So You Want French-Girl Style? Don't Forget This

We've spent years observing, studying, analyzing, and demystifying French Girl style, and at this point, the collective public seems to have a fairly good sense of what comprises their wardrobes and outfits. Think slinky slip tops, peeks of lace here and there, silk blouses, lots of Levi's denim, frilly-hem sundresses, ballet flats, espadrilles, T-shirts, blazers, stripes, a great pair of metallic heels, and so on. But we've noticed something recently that nobody seems to have shone the spotlight on: All of Paris's coolest It girls wear one distinct and recognizable piece of jewelry—a gold pendant necklace.

They all have one, and they all wear it every single day. It's specifically gold, not silver, and it's a circular shape on a thin chain. The gold medallion is sleek, simple, and classic, but it pops and draws your eye straight to it. Whether against bare skin with a floral blouse, bikini, or dress or over the top of a T-shirt, turtleneck, or sweater, it provides a little bit of flash while not overpowering. The best part is that it's not a rare piece of jewelry we could only dream of obtaining—whether you scour flea markets, eBay, or Etsy for cool vintage options or snag one at a more mainstream retailer, it's easy to replicate the look.

Just take a look through this slideshow to see how wildly versatile, chic, and cool the piece of jewelry looks on France's most in-demand It girls, and then shop a gold pendant chain for yourself.

ON JEANNE DAMAS

With a high-waisted skirt and red strapless suit, the necklace becomes a focal point of the look.

It stands out against the skin with a blue bikini and layered with another, higher and smaller gold pendant.

Here, Damas shows off the necklace with one of her Rouje bikinis.

Nothing but a sundress, bare feet, and a gold pendant.

The pop of gold looks chic with a simple blouse, an A-line skirt, and espadrille wedges.

We especially love the way a gold pendant pops against black.

Damas employs the barefoot, low-cut sundress + gold pendant combo on repeat.

Here, the gold pendant + floaty white blouse look is immortalized in a painting of Damas.

Here you can see not only Damas but also her road-trip car-mate wearing a similar gold pendant necklace.

Damas epitomizes French-girl chic in this photo, with a drapey dress, ballet flats, and, of course, her gold pendant necklace.

ON ANNE-LAURE MAIS

Mais shows how chic the pendant looks as the only piece of jewelry with a black one-piece swimsuit.

Or a two-piece!

Here she styles it on top of a quintessentially French-looking red-and-white polka-dot silk blouse.

If you needed any further proof that this piece of jewelry looks great with a bathing suit.

It was made to be the accessory partner to a flirty low-cut dress.

If any necklace can rival and complement the iconic Gucci belt, this is it.

Here she shows that it works just as well in winter, standing out against a turtleneck, as it does on bare skin and silk blouses in summer.

We love seeing the flat, circular disk peek through a sheer black polka-dot blouse—this is a look to copy on your next night out.

Here Mais layers with another thin necklace and a whisper-thin blouse.

Another pretty dress combination.

It also works with a workman's jumpsuit.

And a classic white button-down.

Or over a cheeky tee. 

Just as easily as it pairs with a casual T-shirt and bikini, it works with elevated eveningwear like this silk slip dress Mais wore.

Note: It looks fantastic with a vintage-looking polka-dot blouse and retro white sunnies.

It truly takes a simple top and jeans to another level.

No matter how far away you take the photo, the metallic disc pops and enhances.

Another example popping perfectly against a black top.

It works with literally every ensemble.

Blouse, straw bag, denim shorts, and gold pendant: The French-girl summer vacation checklist.

ON SABINA SOCOL

French fashion journalist Sabina Socol looks impossibly elegant in a black lace slip dress, blazer, and her omnipresent gold circle pendant.

With a floaty blouse and denim.

As we've seen with Damas and Mais, it pairs beautifully over a plain black top for contrast.

And slinky black tops.

And sheer glitter tops.

This may be our favorite look of the bunch—the accessory perfectly complements a black lace body suit with a blazer, denim, and classic cap-toe pumps.

We love how it looks with a fuzzy-strap top for black tie events.

The way the sleek metal look stands out on top of casual cotton pieces doesn't get old.

Likewise for frilly silk blouses.

Paired with a red tee, vintage denim, and a '90s flip side part, the look is Parisian casual-cool gold.

SHOP GOLD PENDANT NECKLACES