Five Irish fashion stars who have mastered Parisian style

Rob Kenny is a Fashion PR executive, who most recently was on the PR team managing Joan Collins’s and Naomi Campbell’s press trips to Ireland. He joins Team Beaut for a fabulous weekly comment on all things fashion and style. 

Let's face it, when it comes to fashion, no one does it like the French. Paris is the world’s fashion capital and any New Yorker who tries to contend this is living in an all American bubble of denial. The French have unequivocally mastered always being beautifully effortless and impeccably chic, and they are the world’s leaders at perfecting simplicity. It’s all about cuts, shapes, textures and generally just ensuring you always look like a couture, high-fashion goddess who is running up the Champs-Élysées, late for her meeting in the Chanel head office.

From Coco Chanel herself to Clémence Poésy, French It Girls have been inspiring both fashion trends and designers for decades. In my article this week, I want to examine what Irish fashion ladies have that French touch. That je ne sais quoi.

• Rebecca O’Byrne – Haute So Fabulous

To quote The Devil Wears Prada: “Give me a full ballerina skirt and a hint of saloon and I’m on board”. Trolling through Rebecca’s Instagram (@HauteSoFabulous) you would presume you had accidentally stumbled across some Parisian dream girl who works in the PR office of Céline.

Rebecca is winning when it comes to all things bags, pointy stilettoes and pairing garments together ever so elegantly. She is also a big fan of a full ballerina skirt – but aren’t we all? Bon travaille, Rebecca.    

• Anouska Proetta Brandon

Honestly, if I were a female, I would arrange to have Anouska’s wardrobe air lifted from her house and dropped into mine. Undoubtedly up there with some of the world’s top fashion bloggers, Anouska is one of the most stylish women in Ireland. Her ability to put a high-fashion look together is unparalleled, as is her divine, clean and bright Instagram aesthetic. This level of fashion sense cannot be taught. If ya got it, ya got it. If ya don’t, ya don’t.

• Lauren Bejaoui

Simple, clean, structured and predominantly monochrome are some adjectives that sum up Lauren Bejaoui and her artistic Instagram account (@laurenbejaoui). For the modern fashion blogger, it’s becoming more about your Instagram than your actual blog. ‘Less is more’ is a fashion trend that is not going anywhere and Lauren is at the forefront of minimalistic fashion in Ireland. She is also a fan of all of our favourite couture French fashion houses, with designer goods from the likes of Givenchy, YSL and Céline often making an appearance.  

• Sonya Lennon

Bringing some colour into the mix, Sonya Lennon is a notable Irish fashion figure and half of the design team behind elegant Irish fashion brand Lennon Courtney. Sonya is a big fan of careful tailoring and has a unique ability to make an outfit quirky and interesting, while remaining sophisticated.  Sonya loves a full Palazzo pant and adding a pop of colour to an outfit, reminiscent of such French fashion IT girls like Thierry Mugler’s muse; Farida Khelfa.

• Holly White

This fashion stylist, blogger and journalist does all things fashion and style related. Holly has been turning heads for years with her classic and elegant style with a vintage twist. With a penchant for effortless tousled hair, natural makeup and Chanel handbags, Holly is our very own French-like IT girl right here in Dublin. T’es fabuleuse, Holly.

Do you admire French style or is there another city 'look' that you like to emulate? While we're on the subject, how would you describe your city's style?