Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris

This book was featured in an article in Victoria Magazine. In general I'm not interested in self-help books, but in reading the sample it seemed interesting. I found the book an enjoyable read with good reminders, as long as not taken to the extreme. No need to go to a 10-item warddrobe or to wear cashmere on a daily basis, but don't overload your closet with clothing you will never wear or outfits which aren't flattering. And, yes, American's have become sloppy, something I noticed when visiting Target right after reading her chapters on style, but there are valid reasons for not wearing same clothes around the house, doing yardwork, cleaning, etc. Overall the book is a reminder to eat better with fewer snacks, try to look good even when home, excercise, etc.

This is one of my absolute favorite self-care, style, lifestyle, get-your-act-together-and-respect-yourself, how to present yourself well to yourself and others without making a big effort out of it or acting like a snob books. As a young adult the author traveled to France to live for a short time, and the lessons she learned there about fashion, food, home styling, self care and beauty routines changed her life forever. The most wonderful thing about this book is how simplistic it is! The tips and suggestions are simple, practical, logical, and easy to adapt for just about anyone anywhere. She makes a point of this by presenting the two families she lived with while in France and how even though the families were different (where they lived, their individual style) the principals of their approach to life is the same. This book is a great read for any age - from teens to young adults to anyone older, middle aged on up. There's no age restrictions on taking care of oneself! This book is also - although not presented as such - actually a money and time saver, specifically the tips about what to wear and beauty routines. Even the tips about what hair cut works best for each person make a lot of sense and are ultimately a time saver. This is the kind of book that readers will keep handy and refer to often. Sometimes I pick this book up and re-read different sections, especially if I need a style/care boost or a reminder why I should toss out those worn out sweat pants once and for all (ha ha). I highly recommend this book!

I learned my first French word in the 6th grade, many years ago, and studied the language all through public school. In college, I continued my studies and even tutored French in 1999-2001. Now, at long last, my husband and I are traveling to France, which is why I picked up Jennifer Scott's charming book. I have read other books, such as Marcia DeSanctis' 100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go. The latter obviously had more information to share about locations, but I found some of it a tad elitist sounding that was a bit off-putting. It was also highly subjective, and many places did not interest me in the slightest. But, this my take on Jennifer Scott's work. Although she, too, has had a privileged life experience, she manages to convey a humility that is quite refreshing. I loved her complete honesty (especially with Professeur Immaculate!) and other examples of faux pas committed by herself and others. She seemed to throw in every conceivable tidbit that might be useful to someone interested in French culture and really draws the reader in to the experiences she had. I couldn't bring myself to feel jealous, even when she described reading a play and then going to see a live production the following week. Had I been blessed with her parentage, I may well have made my first trip to France as a teenager, too, but, alas, I was not. But this book left me with a feeling of camaraderie with the French people and an even greater desire to go. And planning my wardrobe for this special trip has been a two-year dedicated effort. While it may not appeal to everyone, it is all my style, and I can't wait to don my first outfit and take to the streets of Paris to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. Jennifer feels like a friend I'll never meet, but of whom I am very fond. Thank you for a delightful read!

Wonderful, concise and very well written. A guide to style in the best of the Francophile books such as Entre Nous by Debra Ollivier and All You Need to Be Impossibly French by Helena Frith Powell. It will hold it's own with Anne Barone's Chic and Slim series and Nina Garcia's books on Style. A really good little addition to any style library and a must for any Francophile book collection. I first got the original Kindle self published version, then the newer edition. In comparing them the newer more expensive edition is a little better edited, but it did leave out a few thoughts that I liked. I'm happy with the newer edition but if you have the old one, don't bother unless you are curious like me and want to support this author (who is deserving of all the praise coming to her for this book). The new edition also has some nice line drawings, and some better layout of pages and paragraph spacing. The advice within the book is excellent. For example on how to stay slim and fit she gives the tips her host mother gave her along with her boyfriend's host mother (she was on an exchange program in Paris as was her boyfriend). In the advice on style she goes into the merits of a capsule wardrobe of 10 pieces, but unlike the usual minimalist advice she explains that t shirts and outerwear for example don't count. Just the core pieces and those can be shifted by season. I think that is unusual in minimalist wardrobe advice and really worthwhile. She has a lot more in the book, including skin care and makeup tips that she gleaned from her observations, and she finishes with a section on living with joyous attention, a real joie de vivre. Lovely book and really glad I got it! Twice!

Os relatos da passagem da estada em Paris são muito bem escritos, me diverti bastante e adorei saber que sou um pouco "francesa", acredito muito no conceito fomentado no livro e creio que talvez ajude algumas pessoas a reavaliarem o próprio comportamento, bem como o consumo. Claro que existem coisas impossíveis e impensáveis para nossa cultura no Brasil, quer sejam por razões estruturais e/ou culturais - já que nos espelhamos em uma sociedade extremamente consumista (EUA). Mas sim, o livro vai te passar uma mensagem legal, leve e diversa. Recomendo a leitura.

Je n'ai pas encore lu le livre, mais bien qu'il soit arrivé dans les délais indiqué l'état laisse à désirer. Voilà qui gâche un peu le plaisir de parcourir le livre... Je compléterai mon commentaire sur le contenu plus tard.

和訳本を読んで内容にとても共感したので原作も読んでみたくなりました。 先に和訳を読んでいることもあり、スラスラ読めました。わかりやすくてきれいな英文で 最初から英語で読みたい方におすすめです。

This is a delightful little book. It truly evokes the style of living in Paris. It is sufficiently practical to enable the reader to bring a little bit of Paris into their lives. Well written, heart warming and a real pleasure to read.

Refreshing read on how to lead a life, filled with many real life instances so that it can be applied to anyone..