French Women Are Suddenly Ditching Their Jeans For This Far More Elegant Trend—I Put it to The Test

If you were to ask any tasteful dresser about their most well-worn and well-adored items, you might be surprised to hear that a satin skirt is amongst their highest-rotation pieces. Fluid, breezy and effortless, they provide a languid sophistication that rivals the structure and tomboyishness of jeans or the refinement and ease of tailored trousers.

“Satin skirts have a duality that I have always appreciated, polished yet effortless,” explains Lili Chemla, the founder of Los Angeles-based ready-to-wear brand, Leset. The label is revered for its commitment to elevated wardrobe essentials, crafting everything from the ideal best white T-shirt, fitted cardigan, sculpting mini dress and (you guessed it), the best satin skirts. “It’s a stylistic anchor in any outfit,” she continues before acknowledging that regardless of what you team the piece with, you will always “look put together without ever feeling overdressed”.

It’s this reason why it’s become such a reliable staple for many. But none more so than chic Parisian women who always seamlessly balance simplicity and sensuality. As the fabric is designed to skim the body, the piece is inherently romantic and soft. These qualities bring a graceful note to anything you team it with, from slouchy ribbed tank tops to matching satin blouses. French girls are undoubtedly chic, and after seeing many a stylish savant trot around Le Marais on a recent visit, I was quite enamoured with the piece.

Then one of my colleagues reminded me that I wasn’t alone in being drawn to the style, as she pointed out how Kendall Jenner also slipped into a satin skirt upon an excursion to the City of Lights. Wearing head-to-toe The Row, the model and mogul stepped out wearing a champagne coloured style that grazed her ankles with a cropped baby tee, black flip-flops and the luxuriate’s covetable Margaux bag in a chic forest green.

Of course, it’s not just the setting that adds to the appeal. (Though it certainly does help!) Speaking to Chemla about the satin skirts in her collections, she explains that she’s drawn to the styles for the same reasons I am: unfussiness and vintage-inspired. “I kept coming back to the idea of softness meeting intention,” she said of the inspiration behind the design “Think: Vintage editorial references from the ’90s, clean lines and minimal silhouettes.”