Parisian Chic: A Style Guide (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
Oh this was so frustrating. Mostly because it cost me around £20. Lord help me if I know what possessed me to buy this (probably because it looked really pretty). Apart from one small part at the beginning of the book that holds actual good advice and cool tips on better shopping, how not to buy things that will end up in your wardrobe just for decoration and whatnot, the rest of the book was like reading a magazine full of very fancy ads. Literally the entire second half of the book is filled with adressess and 2-sentence-reviews on various Parisian concept stores, ridiculously expensive and unnatainable venues which only the likes of Miss Fressange could visit and ultimately shop. This book is also more suited for women older than 30, possibly with children of their own and a career. By all means, get inspired by the patterns and designs shown in the book, but the lifestyle it writes about and sometimes insists on is just not for a 20 year old student living in East Europe who gets her clothes from H&M. It's aestethically pleasing and nice to look at on your coffee table so you can flip through it every once in awhile, but it is just not for me. I received this book as a gift and I am glad I did not buy it. As mentioned by other reviewers, perhaps two-thirds of the book are devoted to Parisian addresses (where to shop, eat, drink and being seen), therefore useless for anybody who does not live there - or even for people who visit only occasionally, like me.On the positive side, the book is visually pleasing, with lots of charming drawings and plenty of photos. Some of the advice does make sense. I agree with Ines about high heels being useless at best and ridiculous on most occasions. The vast majority of women do not know how to walk with high heels, ending up tottering and stumbling or walking with rigid legs - the opposite of chic.Other bits of wisdom can be found regularly on women's magazines and are hardly groundbreaking: do not wear too much make-up; change your style when aging; etc...Besides, she goes on and on about what French people like and dislike, implying that the French know better - a syndrome known as "chez nous, en France". Anybody who visited Paris probably noticed that most French women do not look like Ines, but are as sloppy and badly mannered as the rest of us. So it looks likes Ines is failing to make proselytes of her own countrywomen.Finally, her advice is not about general "chic", but strictly about what suit her taste - which indeed is good, but not necessarily good for everybody. For instance, she likes the colour blue and trench coats. I dislike blue and the only time I bought a trench I lived to regret it, as it does not suit my lifestyle. Besides, I dislike the array of buttons, belts and epaulettes trench coats come with.Therefore, she totally fails to expand the scope of the book into making it a real guide to chic, and what she delivers is merely a personal diary of her likes and dislikes.
What do You think about Parisian Chic: A Style Guide (2010)?
Not great literature, but fun if you're in to fashion.
—Sporty1234
fun little book, nothing profound but pretty and fun!
—Shofyy
