Caroline de Maigret built her reputation on looking as if she dressed in four minutes and didn't think about it again. When I break her outfits down, the trick is never the clothes alone. It's men's tailoring cut with rock-band casualness, one plain basic doing the heavy lifting, and nothing that looks fussed over. Front row or on the Metro, the formula barely changes. These 25 Caroline de Maigret outfit ideas show how she does it, and I've added what I check when I recreate each one on a real body.
The Proportion Rules Hidden in Her Casual Tailoring
Her outfits look thrown on, but the proportions are consistent, and that's what you have to copy. Almost every look pairs one loose piece with one close piece. When the blazer is oversized, the jeans are straight or slim. When the trousers are wide, the knit on top is fine and fitted. I see people copy the oversized blazer and then add wide jeans and a baggy tee, and the result looks like the clothes are wearing them.
The other constant is a visible point of skin or structure: a rolled cuff showing the wrist, an inch of ankle above a loafer, an open collar. Those small gaps tell the eye where the body is underneath the volume.
- One relaxed piece per outfit, never two.
- Show the wrist or the ankle, ideally both.
- Keep shoes flat or very simple unless the rest is plain.
- Leave hair and makeup slightly undone so the tailoring doesn't look stiff.
1. Oversized Blazer With Straight-Leg Jeans and Stan Smith Sneakers
This is her uniform: a navy oversized blazer over a plain white tee, faded straight-leg jeans and Stan Smith sneakers. The sleeves get one roll so the wrist shows, which matters more than it sounds, because a blazer sleeve that covers the knuckles makes an oversized cut look borrowed in the wrong way. A leather tote on one shoulder, hair left alone, almost no makeup. When I copy this, I make sure the blazer still fits at the shoulder seam even if the body is roomy. Oversized should mean extra length and ease, not drooping shoulders.
2. Black Leather Jacket With Breton Striped Top and Skinny Jeans
Here she leans into the rock side. A worn black leather jacket, ideally vintage and ideally a Schott, goes over a long-sleeve Breton top, with black skinny jeans and pointed ankle boots. Kohl liner, a small crossbody, done. The leather is the part I'd never cut corners on: old leather has softened at the elbows and collar, and that slouch is what stops the stripes looking like a sailor costume. A stiff new jacket will read harder until you've worn it through a season.
3. Chanel Tweed Jacket With Faded Jeans and Black Pumps
High-low is her best trick, and this is the clearest example. A black Chanel tweed jacket goes over worn-in jeans and black pumps, with a silk cami or white tee underneath. The jeans pull the jacket down to earth, and the heels pull the jeans up. I'd keep the denim a mid or faded wash here. Dark, rigid indigo next to bouclé makes the whole thing look like an office uniform, while soft faded denim gives the tweed something to play against.
4. White Button-Down Shirt With Black Wide-Leg Trousers and Loafers
A men's white button-down, left untucked, over high-waisted black trousers that break just slightly on polished loafers. A thin black belt, maybe one fine gold chain. The detail I watch is that trouser break. One soft fold over the loafer looks intentional; three folds stacked at the ankle look like the trousers are too long. If you're under about 5'4", hem them so they just kiss the shoe, or the shirt and trousers together will swallow you.
5. Camel Coat With All-Black Underpinnings and White Sneakers
Her cold-weather default is an oversized camel wool coat over a black turtleneck, black straight jeans and bright white sneakers, with a black tote and dark glasses. The black underneath lets the coat be the only shape anyone sees. I'd check one thing before buying a coat like this: sit down in it. A long oversized coat needs a back vent or enough sweep at the hem, or it pulls tight across the thighs every time you get in a car.
6. Navy Pea Coat With Striped Sweater and Cropped Cigarette Pants
A double-breasted navy pea coat worn over a slim striped knit, with black cropped cigarette pants stopping just above the ankle and sleek black brogues. A leather satchel, soft waves. Pea coats are cut close and short, so the knit underneath has to be thin. A chunky sweater here makes the buttons strain across the chest. The bit of ankle between hem and brogue keeps the navy and stripes from tipping into nautical fancy dress.
7. Denim Jumpsuit With Patent T-Strap Heels and Bright Clutch
For one evening event she wore a short-sleeved denim jumpsuit and treated it as formal, with black patent T-strap stilettos and a bright yellow Chanel envelope clutch. Red lipstick, tousled fringe. It works because denim is the one thing nobody expects with patent heels. The risk with jumpsuits is torso length: if the crotch sits low or the waist hits under your natural waist, no shoe will rescue it. I always try them on and sit down before deciding.
