From blue-blooded models to fashion tech entrepreneurs, these are the French It-Girls lighting up the Paris social scene.
Tatler magazine compiled the list, inspired by love-to-hate Netflix show Emily In Paris, which has thrust the city of lights into the pop culture spotlight and reignited an interest in all things français.
The titular character, played by Emily Collins (who herself made her societal debut at a Paris ball), has won fans with her chic fashion choices and glamorous life in the city.
But these well-heeled women lead an even more glamorous existence, exploring cobbled streets in their less-is-more looks and dancing the night away in glittering ballgowns.
Here, FEMAIL takes a closer look at the women who rule the streets of the French capital.
ZITA d’HAUTEVILLE
Blue-blooded pedigree: Zita is the 24-year-old model daughter of the Count and Countess d’Hauteville, one of France’s oldest families. She was scouted on Facebook
London calling: Born in France, Zita studied for her Masters at UCL. Pictured, at an exhibition at London’s Cardi Gallery in March 2019 (left) and striking a pose at home in Paris
Zita, who has 15,500 Instagram followers, has a high-powered job at Google, where she works as an Account Strategist. Pictured, with her mother at her UCL graduation
Born into one of France’s oldest families, Zita d’Hauteville, 24, made her social debut at Paris’ ultra exclusive Les Bal des Debutantes in 2013, wearing a navy Vivienne Westwood Haute Couture gown.
Her willowy frame and natural beauty led to Zita being model scouted through Facebook and she is now represented by Up Models and has secured brand partnerships with big names including Hermes.
Zita, who has 15,500 Instagram followers, juggles her commitments with a high-powered job at Google, where she works as an Account Strategist. She also holds a Masters degree from UCL.
The 24-year-old, whose parents are the Count and Countess d’Hauteville, is currently based in Paris where she enjoys breakfasts at Carette in the trendy 16th Arrondissement and escapes for weekends at châteaux.
ALEXANDRA VAN HOUTTE
Fashion tech mogul: Founder of what has been dubbed ‘fashion’s smartest search engine’, Alexandra Van Houtte, 31, is the woman behind Tag Walk, an online fashion database
Alexandra, a former ELLE fashion assistant, came up with the idea in 2016 after being amazed at how difficult it was to search for particular items across designers and past seasons
Now Tag Walk has almost 46,000 users and its success has landed Alexandra on a list of the world’s 50 most influential French people and the Business of Fashion 500
Founder of what has been dubbed ‘fashion’s smartest search engine’, Alexandra Van Houtte, 31, is the woman behind Tag Walk, an online database on which every garment, shoe, handbag and belt is tagged and organised, so you can search for anything from a black dress to a pagoda sleeve in a nanosecond.
Alexandra, a former ELLE fashion assistant, came up with the idea in 2016 after being amazed at how difficult it was to search for particular items across designers and past seasons.
Now Tag Walk has almost 46,000 users and its success has landed Alexandra on a list of the world’s 50 most influential French people and the Business of Fashion 500, which recognises the 500 movers and shakers shaping the industry.
Despite her success, Alexandra’s Instagram reveals a delightfully low-key way of life.
A recent video shows the tech entrepreneur eating microwave soup out of the container at her desk, with an extra large tub of Haribo in the background.
MARIA de la ORDEN
Best fashion foot forward: Enviably chic, even by lofty French standards, Maria de la Orden moved to Paris from her hometown of Madrid. Pictured, in an Instagram snap
The designer has founded not one, but two in-demand labels: La Veste and Maria de la Orden Studio, which are loved by well-heeled shoppers including Alexandra Tolstoy and Sabine Getty
Photos shared on the account show Maria posing in her pop-up store, exploring the cobbled streets of Saint-Paul-de-Vence or escaping to the countryside with a pack of puppies
Enviably chic, even by lofty French standards, Maria de la Orden moved to Paris from her hometown of Madrid.
The designer has founded not one, but two in-demand labels: La Veste and Maria de la Orden Studio, which are loved by well-heeled shoppers including Alexandra Tolstoy, Sabine Getty and Leah de Wavrin.
