 How to style a Breton stripe top French women style lookbook. Today I'm sharing how to style a Breton top with 10 different outfit ideas. It's the French women style classic I love to borrow season after season. Now the other day I was looking through my capsule wardrobe and I realized I've developed a bit of a thing for Breton tops. So I thought it was about time I shared how I styled them all. Hopefully this video will give you lots of outfit ideas and inspiration and I would love to hear which was your favorite look I put together in the comments section below. So without further ado, let me show you outfit idea number one. So I'm going to start today with the easiest and probably most classic way to style a Breton top with my midwashed denim jeans. You could go with darker denim or I particularly love even lighter denim. I think those sun bleached vintage style pairs of jeans work really nicely with a Breton top. The choice is yours. I just personally really love that blue denim sat against a blue striped Breton. Here you can see I've added a leather jacket to give the outfit a little bit more edge and my flats are pretty gentle so I think that makes a nice contrast. It's a classic way to wear the Breton top and with good reason because I don't think it ever gets old. It's easy, very much a throw on everyday kind of look that in my humble opinion never fails to look chic with that recognizable French woman style. It's funny how this hugely popular style was originally thought up to spot French sailors when they'd fallen overboard. Then of course, given a new lease of life courtesy of Coco Chanel in her 1917 collection and the rest as they say is fashion history. Now when I'm feeling the need to make my feel a little bit smarter, a really easy trick is just to add a blazer over the top. As you can see here, I've added my herringbone blazer but in all honesty, any blazer would work. I've married the tone of my blazer with my straight leg jeans that I got from and other stories, added my ankle boots and a little proscien style handbag to finish. The outfits are a long way from the sailors of Northern France but it's nice to know something they created is still loved over 100 years later. I tend to have at least one Breton top in my capsule wardrobe every single season. I really find it that versatile. In winter, when I want a slightly lighter toned overall look I like pairing them with this wool blend pair of trousers I got from Cezanne. In summer, I'd probably switch those out for a pair of chinos or maybe beige jeans. The effect is still the same. It's clean, it's crisp and hopefully it's got a sprinkle of French woman style. I've added my super affordable classic white trainers with this look and my tan leather handbag. I love tan against Breton stripes. It's one of my favorites. And to finish, I added this cute little headband I bought from an independent creator I found on Etsy. I shall link all the clothing I featured in this video in the description box below so you can find those at the end of this video. Now I'm hesitant to call this a trend as such but I've noticed a lot of women recently starting to wear their jumpers over their shoulders and tied in a knot at the front. Just one look at Instagram and you'll know what I mean. This look seems to be everywhere at the minute. Now I wouldn't necessarily say it's a typical French woman style. It's just a look that happens to be a bit of a thing right now. It's practical at least, always having a jumper to hand if it gets cold. And I actually really like this kind of effortless chic look. I sometimes tie mine together with a bubble hidden underneath. I'm all for looking chic but I would find it really annoying if it fell off my shoulders every five minutes. So as you can see, I've tied in that brown tone of my jumper with the tan leather belts, caramel flats and a camel handbag to finish. Now obviously you could switch up the color of the jumper or cardigan you want to integrate into an outfit like this. A great pop of color would give this outfit a whole other vibe but I think it would work equally well. A bit of a hopeful evening wear look now. I am so missing catching up with my friends. So while I wait for lockdown three to finish, I'll just have to keep debating what I'm going to wear. And this outfit is a good contender. In fairness, I don't think a lot of people would necessarily think of wearing a Bretton top when they're heading out for dinner but I think it can absolutely work. French women just seem to have that neck of making whatever they put on look chic. It's a bit like Kate Moss or Jane Birkin but I think what it boils down to is not trying too hard which is hard, I know. Don't overdo it on your accessories. Leave your hair slightly messy and undone. And most importantly, make sure your outfit feels really comfortable. And I think it's that effortless attitude that comes off as great style. A Bretton top will always work for the office or Zoom meetings working from home of course. To jazz mine up a little bit, I went for that famous French woman style of adding a pop of red into my outfit. I got this pair from Everlane just before Christmas and I absolutely love them. Granted, they don't go with a huge amount of outfit ideas but I'm always really happy when I can include them. You could add a touch of red lipstick to bring the two tones together and I like styling it with my crossbody bag to make it feel more relaxed