8. Black Turtleneck With Black Jeans and Chunky Biker Boots
All black only looks flat when every piece has the same surface. She avoids that with a fine-knit black turtleneck tucked into black straight jeans, chunky biker boots, a long pendant and an oversized black coat over one arm. Matte knit, washed denim, scuffed leather: three different finishes in one colour. It's a very Parisian winter uniform, and practical too. Black jeans fade faster than the knit, so I wash them inside out in cold water to keep the two blacks matching.
9. Grey Checked Blazer With White T-Shirt and Cuffed Boyfriend Jeans
An oversized grey check blazer gives this one its only pattern. A white cotton tee softens it, and cuffed boyfriend jeans with black leather derbies keep it relaxed. A canvas tote and wire-rim glasses tip it into bookish territory. The cuff is worth getting right: one wide turn, about two inches, sits cleaner over a derby than lots of thin rolls, which bunch and look like the jeans were bought too long.
10. Trench Coat With Silk Blouse and Heeled Ankle Boots
A beige trench, belted loosely with the collar up, over a cream silk blouse and dark indigo straight jeans. Black suede heeled ankle boots and a chain-strap bag give it polish. The trench supplies the shape and the silk softens it. One honest warning: suede ankle boots and trench weather don't always agree. Suede darkens and can mark in rain, so if the forecast is wet, I'd swap to smooth leather and keep the rest the same.
11. Cashmere Sweater With Slim Trousers and Brogues
Slouchy oatmeal cashmere over slim grey trousers and brown leather brogues, a man's watch, one gold ring. The sweater drops off one shoulder slightly, which is her signature undone touch. Cashmere that loose will pill under a bag strap, so I'd carry a tote by hand with this one or keep a sweater comb nearby. Choose a sweater with a wider neck rather than stretching a fitted one out of shape to get the off-shoulder slide.
12. Striped Long-Sleeve Tee With White Jeans and Espadrilles
For warmer days, a navy-and-white long-sleeve stripe gets half-tucked into crisp white straight jeans, with natural canvas espadrilles, a straw tote and big sunglasses. The half-tuck needs to land at the front hip bone, not dead centre, or it reads as a mistake. And white jeans need weight. Thin white denim shows pockets and seams through, so I look for a heavier, opaque fabric before anything else.
13. All-Navy Ensemble With Gold Button Trousers and Oversized White Coat
In wide-leg navy trousers with gold buttons, a simple navy knit and an oversized white coat over her shoulders, she made a monochrome outfit look sharp rather than safe. White sneakers took the stiffness out, and a structured navy bag tied the palette together. Navy against white is a strong contrast, so I'd keep the gold to the buttons only. Add gold jewellery and it starts to look like a uniform with brass fittings.
14. Black Midi Dress With Mary Jane Heels and a Chain Bag
When she wears a dress, it's usually a plain black midi with buttons down the front, a few left undone at the hem. Black Mary Janes, a small chain bag, hair in a deliberately messy low bun with the fringe forward. The undone buttons only work if the dress is lined or the fabric has weight. In a thin crepe, the opening flaps in any breeze, so I check how it moves when I walk before I commit to the look.
15. Tweed Suit Set With Minimal Accessories
For a Chanel show she wore a matching tweed jacket and trouser set in muted grey with a black tank underneath, pointed black pumps and a tiny clutch. The tank is what keeps a tweed suit from looking matronly. A blouse with a bow or ruffle would push it right back. If you're building this from separates rather than a set, the two tweeds need to match closely in weave and colour; near-misses look worse than an obvious contrast.
16. Plaid Shirt With Ripped Boyfriend Jeans and Loafers
This is her grunge side: an oversized plaid flannel shirt, sleeves rolled to the elbow, over a grey tank, with ripped boyfriend jeans and polished loafers. A worn leather backpack and a bare face. The loafers are the point. Swap them for sneakers and it becomes an ordinary weekend outfit. Keep the rips above the knee or small, though; big knee rips snag and widen every time you sit and stand.
17. Shearling Jacket With Straight Jeans and Winter Boots
When it gets properly cold, she goes for an oversized caramel shearling jacket over a chunky cream knit and dark straight jeans, with flat lace-up winter boots and a thick scarf wound loosely. Shearling is heavier than most people expect, and a bulky knit under it adds up fast. I'd try the jacket on over the actual sweater before buying, because a shearling that fits over a tee can be tight at the armholes over cable knit.
18. White Tuxedo Jacket With Black Skinny Jeans and Stilettos
A white tuxedo jacket over black skinny jeans and very high black stilettos, with a black silk cami underneath. Smoky eyes, messy hair. White tailoring shows everything, so the fit through the shoulders and the length of the sleeve have to be close to perfect. I usually suggest a jacket that ends at the hip bone with skinny jeans. Longer than that and the legs start to look short under all that white.
