The unofficial face of the modern French girl style movement, Rouje founder Jeanne Damas, has some news for the Americans among her 1.5 million Instagram followers. First, that they can't necessarily shop their way to her distinctly Parisian aesthetic with a themed checklist or an open tab at her nine-year-old brand. "I think French style is more of an attitude than a particular look," she tells me in an email. "It has to do with the way you carry yourself, the way you move, and of course, Paris as a backdrop."
Second, we Marais boutique-deprived, baguette-hungry Americans can find something just as aspirational at J.Crew this summer—and it's equally influenced by a city close to home and a favorite fashion capital abroad. Rouje is the latest brand to collaborate with J.Crew on a $350-and-under collection, launching today, July 23. It joins a prolific roster of small-batch, cult-beloved designer capsules dreamed up by creative director Olympia Gayot, Christopher John Rogers, Alighieri, and Maryam Nassir-Zadeh among them.
