In 1889, in the Normandy village of Saint-James, a mayor who ran a spinning mill, Léon Legallais, launched the first Saint James garment: a Breton fisherman jumper in tight-knit wool. It was a working sweater, built for fishermen, and nobody thought of it as a style idea. I find that reassuring, because most of what we call French style began the same plain way. I went deeper on a related idea in Audrey Hepburn Style: Lessons From a Rack of Leftover Samples.

 

So this is lesson one of six, and it is the least glamorous: begin with something that does a job. The French wardrobe is a short list of honest pieces worn on repeat, and the Breton stripe is the clearest example. The navy made it official in March 1858, when the striped knit was recorded by decree as the official undergarment of the French Navy. Chanel later took the look to the seaside in Deauville, with a striped sailor top, straw hat and loose trousers. Even the word for the sweater, chandail, comes from fishermen selling garlic in England, where the British heard Marchand d'ail as chand'ail. If you want to keep going, Diane Keaton style: The Annie Hall Wardrobe, Made Personal is the one I would read next.

 

For the stripes themselves, I would start with the Saint James Meridame II in ecru and navy, a heavyweight cotton long-sleeve Breton tee. The Galathee II has a three-quarter sleeve and navy and ecru stripes. The Sézane Elina Marinière is cropped and slightly oversized, and the La Ligne Breton tee brings a boat neck and grosgrain trim at the sides. Then the quieter knits: the Sandro Mabel wool sweater in brown and cream with its layered-look white collar, the navy and white Maje polo cardigan with contrast collar and buttons, the Vince cashmere-blend crewneck in sage, and the Theory merino mock neck in black.

 

Picture her on the first cold Tuesday of October, a stripe under a sage crewneck.

 

Tip: choose the stripe you would wear at least three days a week, then let the other knits support it.

It is raining, which is the only honest way to judge a trench. Lesson two is that French outerwear is chosen for the weather first and the mood second, and the coat is usually the plainest thing in the outfit.

 

The beige and camel trenches are the classic shape. The Hobbs London Skylar is a belted double-breasted trench in camel, with epaulets, a storm flap and a structured long cut. The Sandro is double-breasted with a lapel collar and a tie belt. The Cole Haan in camel has epaulets, belted cuffs and a self tie belt, so you can wear it loose when it is not cold. The Sézane Scott is olive green, in water-repellent organic cotton, for the shape without the usual beige. Sézane began in 2004 with vintage clothes sold online, and its founder, Morgane Sézalory, launched the label in 2013.

 

Then the blazer, which does the same job indoors. The Theory slim blazer in black is a two-button cut with a structured shoulder, and the Sandro black wool jacket is double-breasted with gold-tone buttons. The Sézane Chelsea has fine ecru tennis stripes on navy. The Maje blazer in taupe brown is relaxed, with a single button and a dropped, oversized shoulder, which I would put over a Breton top.

 

What I would skip: a blazer with a shoulder so sharp that you can only wear it buttoned. If you cannot take it off in a room and still look dressed, it is doing too much.

 

Tip: button the coat, lift your arms as if you were reaching for a rail, and check that the sleeves still cover your wrists.

Lesson three is about denim and trousers, and it begins with a small admission: I used to think the right pair was a matter of finding the right label. It is mostly a matter of the rise and the length of the leg.

 

Both AGOLDE pairs are straight, and the Lana is high in the rise. The Lana is a vintage-style mid indigo cotton denim with a button fly, and the Harper is a mid-rise relaxed straight in dark rinse indigo, which is the one for a polished evening. The Sézane Brut jeans are washed light blue, in organic cotton with a mid-high waist, and they look best with a plain knit tucked in. Sézalory started her business with vintage clothes in 2004, and a pair of light-blue straight jeans has that same borrowed-from-someone-else ease.

 

Then the trousers, which make a different promise. The Theory Classic Straight trousers are charcoal melange wool flannel with a clean tailored line. The Vince Elsa is a high-rise black straight leg, and the Sandro pair has a decorative button detail at the side. The Maje wide-leg suit pants are black with a high waist, while the Theory Marcee is slim and black with a high waist. If I wanted one that works in every season, I would choose the Vince.

 

What I would skip: a trouser you have to keep adjusting at the waist. In the French wardrobe, nothing should need your attention once you leave the house.

 

Tip: sit down in the fitting room, then stand and check that the front crease and the hem still fall straight.

Rose Repetto made her first ballet shoes in 1947, in a Paris workshop steps from the Opéra, and the flat shoe began as a dancer's shoe. Lesson four is to buy shoes for the day you actually have.

 

The ballet flats come first. The Sézane Matilda is black velvet leather with a low stacked heel, a step above flat. The Sam Edelman Felicia in black leather has a bow and a small logo charm at the toe, and the Loeffler Randall Leonie is black woven mesh with an elastic mary-jane strap. The Rothy's Point II is a washable knit pointed-toe flat made from recycled materials, which I would choose for a long walk through town.

 

The loafers carry more weight. The Tory Burch ruched loafer is black leather with a silver logo, and the Sandro white leather penny loafer has a soft collapsible heel, so it can be worn as a mule. The Sam Edelman Loraine has a gold horsebit on a cushioned insole, and the Sézane Marceau is supple black leather with a soft ruched vamp. Repetto's own workshop has been in Saint-Médard-d'Excideuil since 1967, home of the stitch-and-return technique, so comfort here is a matter of construction.

 

What I would skip: a flat with a hard, thin sole for cobblestones. It looks right and feels wrong by noon.

 

Tip: walk across the fitting room twice and check that your heel does not slip out of the back.

Lesson five is the smallest, and I think it is the most French: let one thing be a little bit special. A silk square and a small leather bag do the job of an entire outfit change.

 

Start with the scarves. The Sézane Cléo is a midnight navy silk square, 62 by 62 cm, with a geometric pattern. The Sandro silk scarf has an ocher paisley bandana medallion on black, and the Longchamp Foret is a small silk square with a leafy floral print on cream. Longchamp began in Paris on 1 February 1948 with a leather-covered pipe, so a silk square from that house is a pleasant reversal. The Loeffler Randall Beverly is a cream silk twill with a blue floral print.

 

The bags stay small. The Maje Miss M is black leather with fringed sides and a shoulder strap, and Maje itself was founded in 1998 by Judith Milgrom. The A.P.C. Le B-Side is a half-moon crossbody in glossy red cowhide with gold-tone hardware. A.P.C. was founded by Jean Touitou in 1987, funded at first by his ghost-designing work for other brands. The Vince Flora mini is a dark burgundy croc-embossed top handle, and the Sézane Mini Milo is glazed chocolate leather in a flap shape you can wear on the shoulder or across.

 

What I would skip: a bag so small that you carry your phone in your hand. The point is calm, not a puzzle.

 

Tip: knot the scarf on the bag handle and on the neck, then keep whichever feels less fussy.

By now you have a pattern. A Breton top, a trench, one good pair of jeans, flat shoes and a scarf are not a theory of style, they are a short routine. Lesson six is to wear them until they feel like yours, which is the only way a French style ever happens.

 

In order, I would do three things. Pick the stripe you will reach for first. Add the coat for the weather you actually have. Then choose one thing, a scarf or a small bag, that makes the plain things look chosen.

 

In 1889 Léon Legallais launched a sweater for fishermen. It had a job to do, and I would say that is still the best test.