19. Knit Sweater With Cuffed Masculine Trousers and Derby Shoes
A fine-knit navy sweater with cuffed, masculine-cut trousers and black-and-white Chanel derbies. The trousers show a little ankle, the shoes add a tomboy edge, and the line from shoulder to shoe stays long and clean. A watch and a canvas tote. Two-tone shoes pull attention to the feet, so I keep the trouser colour dark and plain. A patterned trouser with spectator-style shoes splits the outfit in half.
20. Monochrome Beige With Oversized Blazer and Wide-Leg Pants
Tonal beige from top to bottom: an oversized blazer, a cream silk cami and wide-leg beige trousers, then beige suede loafers and a slightly darker tan bag. Gold hoops. The long single colour makes you look taller, but only if the shades are close. I hold every piece up together in daylight, because beige drifts toward pink, yellow or grey, and two clashing beiges look accidental rather than tonal.
21. Leather Pants With a White Tee and Tailored Jacket
Slim but not skintight black leather pants with a white tee and a sharp-shouldered black jacket, then pointed black ankle boots and one bold ring or cuff. The white tee breaks up the black, which keeps the leather from tipping into costume. The fit note I always give: leather stretches with wear, sometimes by close to half a size. If they're comfortable on day one, they'll probably be loose by the end of the month.
22. Striped Pinstripe Jacket With Black Trousers and Pointed Flats
Once, in the cold, she wore a blue pinstripe jacket unfastened over slim black trousers and pointed ballet flats. The open jacket, bare hands and wind-blown hair made the whole thing feel unplanned. A red lip and a structured top-handle bag supplied the polish. I'd only copy the bare-ankle flats in genuinely mild weather. On a freezing day, the same outfit with a fine black sock and a loafer keeps the line without the shivering.
23. Metallic Gold Trousers With a Simple White Shirt
For a bolder evening, she's worn metallic gold trousers with a crisp white shirt and black pumps, and no jewellery at all, just a black clutch. The trousers do all the talking, so the rest stays quiet. Metallic fabric magnifies every crease, so I'd steam these right before leaving and pick a straight or wide leg. Slim metallic trousers show every pull line across the thigh.
24. Baseball Jacket With Worn Denim and Vintage Sneakers
An oversized vintage baseball jacket in deep burgundy over a grey marl sweatshirt and well-worn jeans, with old-school Adidas sneakers and a beanie. Sporty, borrowed from the boys, and no effort visible. The burgundy is what saves it from looking like a teenager's school jacket. Bright varsity colours read younger, while deep, slightly faded tones look grown-up with the same shape.
25. Long Wool Coat With Chunky Boots and a Cashmere Scarf
For deep winter, a floor-grazing black wool coat with chunky lace-up boots and an oversized cashmere scarf wound loosely. Leather gloves, dark glasses. Underneath it's probably jeans and a sweater, and the coat carries everything. Floor-length coats drag on stairs and wet pavements, so I'd look for one that stops a couple of inches above the ankle. It gives the same drama without a muddy hem.
Buying a Men's Blazer That Fits a Woman's Frame
So many of these looks start with a borrowed-from-the-boys jacket, and that's where people get stuck. Men's blazers are cut straighter through the waist, wider at the shoulder and longer in the sleeve. Some of that is the appeal. Some of it needs correcting.
I check the shoulder first, because it's the hardest and most expensive thing to alter. The seam can sit up to about an inch past your own shoulder and still look intentional. Further than that and the sleeve head collapses into a dent. Next, the length: ending somewhere between the hip bone and the top of the thigh suits straight jeans. Longer jackets work with slim trousers and loafers, but they shorten the leg on anyone petite.
Sleeves are the easy fix. A tailor can shorten them, or you can roll them once as she does. Don't buy a jacket that's tight across the back to get a better shoulder, though. If it pulls when you reach forward, it will never hang loosely the way hers do.
Where to look
Charity shops and vintage stores are good places for wool blazers in navy, grey and small checks. Feel the fabric. A dense wool or wool blend holds its shape when it's oversized, while thin polyester creases at the elbow and looks cheap exactly where your sleeve is rolled.
Her Core Pieces, and Why She Repeats Them
What I take from her style is that the strongest wardrobes are small and repetitive. Her best looks keep returning to the same few things: a good blazer, a white shirt, well-cut jeans and shoes she can walk in. The undone hair and slightly creased shirt are choices, not accidents. Pick one of these looks, get the fit right on the pieces you already own, and wear it without checking the mirror twice.
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