Parisian Chic

Images: Parisian Chic: A Style Guide by Ines de la Fressange

Tell me you have heard of, and purchased, Parisian Chic: A Style Guide by Ines de la Fressange? If you have not done so, I seriously urge you to remedy the situation as soon as possible.

Ines de la Fressange: model, author, mother, Roger Vivier creative director and now ambassador for all that is Parisian Chic. Apparently, Ines and her assistant were so swamped with requests for places to go while in Paris (eat, dine, shop, you name it) she decided to put all her advice to paper. We are the happy recipients of her thorough research.

Part city guide, part fashion bible, Ines also includes advice on how to achieve that certain French je ne sais quoi style that all women strive to attain. The fashion advice is basic, but includes the type of guidance that has withstood the test of time. Less is more. Buy quality over quantity. Take one accessory off before leaving the house. You know the drill. Ines brings us delightful illustrations to clarify her points and even has her oh so gorgeous daughter Nine join in the fun and model her recommendations.

The book starts with the essentials. How to dress like a Parisian......and eases you though the basic items every woman needs in her wardrobe, how to accessorize them, and finally where to buy them in Paris, along with where to dine in your new chic outfits and where to shed them and rest up with a spa day.

Above: Cheat sheet to French style

"I know women need help! I did this book for women who don't necessarily have imagination or time," explains de la Fressange in the recent Vogue article covering the release. "What I don't like is convention. It's boring." Who likes convention? I know Ines and I are kindred spirits. Ines, seriously, call me some time.

I plan to live this book while I am in France this month. Rejoice readers- you too will get to enjoy chic adventures as some of my friends (I assure you all well versed in Parisian Chic) take the helm of Mon Petit Chou Chou, sharing inspiration and what they took away from Ines' magnum opus to all things Paris as well as what they love most about Paris.

Enjoy the trip!