Simple Outfits Inspired By Saint-Jean-Baptiste: Wear Blue And White!

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day is upon us on June 24th, the national holiday celebrating French-Canadian and Québecois culture throughout Québec. French-Canadians also celebrate this holiday in other Canadian provinces and even in the United States. 

These SJB festivities go the extra mile in Québec, with people donning extravagant blue-and-white face paint and decorative accessories. There are also plenty of creative costumes highlighting the colors and fleur-de-lys of their province’s flag.

So, how can Franco-Americans recreate these iconic looks for ourselves on SJB? We may not have extravagant parades, but we can make our own blue-and-white looks for this holiday!

Why SJB-inspired Outfits? 

Franco-Americans celebrate this holiday, but I think we can step it up. We can wear the colors associated with Québec to acknowledge our ancestors’ former stomping grounds. I’ve previously posted how much I admire Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations in their waves of green and shamrocks. So, we in the U.S. can start making our colors known to mainstream American culture by adopting this creativity.

For this outfit project, I decided to branch off from creating costumes du les voyageurs this past winter. I began by finding pieces in my closet that matched the blue and white theme of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. Although, there’s no face paint for the time being due to makeup not being my strong point. But we can become inspired and make it known that on June 24th, Franco-Americans wear blue and white!

The Inspiration Behind the Looks 

I took inspiration from countryside photos in an old issue of National Geographic from 1950. This issue features a story about life along the St. Lawrence River. In these photos, both boys and girls, men and women mostly wear clothing with patterns. Or, they match plain clothing with patterns or neutrals.  

Plaid, woven patterns, and stripes make up the primary patterns worn. Along with neutrals and bold colors, these typically appear in my deep dives of exploring these old photos. Today, we would find these clothing choices within specific popular aesthetics: cottagecore, folk costumes, maybe even folklore.

Village Québécois d’Antan became a source of inspiration to channel moderne looks while researching clothing ideas from the Québec countryside.

During my brainstorming session on traditional dress for Franco-Americans, I looked into the costumes worn throughout France today as inspiration. As well as to see if there were any similar items worn in those regions and areas of Québec.

Especially along the seacoast of Southern France, wide-brimmed straw hats are a common sight. These hats are also found in historical costumes in Québec traditional and folk dance groups. As well as in living history farms like the Village mentioned above.

As you may know from my posts on this topic, I find inspiration in German-American culture. For me, I’ve often wondered what the equivalent of a German dirndl would be for French-Canadian and Franco-American culture. I think something like these looks gives a similar country folklore vibe. After all, the dirndl was the daily clothing of German farm girls, and it continues to be popularized today.

So, I combined these ideas to create a kind of “countryside Québec” aesthetic. Making an outfit into cultural clothing means it’s more wearable and won’t look like a costume. My goal with these SJB-inspired outfits is to create a shared tradition between Québec and Franco-America. And, of course, to bring mainstream attention to Franco-American holidays.

These are only my interpretations of SJB outfits and costumes, so feel free to comment below with what you would pick out of your closet to wear on June 24th!

Outfit #1

What drew me to use this blue jumpsuit for an outfit was the white floral pattern. When we look at the Québec flag, besides being blue and white, we have the fleur-de-lys in each corner.

We know it as a symbol of French heritage and a stylized flower. So, finding blue and white floral patterns would fit Saint-Jean-Baptiste celebrations nicely. To bring out the white of the jumpsuit’s florals, I wore a white cropped tank top and added white sneakers.

SJB celebrations may require lots of walking if your area offers festivities, so it’s good to have proper walking shoes. I finished this outfit with my favorite piece of traditional clothing, a wide-brimmed hat. As seen in regions of France and Québec, this hat adds the perfect countryside touch to a culture-inspired outfit.

Underneath the hat, I tied a simple petite bow in my hair to keep some of it up. As well as to continue bringing out more white when the hat is unworn.

Outfit #2  

Channeling Village Québécois d’Antan further, this long dress I had bought secondhand last year would fit this countryside look well. So, I paired the navy blue dress with a white t-shirt underneath to acknowledge our dual colors again.

The buttons down the middle, the simple shape, and the long length of the dress give me the necessary farm girl vibes for a folklorish good time. We can enjoy throwing it back to some living history Québec clothing and celebrate our Franco-American culture.

Layering a high-cut shirt underneath a sweetheart dress neckline helps to emphasize the beautifully-cut rounded edges of the dress. Paired with the wide-brimmed hat, this outfit reminds me of a present-day version of the women’s dresses in the Village.

To complete this outfit, I have a pair of beige woven flats mimicking the pattern of a woven basket. This pattern brings it back to the woven sunhat, giving us more of the countryside look. The sun was clearly bright the day I shot these photos, so I decided to add another touch of white with a pair of thick, white sunglasses.

Outfit #3

In New England, June 24th is also known as Franco-American Day. To reference this holiday, we can add red to our color palette. This reflects the solid red line of the Franco-American flag that represents us throughout the U.S.

Bringing it back to summer florals, this red dress with tiny white flowers is perfect to represent the red stripe. The dress has a simple cut with a tie-waist that beautifully flatters the figure. Even though it’s fully patterned with white flowers, the red still boldly stands out. Paired with the wide-brimmed sunhat and woven flats, the dress instantly gives a slight cottagecore makeover.

I love how this red dress pops against the beige neutrals from top to bottom. Similar to how the red stripe of the Franco-American flag pops against the blue and white.

Outfit #4

In the folksy and cottagecore aesthetic, makeup should be minimal to focus on the simplicity of the overall look. However, with this last outfit, I wanted to bring it back to the red of the Franco-American flag. So, I added a touch of red lipstick to stand out against the blue shades of the outfit.

Focusing on the blue and white of the Québec flag with a hint of red from the Franco-American flag can symbolize our heritage of the past while focusing on our present culture.

The simplicity of the dress makes it almost look homemade, fitting that folk vibe of creating your own clothing for life in the countryside. Going for a monochromatic look can add a touch of sophistication to any outfit. Even though we only have a few colors to work with, we can expand our SJB looks by using different shades of the same colors.

The remaining pieces of this outfit are the wide-brimmed hat and woven straw flats. These pieces further channel that countryside and farm life vibe. The only jewelry I’ve added for this particular look is a dainty fleur-de-lys necklace to highlight the primary symbol of the French-heritage world.

This look is complete with or without the dark blue cardigan, depending on how warm it is outside. During these photos, it was a cool and windy summer day, so I’m glad that I added the cardigan. If you know summer in New England, you know the hot temperature can often drop on a whim!

Will You Wear Blue and White on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day?

With these outfit aesthetics, there are many possibilities to explore and create a specific look for ourselves on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. Even with the limited color palette, wearing colors and symbology of Québec and Franco-America can create distinct looks for ourselves on these holidays.

So, what would you wear on SJB and/or Franco-American Day? And how will you be celebrating this year?