What is it about French Vogue editor Emmanuelle Alt's tendency to belt everything that is so appealing? Whittled-down waist? Longer legs? Thrown together yet put together? Sexy and stylish (with a little Gallic je-sais-quoi thrown in)? Tie-me-up bondage? If you are reading this and are a professor of semiotics, please comment below with the answer. In the meantime, I will just keep drawing inspiration from it during my shopping travels. My latest related find? These that come with a belt (effectively taking out the what-belt-to-wear guesswork) and in just about every color (and 30% off!).

Photos: , French Voguettes, , , I Want to be an Alt, Style du Monde