Madame Chic...

Madame Chic

I just heard about this book last week when my mom ordered it from Amazon.  I nabbed it first and finished reading it in the car on a recent trip.  It was a fun, quick read and chocked full of useful information.

For me, this book was a chance to stop and think about how I live.  The French way of quality over quantity was stressed more than once.  I've heard so many people say they want to live with a less is more mentality - to get out of the keeping up with the Joneses lifestyle and say 'no' to excess.  This book really helps you figure out how it's done en France.

One of my favorite chapters of the book talks about a ten piece wardrobe.  No more closets stuffed full and 'nothing to wear'.  Apparently it's tres French to buy a limited number of quality pieces of clothing that mix and match with each other as opposed to a bazillion pieces of poor or mediocre quality pieces that may or may not work with your existing wardrobe.  I have always been intrigued with this idea and started to limit my wardrobe this season.  I anticipate taking a few bags of clothes to the Goodwill soon - things I didn't wear this winter because I never put them back in my closet and haven't missed one bit.

But this book is about way more than clothes.  It discusses make up and perfume and pajamas and hair and your home and music and movies and manners and so much more.

I am excited to read Jennifer L. Scott's second book 'At Home with Madame Chic: Becoming a Connoisseur of Daily Life'.  I expect it to be just as magnifique as the first one!

Comments

Laurie Anne said…
Sounds like a good book. Reminds me of the book "Why French Girls Aren't Fat". Same kind of thinking less is more, but make your "less" the absolute best. Have you seen the blog The Gardener's Cottage? She has also been on the path of "less" and I find her fascinating and inspiring. The other "less is more" book making the rounds is "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" (I found the audio book on YouTube) Her thought is if an item does not bring you joy you need thank it for its service and let it go. Less stuff, less to keep clean. You might also want to check out the 333 wardrobe project. 33 items (including shoes and accessories)for 3 months. Tons on pinterest and youtube. My mom always said "less is more". Who knew she was ahead of her time :)
March 9, 2015 at 11:15 AM
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