Style Notes: Clémence Poésy

Once a well-kept French secret, actor Clémence Poésy has in the past few years enchanted stateside filmgoers with her fragile cinematic presence in movies like 127 Hours and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (not to mention a cameo on last season’s Gossip Girl). And there’s more to look forward to on her agenda, including the BBC wartime romance Birdsong, costarring Eddie Redmayne, and the film Mr. Morgan’s Last Love with Michael Caine.

Her off-screen style is equally captivating—and oh so Parisian. Often spotted in airy Chanel frocks on the red carpet, Poesy has a pronounced casual streak, too, making her the perfect girl to front G-Star denim’s upcoming spring campaign (she’ll appear across from Gallic favorite Vincent Gallo).

Here, Poesy talks about her love of hats, her dislike of dressing up (Chanel notwithstanding, we presume), and a bookshop that doubles as a bohemian hotel in Paris.

Define your style in three words: Comfortable, free, poetic.

Daily uniform: Jeans and a t-shirt.

Greatest hits: I have a shirt that my mom used to wear in the 70’s. It’s white and blue with thin blue straps and has holes everywhere from wearing it too much, so now I can’t really wear it anymore.

Preferred footwear: Flat boots.

Finishing touches: I like hats. They have a poetry about them that nothing else has, and I love how people look at you in the streets when you’re wearing one—there’s always a comment. I also love rings—I love putting together lots of different rings.

Nighttime look: I tend to wear exactly the same things at night that I wear during the day. I don’t really like dressing up unless I have to. I also tend to go out to places where you can wear a sweater and jeans.

Favorite stores: I have a favorite bookshop in Paris called Shakespeare and Company that my friend owns. It was created by her dad in the ‘50s. He always invited people that wanted to be writers to come and live in the bookshop, so you can apply to sleep there. You have to help out in the store but you get a bed and you can write in Paris for a year.

Style icons: Patti Smith, Joan Baez, Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithful, and any woman in an Egon Schiele painting.

Last purchase: A bag of crisps at the airport.

Lusting after: An argentic camera.

Winter survival strategy: Flat boots, a blanket I cut in two pieces to make scarves, a big wool hat, and gloves to keep warm.