Title: Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris
Author: Jennifer L. Scott
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: November 6, 2012
ISBN: 9781451699371
Number of Pages: 283
How I Got It: library
Format: hardcover
Goodreads Description:
When Jennifer Scott arrived at the doorstep of a grand Sixteenth Arrondissement apartment in Paris as a foreign exchange student, she was greeted by the woman who would become her mentor and the inspiration for the way she lived long after her time abroad was over. Madame Chic took the casual California teenager under her wing, revealing the secrets of how the French elevate the little things in life to the art of living.Each chapter of Lessons from Madame Chic reveals a valuable secret Jennifer learned while under Madame Chic's tutelage: tips you can incorporate into your own life, no matter where you live or the size of your budget. Embracing the classically French aesthetic of quality over quantity, aspiring Parisiennes will learn to master the art of eating (deprive yourself not), dressing (the ten-item wardrobe), grooming (le no-makeup look), and living à la française. From entertaining with easy flair and formality to cultivating allure while living an active, modern life, Lessons from Madame Chic is the essential handbook for anyone wanting to incorporate that Parisian je ne sais quoi into her daily life.
My Review:
I love a book about Paris! Author Jennifer L. Scott gives lots of advice presented in easily digestible mini chapters and lists. There was plenty of information that has been presented before in books such as Fifty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong and French Women Don't Get Fat. While this book was released several years ago, I think it would be a great accompaniment to the recent Marie Kondo books. Embracing a life of quality over quantity and dismissing the need for constant consumerism may be a new trend to those following the "Spark Joy" movement, but it has been a staple of the French lifestyle for for quite some time. I found a few of the chapters overly simplistic and unnecessary (the makeup descriptions) but did love the idea of the capsule wardrobe. How fascinating to only have 10 items of clothing! I've done a major purge of my wardrobe and am still not anywhere close to that, but I'm still working on it. This is a great little book that would be enjoyed by francophiles and people looking to find simple pleasures in their day.
2 comments
The lessons sound very good. And you are right, Rhiannon. It would be great to trim the wardrobe to only ten pieces...I wish!
I have been twice to Paris. My husband was recently there for work. I will read this one before the next time I go. Yes, the wardrobe trimming is something I have been working on. Basically because most of it doesn't fit my age or body anymore-:)
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