and everyday. Now this is probably quite a transitional outfit as is but you could very easily add in a winter coat if you need an extra layer. Camel would work nicely and I think a long line denim jacket would look great with an outfit like this as well. And I forgot to mention, if you're not already subscribed, I would really appreciate your support if you'd like to do so and don't forget to give the video a thumbs up. And also at the end of this video, don't forget to follow the link in the description box below where you can find my daily style pictures over on Instagram at fashion and style edit. One tone I love adding into the mix when I'm styling a Breton top would be brown. It's quite possibly my favorite shade and I seem to have an awful lot of it in my capsule wardrobe. Here I'm wearing a new pair of trousers in my closet. They're like a mixture of different brown tones all blended together. I've got my Forever sneakers on my feet to keep the look feeling comfy and then elevated it all back up again with my long camel coat and my handbag to match. I personally love the mixture in this outfit. The elegant polished coat sat against a very easygoing Breton top. The smart tailored trousers contrasted with something super chilled on my feet like a pair of trainers. I just love the way it all blends together. By the way, I should say actually if those trousers do need taking up, I am aware. I haven't got round to it yet because I'm kind of debating which is my favorite pair of shoes to wear them with and then I will get the Wonder Web out. So this outfit is just one big concoction of different styles and textures. It's elegant and laid back all at the same time. It's all my favorite things to play with when I put outfits together. Don't be afraid trying to integrate a color into your Breton top outfits. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't but there's really no harm in having a go. And more times than not, I ended up finding new outfits that I love. I didn't plan this next look for example. I just kept playing with pieces in front of the mirror until it felt right. And I think the power of something feeling right is really underestimated. So with this look, I was particularly thinking of an extra layer when it gets a bit chilly outside. So I added my light pink mohair cardigan underneath. Then I added a deeper shade of pink with my jacket and I'd even layer maybe another shade of pink with the scarf. I think that would work really nicely as well. The burgh doesn't particularly match at any of the shades that I'm wearing but I think it's subtle enough to blend in nicely. I'd really advise having a play in front of the mirror with your own Bretton top. Just trying on different colors and different pieces even if you think they won't work. You might just surprise yourself with a whole new outfit idea that you love. I'm obviously generalizing here but when I think of French woman style I seem to imagine these effortlessly chic women with the confidence of a supermodel mooching about the shops. Of course there's always a story behind that image and I'm imagining we've all got the same insecurities but that's the aura they give off. Maybe they're just better at hiding it. Now I'll admit this isn't the most elegant jacket I have in my wardrobe but I really wanted to share how nice that deep khaki tone works against the Bretton stripe. It's one color and style combination that I'm personally really looking forward to seeing more of this year. And then I've taken it a step further and styled it with a lighter tone of khaki with this pair of trousers. It's surprising but all the tones work beautifully together. Again I work for brown leather with my handbag and simple trainers on my feet. It's obviously a very chilled out outfit but it feels on trend and really effortless which is what I aim for when I'm compiling outfits. When I think about how to style a Bretton top in a really elegant and sophisticated way often the easiest thing to do is to just keep it really simple. Bring it back to basics. Those core pieces in your capsule wardrobe that you know make you feel elevated. Here as you can see I've done just that with a fairly tonal look. Pairing my Bretton top with my straight leg crop trousers of which there are lots of different versions on the high street and some really beautiful and affordable pairs. And as you can see I've then layered my classic wool navy coat over the top. I like the texture of the wool coat against the cotton of my top and the silkiness to those trousers. One with my loafers and my handbag with a bit of a chain detail which I think ties in nicely with that gold on my shoes. You don't have to think of something super adventurous when it comes to making your outfits. Often the simple styles give off the chicest looks and I think that's what French women have mastered so well. I really hope you've enjoyed this video and most of all that it's given you lots of outfit ideas and inspiration. It's always really lovely to hear from you all so don't forget to let me know in the comment section below which was your favorite Bretton top outfit idea that I put together. Don't forget if you're not subscribed I would really appreciate your support and all the links to all the outfits I've featured in this video are in the description box below. I'll be back in a couple of days with some more outfit ideas and styling advice so hopefully I will see you then. Take care.