Kate Moss for Isabel Marant

No other brand exudes the ever so evasive, French je ne sais quoi better than Isabel Marant. It’s the label for the ultimate cool girl—the Emmanuel Alt‘s of the world (the new EIC of Paris Vogue styled this campaign and her fall RTW show)—who drink their iced coffee black and manage to make bed-hair look like sex hair (though it probably is).

Marant began in 1989, designing accessories until launching her first full, ready-to-wear collection five years later. Once an indie favorite, the brand and aesthetic has since become a go-to for Parisian girls, Francophiles (such as yours truly), and magazine editorials. For good reason, too.

Her aesthetic is sexy. Edgy. Rock-and-roll. And yet it retains this femininity, this easy, effortless sensuality sans the pink and frills, with the teensiest bit of bohemian juxtaposed with it all. Isabel Marant is the essence of womanity: lace and leather, yin and yang, black and white. Versatile. Effortless. Free.

Leather zip leggings made understated with a cable knit sweater; crewneck pull-overs paired with denim hotshorts and ladylike, pointed pumps. Cuffed, destroyed skinnies to reveal the ankle. Leather jackets over everything and anything. Tousled hair and a bit of winged eyeliner to finish the look. It’s all I’ve been wanting to live in lately—perfect for everyday and perfectly relevant for this current weather.

I can’t get enough.

And with dresses under $600 and tops under $300 it’s designer without the capital D. They say it’s attainable with a reliable income—which I’ve yet to achieve—but there goes countless meals at Wegman’s. Perhaps I’m frugal. Or I’ve simply grown too attached to my coffee runs and little containers of Greek yogurt, granola bits, and honey. Regardless I harbor this belief that it’s more practical to re-create the Isabel Marant look. It’s easily reproduce-able (to some extent); I’ve seen individual pieces from all our favorite high street stores, when, outfitted together, look every bit Parisian-cool-girl-Isabel-Marant. I can settle with that. For now.

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{images via thefashionspot}