How to Be Parisian wherever you are

June 16, 2014
Four whip-smart, successful French women poke fun at the stereotypes of the “Parisienne” and give genuine beauty and lifestyle tips, recipes, and fashion dos and don’ts. They maintain that a good wardrobe should have a signature piece, plus essentials like ballet flats, a little black blazer, and a classic “but very expensive” T-shirt, but aim for overall stylistic minimalism. As for the don’ts, the authors renounce hair dye, plastic surgery, and glasses, so “you won’t have to acknowledge people you know.” The Parisienne on a first date at a restaurant finds herself on a “complicated path through the jungle of her culinary neuroses.” Her sense of humor is described as “joyous despair”; she is melancholic and contradictory. Other topics include the French woman’s attitudes on romance, infidelity (“don’t treat your lover like a boyfriend”), weddings, friendship, and interior decorating. An “address book” lists essential spots to visit in Paris. De Maigret’s photography and a witty, wise, often tongue-in-cheek delivery puts the reader on a sure path to achieving the French femme’s je ne sais quoi.