” The street about me roared with a deafening sound.
Tall, slender, in heavy mourning, majestic grief,
A woman passed, with a glittering hand
Raising, swinging the hem and flounces of her skirt;”

How could I better describe the fascination that clothing in movement create than by copying those verses of Baudelaire?
I could hear the sounds of the streets muffling whilst being replaced by those of the fabrics and bracelets of that astonishing passerby.

Clothes accompany every single movement we do. We can opt for skintight attire, elastic, underlining the the body without being noticed. Or stiffer, corseting the figure and the walk.

Then, not a cloth moves.

Yet if you were fluid clothes, they surround you with a moving halo. Sometimes slightly sensual, sometimes really spectacular.

Which is why I often suggest my clients to walk with a firm step around the shop in order to observe the effect of the moving cloth on her allure.

1/ The flowing clothes

The speed of the walk often causes clothes to take off.

Gravity defiant trenches and light skirts are like a train to our look.

When it is not about the wind that blows off our skirts like Marylin’s.

• The flying coat

To sail, it shall have some wings.

Long trenches, wools coats or silky kimonos do.

For even more style, treat your lining.

• Dresses and skirts

Above the knee they can spin like in elementary school or fly around your legs.

Beyond the knee, heavy fabrics bring you back to that time when walking was no easy task for women whereas light ones make you feel like a flowy fairy.

Mousseline 

Silk satin

Light mousselines, frilly flounces, twenties fringes or refined pleats are you best allies for a walk that could fascinate a poet(ress) enough to write about you.

2/ Sliding clothes

• Tops

Whether of light cotton, silk or knitted wool, tops, if not meant to be tight or structured are supposed to flow on our bodies.

Optimally they should not grip to them. Beware of the T-shirts that cling to your love handles, of the shirts that pull around your breasts or of the sweaters that stretch on your biceps.

Taking that in account may make shopping a harder task (I must acknowledge, even more complicated for the muscular or overweights ladies here) yet it is worth the time and effort. You will then own clothes that sensually flow on your body. (I can help you with shopping if you visit Paris)

Once you have finally found your perfect matches, make the best out of their flowy materials.

Roll the sleeves.

Tuck your tops all around of just in front, french style.

Belt them and make them fluff around.

Open as many buttons as you want/ can.

Let them slide by accident on your shoulders (planned accident ^^).

Let them be and live move along with you!

Paco Rabanne style metal cloth is really bouncy. 

• Scarves

Frenchies fav accessories can either be as strict as those of Air France stewardesses or hang in a nonchalant manner creating a moving flowyness.

If it is long and thin (at least thinner than it is long), you can let the two bits hang on the sides (or one in front, one in the back).

Here a bit overdone (I like it though!) but you get the idea. Style du monde.

Folded in a triangle, the square scarf flows upon our coats

The oversize scarf turns into a cocoon.

Maja Wyh

3/ The accessory that won’t stay put

• Bracelets and earrings

In the last book I read, “Leurs enfants après eux”, Nicolas Mathieu describes a character by the sound and movement her bangles make.

“A chaque fois qu’elle portait la cigarette à ses lèvres, les joncs en or qu’elle avait au poignet cliquetaient joliment”. “Each time she would lift the cigarette to her lips, the gold bangles around her wrist jangled daintily”

I adore the idea to be bonded to a sparkle of light and sound (maybe that could become a sparkle of joy? A good reason not to Mari Kondo yourself. Shall advertise this to potential boyfriends. Hope they like sparkles of all kinds).

You can create it with delicate bangles or earrings.

•  The light belt

Which sometimes takes off.

Moving clothes are moving souls <3

If this article raised some personal memories, please share in the comment section!