The South of France, French Riviera, or Cote d’azur, whatever you call it, there is no denying the beauty and wealth of the towns on the southern coast of France. Celebrities have long vacationed to the cities like Cannes & St Tropez, and Monaco has the highest percentage of millionaires per capita of anywhere in the world (nearly 1 in 3) so it may feel like a long stretch to plan your own vacation there and not stick out like “jorts (aka jean shorts)” at the Opera, but after several days of close observation, I think I have nailed down the looks you need to look like a local along the French Riviera without breaking the bank.
Dresses
The most fashionable women along the coast were certainly those in classy yet simple sundresses and skirts. Unlike the beaches of southern Florida, you won’t see women with dresses cut to the naval or up to their butt. One woman walked by us wearing the same Zara dress that Kate Middleton wore just the week prior to give you an example of the looks I saw. Dresses that are soft and have movement are ideal, aiming for knee-length or longer.
Hats
I definitely wish that I had packed a hat for this trip and almost bought one a couple times before missing the opportunities. I’m not talking about baseball caps though, you will barely see any of those. Rock a wide-brim straw hats and you will look like you were made to lounge on the over-priced rock beaches of Nice.
Sandals
There were not a lot of pointy-toe high-heels along the Cote d’azur, but there was a never ending stream of cute wedges, block heels, Birkenstock-style sandals, and sandals that cost way too much for what they looked like (I’m looking at you $1,500 flip-flops). I rocked a pair of $10 Valentino knock-offs and felt no shame in my shoe game, so there’s no reason to break the bank on ugly shoes just because they say Chanel. Look for sleek, well made sandals with subtle details to make people wonder where those shoes came from. Also, definitely paint your toes – no amount of money can make up for chipped polish!
Bags
I have never seen so many Chanel bags outside of an actual store in my life. I swear every 3rd woman was carrying my dream quilted leather bag. After Chanel, there were non-stop Luis Vuitton bags with the telling checkered pattern. Every now and then I spotted a chic Celine and Chloe. The key to these bags, again, is sleek simplicity with subtle details. Clean lines and simple colors look less like a knock-off and more like the next potential it-bag that will have people looking.
I had a certain idea of what the style I was going for when I packed for our trip, even without doing research. I tried to pack with that “resort-town” vibe in mind, which meant flowy shirts and dresses and simple neutral shoes. Like I said, I missed out on the hat game, but I have my eye out for next time. When it comes to bags, I often find it difficult to balance chic with useful, especially since I am always carrying around 2 cameras and sometimes additional lenses in my bag! I knew I wanted to wear mostly dresses so I packed a flowy pin-stripe dress from Gap for the first day.
For the second, I had a fun colorful dress that I was gifted but was far too sheer to wear alone. I would have loved to have put it over a slip-dress but I have yet to find one I like so I paired it with a simple green t-shirt dress and my faux-valentino sandals. I honestly felt like I was made for Monaco with my dress flowing in the breeze behind me.
For our last day, I had some nautical-striped shorts and a light-blue Portofino top. It was my least dressy look but still felt classy enough to be walking around and shop (if I had wanted to shop). My backup look was a flowy beige skirt and green croptop.
If I were to head to the French Riviera again, here are some pieces I would absolutely be packing.
Happy Packing!
Xx
Kali