Customer Reviews

The Parisian Woman's Guide to Style

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4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This book offers a lovely look at the Parisian's way of dressing in style. The authors Virginie and Veronique Morana (mother and daughter) share their ideas on the essential wardrobe, accessories, and jewelry. They also include a chronology of French fashion, history of French perfume and shopping tips. Throughout the book Virginie and Veronique are pictured in different settings ie shopping, having tea etc wearing the types of clothes they recommend. The book is by no means an in depth guide to French style as is the out of print, comprehensive book "French Chic" by fashion reporter Susan Sommers, but is more of a simple, overview of the French style. The basics of French style are shared here from which you can build. I found the photographs of the mother/daughter team a refreshing change from models. Here we see how real women translate the French clothing to the street. And the fashions shown would work well in the US. Some of the garments are laid out on a chair making it hard to see details however. In addition, though the section on jewelry was extensive as the authors own a jewelry boutique, the section on makeup was sketchy limited to a paragraph. Overall I enjoyed the little book but view it more as a light overview not a deep picture of French fashions.

Last night I read this little book that I bought in February. This is a simple book which at first I was disappointed in and put aside. If I were "starting over", re-entering society and/or the job market, I think it could be of help. It also has some very good historic reference pages such as its beginning which is a Chronology of French Fashion and a section on Perfume. The chapter on The Essential Wardrobe I think intersting. It really simplifies the "French look" which consists of: the perfect little black dress, the suit which is a jacket and pants and co-ordinating skirt and the perfect white shirt. The book describes a classic look that goes from Sept to June. Summer is the only oddity. Sections on accessories and jewelry give photographic examples of how to bring the look together. Jewelry is both precious and costume. But many of photographs add little since garments are on the authors or just laid out. Too many pictures of the authors and overall too much of an indirect plug for the garish jewelry that they sell.

I am an American who has lived in Europe for over two decades and always wondered how in the world French women manage to look so fabulous most of the time - whether at work, home, or just grocery shopping. I have been making my own observations, but was never quite able to put my finger on what really makes the difference. Finally I came across this book and - voila! - with just a few words and pictures all the pieces of the puzzle fall in place. This book also clears away the myth that "French Fashion" is oppulent - it is exactly the opposite: simple lines, simple colors, simple styles. Its actually very moderate, which is what intimidates Americans when they visit Paris and find themselves overdressed or hopelessly underdressed. Anyway, I sent my sister a copy so that when she visits Paris with me what she has in her suitcase will let her "fit in" appropriately - which is what the Parisian Woman wants to do at all times.

I bought this book, and several others in the whole french chic genre.

I agree Frederik Fekkai's book, A Year of Style, and Genevieve a Darieaux's book are supreme.

So is Things a Woman Should Know about Style by Karen Homer.

Leah Feldon's advice on dressing rich and dressing thin is along these lines and really good value if you are trying to create a core or capsule wardrobe along french chic lines. Which translated simply stands for quietly elegant.

Anne Barones 3 Chic and Slim books are terrific, available on her website, so you needn't pay the inflated prices on the web but they are definitely worth every penny. Google her name and the title, and the site should appear.

Finally Entre Nous was a great book discussing a lot of different aspects of french life including the diet, wardrobe, manners etc.

This book in comparison comes up WAY short. The pictures are outdated already, which wouldn't be such a problem if the text had anything of value to say.

The classic perfume list was interesting, as were the bits on what goes into the basics of a wardrobe

but you can figure that out using Karen Homers tiny but terrific little book Things a Woman Should Know about Style (which is a terrific companion to Genevieve a Dariaux's A Guide to Elegance-- it updates Genevieve quite nicely).

all in all I'd say hang onto your money, and buy:

Anne Barone's 3 Chic and Slim books,

Things a Woman Should Know about Style by Karen Homer and

Genevieve a Dariaux's A Guide to Elegance along with

Frederic Fekkai: a Year of Style (out of print now, but worth getting!) and

Does This Make Me Look Fat?: the Definitive Rules for Dressing Thin for Every Height, Size, and Shape by Leah Feldon

Leah has good advice on shopping for quality, and if you want more, she has an out of print one that dates back 20 years that still has good advice in it.

as well as Entre Nous by Debra Olliver.

That little "bookshelf" will net you a thousand times better advice on learning grace, style and chic than this little photo essay book.

I recommend this book for the woman who would like to pack away her blue jeans and sneakers, and become more elegant. It gives the basics of the classic wardrobe: The black suit with good lines, the tailored white shirt, the little black dress, tasteful jewelry, when to incorporate color into your look, and when to stay in the range of neutrals. The focus is on maintaining an elegant line and keeping it simple, tasteful and classic. One of the best tips in the book is to ask yourself "Will this look good for the next fifteen years?" whenever you buy a new article of clothing. Style and quality are the most important things to look for. Another good tip is not to wear all your jewelry and accessories at once. Perhaps you should wear just the ring and bracelet, or just a scarf and earrings. I don't see this book dating itself for quite a few years, as the clothes that they show, the accessories listed and the advice given are all quite good.

There are a few flaws in the book, though. A primary flaw is that most of the featured outfits will only look good on a slender form. Almost every woman knows that turtlenecks and horizontal lines don't look good on plump women, and yet these details appear again and again throughout the book. A few pointers on how to tie a scarf would have been nice as well, since this is the item most associated with the French Style.

All in all, this is an excellent "Starter" book for the woman who wants to be more stylish. I highly recommend it.

This book is worthless. There is absolutely no analysis. If you are wondering what goes into the je ne sais quoi of Parisian chic, you won't get an answer here. All it is is a pretty magazine. The most profound statement is the pronouncement that the French woman values the simple black dress! Most of what these two women do is advertise their costume jewlery and show an outfit on each page. It's like reading Vogue but only if you look at the pictures. As a Francomaniac who spends a lot of time in Paris (and in France), I can say that this book is "nul". Compare this with the book French Toast and you will see the difference between a book with substance and this brochure. The only nice thing I can say about it is the quality of the photographs are superb.

Having just returned from Paris, I did find this book "right on" (simplicity, accessorizing etc.) in many ways, however , it lacked depth, and the costume jewelry was quite gaudy and not really that current. The subtle advertising for the author's store was a turn off.

As other reviewers have noted, this style guide offers much in the way of lovely photographs of the mother-daughter author team. However, the "how to dress" information seems rather basic. What is quite interesting, though, are the sections on French fashion history, including brief histories on several famous French perfumiers.

I am an American who has lived in Europe for over two decades and always wondered how in the world French women manage to look so fabulous most of the time - whether at work, home, or just grocery shopping. I have been making my own observations, but was never quite able to put my finger on what really makes the difference. Finally I came across this book and - voila! - with just a few words and pictures all the pieces of the puzzle fall in place. This book also clears away the myth that "French Fashion" is oppulent - it is exactly the opposite: simple lines, simple colors, simple styles. Its actually very moderate, which is what intimidates Americans when they visit Paris and find themselves overdressed or hopelessly underdressed. Anyway, I sent my sister a copy so that when she visits Paris with me what she has in her suitcase will let her "fit in" appropriately - which is what the Parisian Woman wants to do at all times.

The fact that you are even looking for a book on style is proof that you are far too sophisticated for this book. It is filled with the dullest, most over-used "style" tips in fashion history - make your "classic" pieces neutral in color? change your look by changing your accessories? Mon Dieu! This is not advice on French style... this is recycled notes from 'fashion 101' pieced together from ancient advice and common sense. To add insult to injury, the pages are mostly filled with photographs of boring clothing "combinations" that were probably already dated before the book even hit the publisher's office.