Samantha Cameron is among her 65,000 Instagram followers.
Photos shared on the account show Maria posing in her pop-up store, exploring the cobbled streets of Saint-Paul-de-Vence or escaping to the countryside with a pack of puppies – all while wearing perfectly curated outfits.
IMAN PEREZ
Daughter of Swiss actor Vincent Perez and Senegalese model-actress Karine Silla, Iman Perez inherited her parents’ good looks and ease in front of the camera
The 21-year-old is represented by Next Model Management and has already bagged campaigns with Hermes and Zadig & Voltaire. Pictured, in an Instagram snap
Away from modelling, Iman is an accomplished equestrian and regularly shares horse updates with her 30,800 Instagram followers. Pictured, posing for a selfie
Daughter of Swiss actor Vincent Perez and Senegalese model-actress Karine Silla, Iman Perez inherited her parents’ good looks and ease in front of the camera.
The 21-year-old is represented by Next Model Management and has already bagged campaigns with Hermes and Zadig & Voltaire.
She made her debut into society at the 2015 Bal des Débutantes, which was held just two weeks after the Paris terror attacks.
Away from modelling, Iman is an accomplished equestrian and regularly shares horse updates with her 30,800 Instagram followers.
Before the pandemic struck the model spent her time criss-crossing between Paris and New York, which she described as her ‘second home’.
Grounded in France for the foreseeable, Iman headed south the Saint Tropez over summer but is now back in the city.
SONIA BEN AMMAR
At the age of just 16, Sonia Ben Ammar, now 21, had her photograph published around the world when she was spotted hanging out with Brooklyn Beckham
With 730,000 Instagram followers, Sonia is a veritable social media star and often shares snaps of her achingly cool outfits and world travels. Pictured, at Paris Fashion Week
At the age of just 16, Sonia Ben Ammar, now 21, had her photograph published around the world when she was spotted hanging out with Brooklyn Beckham.
The daughter of film producer and distributor Tarak Ben Ammar and his Polish-born wife Beata, an actress, Sonia attended the American School of Paris and stepped out at the 2015 Bal des Débutantes alongside Iman.
She has a fledgling acting career and was recently cast in Scream 5, which is set to start shooting this year.
With 730,000 Instagram followers, Sonia is a veritable social media star and often shares snaps of her achingly cool outfits and world travels.
HELOISE AGOSTINELLI
Best known to Brits as a star of Made In Chelsea, in France Heloise Agostinelli’s family is considered fashion royalty. Pictured, in an Instagram snap
Her mother is Dior PR Director Mathilde Favier (left) meaning 21-year-old Heloise enjoys front row seats at Fashion Week and is on first-name terms with creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri. Right, with fellow It Girl Lady Amelia Windsor at a London fashion launch last year
Heloise Agostinelli at the Dior show at Paris Fashion Week in February
Best known to Brits as a star of Made In Chelsea, in France Heloise Agostinelli’s family is considered fashion royalty.
Her mother is Dior PR Director Mathilde Favier, meaning 21-year-old Heloise enjoys front row seats at Fashion Week and is on first-name terms with creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri.
Meanwhile her father Robert Agostinelli is a self-made billionaire who is chairman and co-founder of private equity firm Rhône Group.
Her extended family is just as impressive. Heloise’s aunt is the creative director of jewellery at Dior while her great-uncle Gilles Dufour designed haute couture creations for French fashion houses Chanel and Balmain.
Although fashion is in her blood, it is beauty that Heloise loves. She is the poster girl for brand Dr Barbara Strum and shows off her radiant complexion on Instagram, where she boasts more than 59,000 followers.
Although she is as Parisian as they come, Heloise spends most of her time in London.
It was in the UK that she met Jamie Laing, heir to the McVities fortune, a long-standing Made In Chelsea cast member.
Heloise, then 20, joined the show in early 2019 but left after her relationship with Laing, who is 10 years old, ended.