Inside the Anne Fontaine, Queen of the White Shirt, boutique at Beijing's Shin Kong Place.

Brazilian-French, high-end, and tall, "Queen of the White Shirt" designer Anne Fontaine has been stretching her sleeves across the globe since 1994. Starting off in France 19 years ago, her original take on the white shirt has since expanded into an exclusive worldwide fashion and lifestyle luxury brand, including tops (naturelment), outerwear, accessories, and a perfume; in short, the whole Cote d'Azur shebang. Her designs, ever feminine and ever in-touch with her refined yet contrasting wardrobe, have targeted the well-rounded modern woman roaring her way through the urban jungle (please no feminist reactions) in China for seven years and running. But now, we ask, "Anne Fontaine, c'est qui ça?"

Paris, Je t'aime

"Both my designs and clientele embody the classic French style, simple and chic." said Fontaine on Jan. 31.

A week before Spring Festival overtook the daily routines of denizens in the capital, Fontaine co-hosted a media reception with Beijing's Shin Kong Place (星光天地), which houses one of her retail outlets, to offer a glimpse of her 2013 Spring/Summer collection and explain her inspirations and drive this time around. At the event, she offered guests an exotic voyage in fashion infused with the primal spirit of the trendy trip, treating them to the mystique of the Brazilian jungle and the joire de vivre of the more refined, yet outright flirtatious, French Riviera: From navy to neon, from pastel to panther (not literally though).

Twice a year, Fontaine unveils 500 new pieces to her fan base soi-meme, yet she says selecting the right 100 designs to cross the thresholds of her Paris, New York and Tokyo flagship stores remains a daunting task every time. One thing this fashion biz pro (I'd say she's earned her pinstripes over the past two decades) has never abandoned, though, is the archetypal Parisian style renowned for its fashion street credit through its apparent and clean-cut unfussiness. Judging from my previous China.org.cn posts, for some reason this style seems to have struck a major chord with Chinese designers as well, more so than that of any other fashion capital (think New York and London).

In Fontaine's designs, black and white, her staple go-tos, are classically cut or with a seasonal element — for example, for this upcoming collection she experimented with vintage lace. She typically adds two or three colors to each collection, which this time around turned out to be around navy blue and neon lemon-yellow — quite the quirky twist, but completely in line with overall trends for Summer 2013's fashion fest.

Fontaine now runs a full-on high-end fashion and lifestyle brand, ranging from the white shirt to a perfume to accessories, dominated by the terms "simplicity and artisan."

Bon Chic, Bon Genre

"My client knows herself, her style and her goals. This collection offers something for every personality or mood." explained Fontaine in her January presentation.

Aside of being a name for a clothing line by Max Azria, the term Bon Chic, Bon Genre or "BCBG" (except for the "beret" or "marine look" or any other of those often misused clichés) is often used to refer to typical, non-overdone French style. Fontaine's designs have a very down-to-earth tone to them, both literally and figuratively. Her passion for environmental protection and a stint living with an indigenous tribe in the Amazonia for several months installed a love for natural materials in her approach to design, which is in her own words still and always very "artisan." It doesn't come as a surprise that one of her S/S 2013 themes is called "urban jungle," which features earthy colors and exotic accessories.

Another theme the collection touches upon is the "Riviera spirit," perhaps an unintended reference to her stay in Monaco when she decided to revisit her (paternal) French roots all the way from Rio de Janeiro. This collection sees navy replacing her preferred black and uses several nautical motifs. On a more romantic Grace Kelly note, Fontaine also opted for "a land of wonder," with designs featuring more poetic pastels and powdery pink shades, which give a softer edge to a woman's daily uniform.

Fontaine's collection this summer takes her customer on a trip inspired by female adventurers like author Karen Blixen, author of "Out of Africa" (the on-screen version of which I saw Meryl rocking a number of broaches and vintage laced blouses while trekking in the bush). Their unbridled personas and ceaseless travel formed a source of major inspiration. This season's fashion journey touches upon the contrasts of different materials and colors, such as mixing of light pleats, crinkled knitwear and touches of vintage lace. In a fun, summery way, her shirts flirt with transparency through the use of materials such as translucent mousseline. Meanwhile, neon flashes reinvigorate the luxury of the natural fabrics, not to mention your tan.

Bon Chic, Bon Genre indeed. And of course bon voyage!

Fashionistas United, a lesson from Fashion Basics 101:

"From the urban jungle to the real one: Your closet needs a white blouse."

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