7 Style Tricks From Paris Fashion Week Street Style

Paris Fashion Week is in full swing but not all the style action is on the runways.

Outside the show venues and on the streets, fashion show attendees are also strutting their own unique sartorial flair.  Take a few style cues from some of the more seasoned fashion pros attending the shows and apply them to your fall wardrobe.

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, 48, Model, singer/songwriter and wife of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, at the Christian Dior show, indulges in one of this season’s hot trends – velvet. If there is only one thing you buy this fall, make it a velvet jacket. It’s a worthy investment that goes beyond this season and can be dressed up for more formal occasions or given a rock star vibe when paired with denim or leather.

Don’t underestimate the power, allure and sex appeal of the classic trench coat. Even on the streets of Paris during Fashion Week – which is over-run with ‘it items’ and of-the-moment-trends, this fashion show attendee still strikes a stylish note in this veritable wardrobe workhorse.

Photographer Ellen von Unwerth, 62, is one of those women who has found a signature style – a rarity these days since everyone has become trend obsessed with acquiring the latest thing – and has stuck with it. Her style is very rock n’ roll – lots of black pants, often of the skinny variety, paired with a man-style blazer or tuxedo jacket.

The tuxedo jacket is not just for formal occasions or to be worn with matching trousers. As this fashion show guest in Paris demonstrates, the formal jacket – hers, from Gucci –  is actually quite versatile. Dress it down with a dress or even jeans and t-shirt.

Vogue editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, 66, arriving at the Christian Dior show, in a floral dress that proves big blooms can be worn year round. The trick to wearing florals in fall and winter is to find a print with a dark background or the flower pattern in darker, more sombre tones. Her styling trick of adding high suede boots also helps winterized the look.

Stylist and former editor-in-chief of French Vogue, Carine Roitfeld, 62, rocks a leather suit. Whilst the suit is very edgy, Roitfeld, gives the heavy metal embellishment some French flair with lady-like black stockings and patent sling backs.