No matter how many think pieces we dedicate to understanding the inimitable quality of French fashion, the infallible answer will always be their collections of well-edited basics. It’s this innate understanding and appreciation for fundamental styling items that make their outfits so effortless. Each woman has a rotation of simple-but-effective pieces they can always rely on: a pair of tailored trousers, excellent ballet flats, even a red lipstick they can swipe across to elevate even the most mundane of ensembles.
Like the decadent Belle Époque interiors of iconic establishments like Le Grand Café, these items are rarely likely to change. Rather, as the seasons fluctuate, they get fine-tuned ever so slightly to adjust to the drop in temperature. Now, as the weather cools and the days get shorter, French women will be turning their attention to winter wardrobe staples that will see them through frigid wind chill and grey skies.
As you’ll find, these essentials are far from the boring thermal layers that you pick up absentmindedly on your next high street visit. These are styles that, although necessary in near-arctic conditions, don’t reveal themselves as purely functional. Rather, there is an elegance in the way French women approach winter dressing, utilising pieces that tastefully combat the elements through considered materials and elevated design. After all, just because you’re forced to wear chunky jumpers, woollen beanies and sturdy boots, it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your devotion to looking sophisticated.
So, without further ado, scroll through to shop the key winter wardrobe staples French women will be wearing through 2026.
6 Chic Wardrobe Staples French Women are Wearing for Winter 2026
1. Trench Coat
Style Notes: From Isabelle Huppert in 2001’s The Piano Teacher to Catherine Deneuve in 1964’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, the trench coat has been a crucial part of France’s cinematic legacy. So, it should come as no surprise to see French women take cues from the silver screen and wear this piece in their everyday lives, too. Favourites include a beige car coat from Burberry, because why ignore the classics, right?, and emerging brands like Amsterdam’s Welter Shelter and Scandinavia’s Almada Label.
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Elongated and elegant, this style features drop shoulders and a barely-there beige that suits so many colour schemes.
The checked print trend is showing no signs of slowing as we head into winter, and the hidden interior detail is such a subtle way of embracing it in your wardrobe.
This trench coat has been a staple for discerning dressers, including Kate Moss, Alexa Chung and even Princess Diana, for centuries.
With a muted olive shade and waterproofing fabric, this style acts like the full stop at the end of an excellent
2. Tuxedo Blazer
Style Notes: Ever since Yves Saint Laurent introduced the Le Smoking jacket—a suave, slim-cut, evening wear suit—in 1966, the silhouette has been a fundamental part of French women’s wardrobe. This style is the perfect accompaniment to going-out ensembles, with the tuxedo blazer the sleek finishing touch on those long winter nights spent sheltering in place over a plate of steak frites at Brasserie Lipp.
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Single-breasted styles offer a more sculpted silhouette.
The contrasting satin lapel is a hallmark of a quintessential Le Smoking jacket.
The Frankie Shop has an incredible reputation for thoughtful tailoring, which this style expressly
COS’s tailoring is some of the best available on the high street.
3. V-Neck Sweater
Style Notes: It’s oftentimes the minuscule details that make the most significant impact when looking thoughtful during cooler months. Knitwear is one category where this feels incredibly relevant, as a tweak to the neckline, print, or colour can change the overall look. So, what style are French women gravitating towards this season? V-neck sweaters. Deceptively sultry, this style offers a glimpse at whatever layer lies beneath, creating a silhouette that appears more thoughtful and intentional.
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This Rise & Fall style is arguably the favourite for Who What Wear editors.
Trust M&S to stock trend-forward knits at accessible price points.
The way this piece is styled feels right out of a French woman’s playbook.
Reformation has some of the best jumpers currently available to purchase.
4. Straight-Leg Jeans
Style Notes: Where there’s a French woman, there’s bound to be a pair of straight-leg jeans. A staple adored by countless style icons, from Jane Birkin to Charlotte Gainsbourg, the classic nature of this denim style makes it easy to translate from season to season. Invest in the right shape and style, and you’ll never struggle with what to wear, especially as denim lends itself perfectly to outfit formulas rooted in sumptuous knitwear and elevated outerwear.
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Agolde’s jeans are some of the most popular around, but if there is one style to seriously consider investing in, it’s this one.
Alexa Chung’s wardrobe has always been somewhat of an enigma—seriously, how can someone pair Peter Pan collars with camo jeans and still look chic? But she’s let us in on a secret with this pair of jeans.
Straight-leg and clean-cut, these will serve you well over winter.
Mango’s denim is genuinely soft as butter.
5. Suede Boots
Style Notes: Suede boots are an elevated alternative to traditional leather footwear, and if the appetite for Saint Laurent’s napped Le Loafers or Le Monde Beryl’s latte coloured Mary Janes is any indication, it’s that these textured touches will continue to trickle through into winter capsule wardrobes. Of course, it’s not just French designers doing this style exceptionally well. Look to knee-high styles from Khaite or zip–up op from The Row for more covetable options.
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The winter version of The Row’s Liisa heels—which come Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner approved—are obviously just as chic.
Jude is the Portuguese shoe brand beloved by celebrities like Sienna Miller and Dakota Johnson. This two-toned leather and suede style proves why.
This coffee colour is simply delicious.
An investment that will ensure you look your best, even on winter’s darkest days.
6. Ladylike Bags
Style Notes: The French have a concept called “le masculin-féminin”, which refers to the art of mixing both traditionally masculine and feminine items. Where they might rely on a foundation of boyish tailoring and boxy shirting, they’ll subvert these concepts with an exuberantly graceful accessory that softens the overall look. Ladylike bags are one way they toy with these notions. From structured top handles to oversized shapes, opt for pieces like the Dior Cigale, named after a famous 1952 dress designed by Monsieur Dior himself, or the Jacquemus Valerie.
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If it’s worn by Rihanna and Jennifer Lawrence, it’s good enough for us.
The Toteme T-Lock is a true modern icon.
A covetable collaboration from DeMellier and Who What Wear UK’s own editor in residence, Rebecca Donaldson.
This Miu Miu bag is the epitome of the trend.
