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!

This book was recommended to me by a friend, and as a mild francophile, I have to say I enjoyed it. Jennifer L. Scott includes many good points -- listen to more classical music, don't get caught up in trends, slow down and savor, simplify, Hey! Try manners!, put away the cell phone sometimes... and oh-so-much-more. I don't think I'd ever be able to do a true ten-item wardrobe, but the idea intrigues me. I don't think this is the most earth-shattering book ever written. For me, part of the enjoyment came from reading it and thinking, "That's how I feel too!" There are some things I disagree with Ms. Scott about. For instance, I think what she advocates regarding "creating an air of mystery" by not sharing too much is well-intentioned, but I have found that quite often, sharing certain information helps people connect with you. Openness can lead to greater intimacy. (I don't mean that in a sexual way -- I hate how the word "intimacy" often carries that connotation, so I want to clarify that.) I think it's important to remember that the French -- especially those most like the Famille Chic, at least as Ms. Scott describes them -- are sometimes thought of as "les snobs." But the reason I give it four stars instead of five is not because of my disagreement. Rather, it's because it's a little repetitive. She summarizes the chapter... and *then* gives "Le Recap." And some of the anecdotes she uses are recycled later. I would still recommend this for a fun read. I would give it to many of my friends who I think could benefit from its insights. It's about the simpler, better, more flavorful life -- with a French twist.

I am a huge fan of the French way of living because it's better for human beings in general. More walking, appreciating life, wearing your best clothes every day, and manners-manners-manners. While I love living in America and being an American, I love what the French can teach us. Every culture seems to do something really well, and the French give us Class(with a capital C). Jennifer L. Scott spent six months in a student program and lived with a well-to-do French family. Jennifer was honest many mistakes she made with her host family, like looking for a midnight snack, not realizing that no one ate except at meal times. She learned that sloppy sweats were never an option, even for bedtime. She learned that the family always used their best china and manners NO MATTER WHAT! Jennifer learned to live well, and how to give herself the best which is really about respecting yourself. The chapters are laid how according to subject so that the reader can go from right to whatever might interest them, though I read straight through. Jennifer's writing is easy to follow, understand, and is like gossiping with your best friend over a latte`. Following the advice of Madame Chic will help you to live a classier life, and probably a much happier life as you learn to embrace who you are, and what you have. I plan on following the wardrobe advice of ten items(for that means 30, but who's counting), and get rid of any piece of clothing that doesn't serve me.

I enjoyed this book tremendously and found the chapters on skin care and makeup especially interesting to me personally. The author comes across as honest and candid about her feelings regarding her experience with French culture. Several things she says have also been discussed in Mireille Giuliano's books, so there is consistency. However, I could not help but think about how much easier it would be for Americans to have a better work-life balance if so many people I know didn't have to work overloaded jobs at 50 and 60 hours a week to keep from getting laid off, plus deal with 2-hour daily commutes, and bosses who complain vigorously if a person leaves one's desk for anything more than a trip to the restroom or the company microwave to warm a frozen lunch, never mind a refreshing lunchtime walk. This is why we have gyms and home exercise videos, to replace what the French people get naturally in the course of a day's business. Also, it would be easy to turn out beautiful, gourmet meals and have an uncluttered house if the working women I know only had to work part-time like the lady of the house for the French host family of the author. The habit of the Frenchmen to pick up after themselves is a big help to the uncluttered look of a house, as well. How gallant of them. The big secret of the French weight control seems to be lots and lots of walking and stair climbing. We're just not set up for that. Things here are laid out in a spacious manner conducive to driving and many, many areas, both commercial and residential, are too dangerous to walk in, whether because of pit bulls, no sidewalks, or demographics. The neighborhoods compact enough to walk in for any food marketing are generally older, and simply not safe. These are also the areas being referred to now as "food deserts". I have just read that French workers receive 30 mandated vacation days per year, plus 10 holidays. When was the last time the majority of U.S. workers you know took any more than a total of 10 business days in a year's time -- and maybe not even that if there have been layoffs in the company, so now extra work is piled on an already overloaded job. A wonderful book about the French lifestyle, and a sad commentary on ours.

I really enjoyed reading about life in the household of her Parisian hostess. "Madame Chic" lives a peaceful and joyous life. She thoroughly enjoys cooking, shopping for and spending time with her family. She is content with a smaller amount of high quality possessions. She lives Well. However, I didn't enjoy reading about the author's American twist on living as a Parisian. Quite often I felt like she was saying, "Look at how these amazing people live their lives! We should all live just like them! But of course we won't ACTUALLY live like them, so let's live like Americans and pretend we're living like the French." She talks about a No-Makeup look and then writes a chapter on how to spend a ton of money on makeup that will make it look like you're not wearing makeup. She says she doesn't even know if Madame Chic DOES wear makeup. Novel thought: you could just not wear makeup. She talks about how french women don't go to the gym. They walk to the grocery store every day and walk up stairs everywhere they go. Their life incorporates exercise naturally. Then the author gives you a bunch of ideas like doing squats while you vacuum, or, if you prefer, just go to the gym. It is hard to picture the elegant "Madame Chic" doing squats while she vacuums. I also disliked how she has chapters about how to be more formal and cultivate an air of mystery. I don't know that being formal and mysterious necessarily makes you happier or means that you are living better. The way she wants you to be mysterious sounds to me like you just never talk to people. Why is that good? People like to have someone ask questions about themselves. "How are you? How's your job? How are your children?" Everyone wants to feel like they are interesting. Being mysterious seems to be all about thinking only of yourself and how you appear. Actually, a lot of this book seems to be about how you appear. Appearances are important to a degree, certainly, but I think this book takes it to a slightly ridiculous level. Live happily, enjoy the small pleasures in life like a well cooked dinner and cloth napkins, walk more, own less but make that less a better quality. These are my favorite take-aways from the book.

Enjoyed this insightful resource. You don't have to spend a lot to look and feel fabulous.

As a Francomaniac who has spent a lot of time in France, I saw this book and wondered what on earth more could be said about the French lifestyle. And as a "femme d'un certain age" what could this young woman write that I didn't already know.Still my curiosity led to read this book. I loved it. What differentiates Scott's book from the majority of others writing on this subject is that she doesn't lecture, doesn't tell the reader what to do and what not to do (boring). What she does do that makes reading this book not only delightful but also motivating is her style of illustrating the points. Rather than provide a type of documentary reporting, she shows how the Parisian woman lives and reflects the French mentality by sharing with us anecdotes from her stay in Paris. The reader comes to an understanding by experiencing those moments with her and comes to her own conclusion. True at the end of each chapter, she summarizes and gives suggestions about how to incorporate what "she" learned into the reader's lives. Those suggestions are not extraordinary i.e. the reader could most likely think of them herself but they do bring the "lesson" to a conclusion and tie things up. Why I thought this was motivating had more to do with my own experiences. My friends all live in the 16th (like Mme Chic) and they are all thin and of a certain social milieu. But unlike Mme Chic, none of them cook (great French frozen food or the local traiteur is their solution). in fact, they barely eat at all (except for dark chocolate);nor do they smoke. So when I read Scott's account of how she learned that one does not eat between meals, I immediately saw the connection between the French dedication to moderation, to delayed gratification and to a regulated way of life. I think the reader too--whether she has had any experience living in France or not-- will come to understand this lifestyle and maybe apply it to her own lifestyle. There are many other anecdotes in the book. It's an easy read. I read it quickly but then left the last chapter for days so as not to have finished it!