Lessons from Madame Chic
20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris
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4.1 • 117 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Inspired by Paris, this lighthearted and deceptively wise contemporary memoir serves as a guidebook for women on the path to adulthood, sophistication, and style, perfect for any woman looking to lead a more fulfilling, passionate, and artful life.
Paris may be the City of Light, but for many it is also the City of Transformation. When Jennifer Scott arrived in Paris as an exchange student from California, she had little idea she would become an avid fan of French fashion, lifestyle, and sophistication. Used to a casual life back home, in Paris she was hosted by a woman she calls “Madame Chic,” mistress of a grand apartment in the Sixteenth Arrondissement.
Madame Chic mentors Jennifer in the art of living, with elegance and an impeccably French less-is-more philosophy. Three-course meals prepared by the well-dressed Madame Chic (her neat clothes covered by an apron, of course) lure Jennifer from her usual habit of frequent snacks, junk food, sweatpants, and TV.
Additional time spent with “Madame Bohemienne,” a charming single mother who passionately embraces Parisian joie de vivre, introduces readers to another facet of behind-closed-doors Parisian life.
While Francophiles will appreciate this memoir of a young woman’s adventure abroad, others who may not know much about France will thrill to the surprisingly do-able (yet chic!) hair and makeup lessons, plus tips on how to create a capsule wardrobe with just ten useful core pieces.
Each chapter of Lessons from Madame Chic reveals the valuable secrets Jennifer learned while under Madame Chic’s tutelage—tips you can master no matter where you live or the size of your budget.
Embracing the classically French aesthetic of quality over quantity, aspiring Parisiennes will learn the art of eating (deprive yourself not; snacking is not chic), fashion (buy the best you can afford), grooming (le no-makeup look), among other tips.
From entertaining to decor, you will gain insights on how to cultivate old-fashioned sophistication while living an active, modern life. Lessons from Madame Chic is the essential handbook for a woman that wants to look good, live well, and enjoy that Parisian je ne sais quoi in her own arrondissement.
Customer Reviews
Changed me :)
Lessons from Madame Chic changed me. It shifted my thinking, challenged my American thoughts about clothes, gave me inspiration to edit my closet, made me wonder about how my own joy of life would grow simply by using my best things instead of saving them. My idea of what is valuable reset. My own habits needed a culling. A focus on beauty was a new adaptation. This book with a fairly simple story, not an earth quaking tale, motivated me. I practice lessons from the book. I usually need multiple attempts. I call these re-chicing.
Inspiring and amusing
Best book about the French female culture I have read so far. Well written and edited. Great little stories to illustrate customs. Inspiring new way of thinking, especially for those of us in our early 40's, bored with American life and watching entirely too much Bravo for entertainment. :)
Inspiring
Love the way she expresses her delight and inspiration for French culture. Well written, sometimes repetitive (not in a non-encouraging way). Also love how she incorporates a story with a lesson- Im inspired to try new things!