FRENCH chic heads for Bath next month with the opening of Comptoir des Cotonniers, in the Parisian boutique's first venture into the South West.

Since opening its first shop in 1995 in France, Comptoir des Cotonniers now has more than 330 stores in Europe, Asia and New York; in the UK it has 13 stores, mostly in London.

It describes its fashion as "wearable designer clothes, crossing the generation border". It uses mother and daughter models chosen from among its own customers to prove that the generations can buy their clothes from the same shop without looking like mutton dressed as lamb – or lamb dressed as mutton.

It's certainly true that its autumn collection oozes the kind of effortless elegance and understated sophistication we Brits tend to associate with French women – whether they're in their 20s or their 60s.

Beautifully cut, in deceptively simple but very flattering shapes, the collection comes in muted colours, mostly dark greys, charcoals, blues and neutrals, with a few bright flashes of red or orange, to create a sense of timelessness.

But beware: the French believe good clothes are an investment and if you're more accustomed to shopping at Primark, at £94 for a roll-neck jumper or £150 for a pair of shoes, Comptoir des Cotonniers's prices will make you blink.

On the other hand, if you're after that indefinable air of Parisian chic, you might consider the investment worth every penny.

Susie Weldon

Comptoir opens in Milsom Street, Bath, next Friday. Visit www.comptoirdescotonniers.com