness that makes women want to be like her,” Courteuil said of Damas.
Dhani Mau, 34, editor-in-chief of the website Fashionista, spoke about Damas’s digital presence. 1.5 million followers on Instagram) helped convey French girl style and the references that inspired it to a wider audience. “Before, you had to go to France to watch French movies or look for photographs,” Mau says. Mau added that the fact that Damas is often seen wearing Rouget clothes on social media helps associate the brand with the look of French women.
A photo of French actress Léa Seydoux also helped advance that association. The set features a red printed Rouje wrap dress A character from the James Bond movie “No Time to Die.” “She was wearing our red dress, but we didn’t know,” Damas says, adding that since these photos circulated, Rouget has been seen on “many actresses, especially in France.” He added that it has become so.
In addition to dress (from $220), sold by Rouje Tank top ($60), T-shirt ($70) and jeans ($185), Birkin’s favorite easy basic type. Camille CharrièreThe London influencer, who is half French, explained that such items are characteristic of French girl style.
“The French love the basics,” says Charrière, 36, a contributing editor at Elle UK. “The whole point of French style is that it’s something you build slowly over time.”
Isabelle Chape (33) is a French fashion photographer. content creator The Manhattan resident said his preference for basics stems from his reluctance to keep up with trends. “Parisians don’t want to look like they’re trying too hard,” she says.
Ms. Damas used the word “simplicity” to describe the charm of French Girl style. “Sometimes it’s boring,” she said.
She said that although Ms. Birkin is an influence on her and Rouget, “style is not about copying.” She described her approach as creating clothes that evoke a particular lifestyle, rather than recreating a specific wardrobe. “What’s important is not the dress itself, but the life inside the dress,” Damas says.
She added that her take on the look is influenced by styles outside of France.some slippage dress She said the clothes she made for Rouget were inspired by clothes she saw women wearing when she visited New York many years ago.
“The funny thing is, me and the creative team weren’t really inspired in France, but now we’re here and we’re inspired by everything,” Damas said.
“Women in New York are more daring in their looks, and I think that’s liberating,” she says.