Your Guide to Celebrating Bastille Day in Style
If there was ever a fashionable national holiday, Bastille Day is it. With French culture becoming more iconic and romanticised every year, it’s the perfect reason to celebrate all things French – with baguette and brie in hand. Celebrated on the 14th of July (which, coincidently is a Saturday this year!), Bastille Day commemorates the 1789 storming of the Bastille prison – and the start of the French Revolution.
To make your celebrations a little more French this year, I’ve rounded up five great items that are classically French.
1. A Breton-striped Shirt
Originally a uniform for all French navy seamen in Brittany, Breton stripes were introduced to the fashion world in 1917 by none other than Coco Chanel. The Breton top quickly became a symbol of haute-bourgeois loveliness during the pre-war Riviera years. Nowadays, a nautical-inspired wardrobe essential, the stripes are worn by almost every fashionista.
2. Patriotic Rosettes
Blue, white, and red rosettes worn by the middle-class became a symbol of revolution in France. Embrace this revolutionary trend with a rosette brooch of your own – paying subtle homage to this emblem of Bastille Day.
3. A cute beret
Berets are a cute way to show off some French flair, but can also be worn all-year round, well after you’ve packed away your French flag. The beret is great because it can be shaped any way that works for you, making it totally personalisable. While any colour will work, red, white, and blue are particularly French for Bastille Day.
4. Quilted leather bag
Again made iconic by Coco Chanel, the quilted leather bag is a French essential. And luckily, there are so many different versions on the market, it doesn’t have to be a Chanel purse to be fashionably French. The one below is Marc Jacobs.
5. A scarf
A scarf is an invaluable little accessory, simply because it can be styled countless ways. Who hasn’t seen a stylish Frenchwoman in a scarf looking fantastic? Embrace your inner French allegiance by wrapping yourself in a stylish scarf, like the ones New Zealand designer Lucy Kemp of Pardon My French has designed especially for this year’s Bastille Day. The talented designer has partnered with fabulously French beer Kronenbourg to embrace ‘The Art of Pleasure’, designing ten limited edition scarves. Here’s a preview of one of the exquisite pieces.
So this 14th of July, don’t forget to pop on your beret and Breton stripes, grab a Kronenbourg, and celebrate all things French!
-Lena Aseeva