.jpg)
All products featured on Vogue are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
In the 10 years since The Frankie Shop opened its doors on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York, spotting its streamlined silhouettes and distinctly oversized-yet-structured styles has become a common occurrence while strolling around the city’s buzziest neighborhoods. The padded Eva muscle top makes multiple appearances at Sunday brunches in Tribeca. Its boxy boyfriend blazers command meetings from Midtown to the Financial District, and you’re likely to find one of its signature sharp coats on winter walks around SoHo.
Many of The Frankie Shop’s pieces have become closet staples among the city’s most stylish women, all thanks to the brand’s unique blend of ‘90s clean-cut minimalism and ‘80s boldness that embodies the style ethos of today’s modern woman: smart, straightforward, with a touch of nonchalance. Hence, it s a no-brainer that Frankie—aptly coined by its cult-following of #FrankieGirls—is deeply embedded in the DNA of its founder, Gaëlle Drevet, a New Yorker by way of Paris who epitomizes effortless French girl chic with city sophistication
A Paris-native and former journalist by profession, Drevet’s pursuit of opening The Frankie Shop started as most small-time ventures in downtown Manhattan do: an American dream. “It was an immigration story,” she quipped. “I was trying to make it back to the US from London, where I was there for a little bit, and then I was like, you know what, I m just gonna start my own thing, my own business.”
Drevet, who has loved fashion since childhood—boasting a wide collection of Vogue issues from the ‘90s that she keeps to this day—felt that workwear, specifically for women, adhered closely to patriarchal norms and conventions, lacking the representation that resonated with women in the workforce. “Everything felt really contrived. Everything felt like I was following a male-driven business attire, and I noticed there wasn’t [a brand] that spoke to women per se.”
After contemplating her next steps, Drevet and a friend traveled to India to source quality materials and skilled tailors. Slowly, she curated a collection that she believed resonated with the strong and powerful women of today. “I wanted women to dress on their own terms, only for herself as opposed for other people,” she tells Vogue.
In 2014, Drevet opened The Frankie Shop’s first boutique on Stanton Street, and within four months, had launched its e-commerce site due to high demand from out-of-town customers who had discovered the brand on social media. Today, the brand owns two stores in New York, with an additional two in Paris, as well as having its pieces carried in multiple department stores across Europe—not to mention you can also find select The Frankie Shop pieces across a slew of other online luxury retailers like Matches and Net-a-Porter.
Drevet, much like The Frankie Shop itself, is effortless yet impeccably stylish, refined without being overly polished. But at the heart of it all, it’s Drevet’s androgynous approach to dressing that commanded the attention of fashion aficionados and propelled her brand forward. “Frankie is a gender-neutral name,” she says. “It sounds very menswear, but I chose it because it didn’t have a label. It could be a girl or a boy. But to me, it represents a personal story—a woman’s story.”
Tired of the pantsuit? Try a Bermuda suit!
Sometimes, if you wear a dress shirt with a blazer, it can look a little too formal. So I like to wear either a turtleneck or a t-shirt under a blazer, just to sort of play it down. And Bermuda suits, like this one, are a great alternative to pantsuits. It’s nice with a little kitten heel, but because it’s winter, it’s not always practical. So instead of a kitten heel, I like to wear my Bermuda suits with tall boots. They add a nice texture, and a little bit of an edgier vibe to your look.
Analyze proportions
Frankly, having an all-black look is always the way to go when you feel tired and you don’t want to think about what to wear because guess what? It’s the chicest color. I like to play with proportions, too. The crewneck I’m wearing has a teeny bit of pads which elevates the look, and the pants I’m wearing are on the slouchier side. It’s also important to keep in mind the shoes that you’re wearing with your pants. You have to think, “can I wear heels with these pants?” otherwise, it can create the wrong proportions—and you might ruin your pants. So for this look, I’m wearing pointy flats.
Looking to add a touch of color? Try burgundy
Oversized for me is a no brainer. We’ve been doing this for a while. But a pencil skirt is something we’ve been doing at Frankie for about a year. I love the balance between the straightness of a pencil skirt and the boxiness of the blazer, something about it just works really nicely together. I also love burgundy right now, so I’m trying to embrace it as much as I can. You won’t believe how happy I was when reds and burgundy became on-trend again because I’ve always loved that color and I just said to my team, yes, let’s do it!
Splurge on your shoes
I like to splurge on shoes. These boots are from Khaite, and I actually had the pleasure of meeting Cate Holstein on a shoot and I’m such a big fan of hers. I love that she designed these boots and did a little bit of a square toe with a very small heel and, on a really high boot. It’s a little slouchy, but not too much. I still haven’t been able to figure out what bags I want to splurge on—but shoes, that I definitely splurge on.
Keep it understated with white
I saw a lot of white suits during awards season on men, and I thought it was amazing. I was like, wow—that is a look that I haven’t seen on men. So right away, I wanted to see it again, but on women. I thought, “We need to have this! We need to make this!” I think a white suit would look nice with a tank top to show a little bit of skin, but not too fitted; it needs to be flowy and silky. With a white look you can dress it up or down depending on the shoes you choose, make it casual with sneakers or dress it up with a kitten heel.
Reinvent Classics
This is a typical power suit. Blazers are like the easiest tool to elevate your daily grain. Put on a T-shirt, jeans, blazer, boots—you’re good to go. It always elevates your look, gives you that confidence especially when it has strong shoulders. I mean I put shoulder pads everywhere. Maybe the movie Working Girl had something to do with it, but shoulder pads are something I’ve always embraced. This suit I’m wearing is pinstripe, but reinvented with a denim fabric. That’s what modernizes it—finding a different fabric, texture, on a classic. Right away, it upgrades your look.
Go big with browns
I love chocolate brown, it’s always been my favorite and it’s also having a trendy moment right now. The Thelma sweater I m wearing is something we had last year, which I brought back. The skirt is a satin skirt with a high slit in the front, to give a bit of a sexier vibe. I also really love chocolate with black. Black and chocolate, to me, is a great color combo that’s not visited that often. On my neck is a Prada AirPods case that my boyfriend gave me for Christmas. I love it because it’s a functional accessory, and the texture and color of the leather strap ties together the whole look.
