Customer Reviews

The Essence of Style: How the French Invented High Fashion, Fine Food, Chic Cafes, Style, Sophistication, and Glamour

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This beautifully written and intelligently argued book takes us back to a critical time in French history when brilliant, inventive artistic minds and a king bent on making France pre-eminent in European style came together to create, perfect, or popularize an astonishing array of products and ideas we take for granted. This list is amazingly varied: Champagne as the ne plus ultra for celebrations; folding umbrellas (yes!); full-length mirrors; the diamond as symbol of wealth and power; street lights making a city open at night; the coffee house where one could socialize and get great pastry; haute cuisine cookbooks--and more. I'm a novelist and essayist and radio reviewer and I found the narrative endlessly gripping and thought-provoking. This is popular history at its best: lively, witty, entertaining and wise. The author makes you feel the excitement of a time filled with dazzling characters bent on changing the world around them in big and small ways. I've read a great deal about this period, but have never before seen it as such a fertile ground for creation in many fields. Bravo.

I wasn't that impressed with the idea behind this book, fashion as such doesn't really interest me, or only in a historical sense anyway. What has always had me wondering is why on Earth the French seem to have so much style and verve - seem to be the very heart of it both historically and in modern day - even the terms for the most stylish of wear haute couture, pret a porter and even elan are French after all. It is not just style they define, it is the essence of style. And it is not just fasion it is food and more -

So I picked up this book to see if deJean could shed some light on it - I expected a quick once over, perhaps some fuzzing at the edges and a book designed to be read rather than giving any depth. And it is none of these things. It seems the French can also write with style.

This is a wonderful quirky book, it certainly offers some convincing explanations for the French role in all things good, and deJean dates it back to the reign of seventeenth century Louis XIV who lived long and glamourously. His quest for things to make his life brighter, drier, and more beautiful may well have been the starting point for this ultimate role the French have now. The quest for things such as mirrors which were good, a method to keep himself dry when it rained (the umbrella), food, clothing, even paving on the streets to prevent getting covered in mud, deJean argues have all contributed to the way the French are now.

I don't know if I am that wildly convinced that a king 350 years ago really had that great influence on the national psyche now, but what I did find was the detail and the information was compelling. I found myself reading this and enjoying it just for that. So much I didn't know about French history, so much in fasion and food I didn't know and thoroughly enjoyed learning about.

A good read, easy page turner and while frivolous, tres bon.

Topic Selection: B+ Although the book may seem a little all over the place to some, focusing on such diverse aspects of culture as food, clothing, champagne, perfume, parties, and even umbrellas, DeJean does a good job of relating the different parts of the book to one another. She ties them all to a very specific period of history and especially to Louis XIV.

Scholarship: C- DeJean seems to rely fairly heavily on a rather small number of sources, despite the fact that the total number of sources is pretty good. Also, at least some footnotes would help the book.

Readability: A- This book was obviously written to be consumed by a general audience. DeJean's style is very easy to read, although some of the chapters seem repetitive, as she often comes to the same conclusion.

Impartiality: C I detected a definite "France is great" tone to this book that could sometimes be a little distracting. One also gets the impression that DeJean thinks that the move towards rapidly changing fashions was inevitably a good thing, for which she does not give a reason. She was not biased in an overbearing way, but there is definitely a bias there.

Overall: B- I really enjoyed the book and for beginners to this area of history, I think it is ideal. You learn a lot of those little things that you always wondered about, such as where the concept of dessert comes from. DeJean's style is readable and she is obviously passionate about the subject. Serious scholars should stay away, as the book does not always adequately cite it's sources and does not prove its argument as adequately as it could.

Captivating, awesome reading!! I was amazed the depth of reseach. A unique perspective and delightful insite. Could not put this book down!! Super attention to detail. 'The Essence of Style" is an extraordinary and tantalizing look at our culture.

The basic premise of this book is that the essence of style, in all things fashionable, culinary, and otherwise, was set in France with Louis XIV. Some things he invented outright, while others he merely popularized; either way, these qualities became (and continue to be) national characteristics of the French as a whole. Each chapter covers a different luxury and provides its history. Some choices are obvious, such as haute couture, but others, like umbrellas, are surprising. While highly readable and un-academic, the author used primary sources to get her information, and her argument works. This book is recommended, especially if you have already succumbed to Francophilia.

For anyone interested in who the French are and how they came to be so top notch at various things, this is an excellent book. From food, champagne, clothing, to how Paris became known as the city of lights, decades even centuries earlier than many other major world cities. Design from the invention of the umbrella in France, to home design, garden design, parfume, and even cemeteries are addresses in this gem of a book.

Its not a sophomoric read but has some serious depth.

Bought this in both hardcover [my copy] and paperbook [to loan]. This is an excellent source book that I highly recommend.

I found this book very enjoyable, well-organized and researched. I liked the way that history was made so accessible and related to modern day. Although I read the book some months ago, I think of its content often.

This reads like separate articles -- maybe lectures? -- thrown together to make a book. A good editor would have smoothed out the bumps. And it needs many more illustrations. That said... it's fun to read, well researched, and fascinating as we're led to consider how much from the time of Louis XIV still influences how the wealthy spend their money today!

Fantastique! As entertaining as it is enlightening! Authoress Joan DeJean's delightful and witty style of writing will make you feel as if you too are partaking of all the lavish indulgences and gossip of King Louis the Fourteenth's court!