The H&M Items I'm Buying to Look Like a French Girl

Some may say the French-girl obsession has gone too far, but if you ask me, it hasn't gone far enough. Thanks to their effortless sense of style and unique outfit configurations, the obsession with them is one we aren't quite ready to quit. To no one's surprise, the French have mastered summer style before it's even started. Wearing everything from those milkmaid tops the fashion community can't stop talking about to easy-to-wear printed dresses, I decided it was time to do something about my wardrobe envy, stat!

While I would love to be able to afford the exact items some of my favorite Parisian It girls have been flaunting, I need to be practical with my purchases whether I like it or not. When I'm not shopping at Zara, I love a good H&M haul, and it just so happens the retailer has every key summer item I need to copy the French girls I so admire. Ahead, shop the items I'm stocking up on from H&M to achieve that je ne sais quoi.

Milkmaid Tops

This is the top trend I plan on wearing with all my jeans this summer. Good luck getting me to wear anything else.

Printed Dresses

To some, printed dresses might be a summertime staple, but to me, they are a French-girl staple and I'm stocking up on the frocks before all the good ones sell out.

Woven Bags

You'll rarely see a French girl without a breezy bag on her arm, summer or not, and H&M has a selection of woven bags strong enough to tickle any French girl's fancy.

Leopard Swimsuits

Take a swimsuit, make it in leopard print, and call it French. That's the bathing suit trick I'll be using this summer as I daydream about the vacations I won't be taking while laying on the grass in Central Park instead.

Heeled Espadrilles

To the French, espadrilles might as well be a pair of sneakers, meaning they wear them a lot. If they can incorporate the summer-approved style into their wardrobes that often, so can I.

Anything Gingham

Give me gingham—all the gingham! I love this print so much come summertime, and no one wears it as well as the French if you ask me. Whatever gingham is available at H&M this season, I'll be buying it.

Next up, shop the coolest summer fashion trends available right now.