If the Internet could create its version of the perfect girl, Jeanne Damas would probably be her. Damas’s traits and talents are the stuff of SEO gold: She’s nailed that French girl je ne sais quoi; she’s a street style regular; she has 189,000 Instagram followers; and now that she’s launched her own label, Rouje, she’s a new (online) source for effortless, affordable style.
The It girl–turned-designer concept isn’t a new thing, but what makes Rouje different is that it isn’t about statement pieces or four-figure price tags; in fact, the clothes are quite subtle and down-to-earth. Damas describes them as her “ideal wardrobe”: There are ribbed-knit tees and polos, LBDs you can wear from day to night, silky blouses with plunging necklines, and boxy suede jackets. Save for a few details, like a row of buttons or an embroidered “R,” everything is flourish-free. Rouje is wallet-friendly, too: A vintage-y floral dress goes for about $175; while the straight-leg, 100 percent cotton jeans (the first thing Damas designed) are $141, significantly lower than a pair of premium jeans or reworked Levi’s. “[It’s a] small collection because it’s important for me that I like every piece and can wear it in my everyday life,” Damas tells Vogue.com. “I wanted to create clothes that my friends and I can wear throughout the seasons. We wear Rouje in Paris, on holiday, or at work.”
Damas name-checked Isabelle Adjani in One Deadly Summer and her mother as references—“My mother has always been very feminine, always in high-heeled shoes”—but she also finds inspiration in friends and the women she sees on the streets of Paris. “I love watching other women when I’m sitting at a café,” she says. “French girls are very simple—they don’t try too much.” The lookbook, styled by Damas’s friend Nathalie Dumeix, offers a few clues on how to get that understated look: A dress is paired with red lipstick and nothing else, and a petal-pink ribbed T-shirt is tucked into jeans for a Brigitte Bardot vibe. “We shot the collection in our daily life,” she says. “I think this [sense of] authenticity is what the people who follow me really like.”
After seasons of seeing baggy sweatshirts, track pants, and good/bad taste, Rouje’s straightforward and sensual take on femininity is refreshing. A few pieces would transform your summer wardrobe—and you’d still have cash left over for rosé. Shop the current collection on Rouje.com, and watch this space for more news from Damas.
