“I believe a good closet or a good wardrobe starts with foundation,” says Nejla Matam-Finn, CEO and founder of luxury vintage fashion company The 5th Collection.

This video is part of a series called “French Style,” released by Singapore fashion YouTube channel HerWorld. In each video, HerWorld interviews a different French woman on how they manage to look so, well… French. Across each episode, investing in the basics seems to be the key: blue jeans, white t-shirts, practical flats (Repetto, duh!), and classic handbags in neutral colors that will match everything and survive rapidly changing trends.

What is it, then, with French women and blue jeans paired with white button-down shirts? Forget Little Black Dresses, berets, and Chanel. Every single video on French style will tell you the same thing: denim and a collared shirt are the keys to success in love, life, and fashion. That is, as long as you have a willowy figure that won’t produce that uncomfortable gap between buttons that makes dress shirts a nightmare for certain ladies.

You can find more of HerWorld’s “French Style” videos here and here.