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How To Be Parisian: Wherever You Are (2014)

by Anne Berest(Favorite Author)

3.59 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1473501881 (ISBN13: 9781473501881)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Ebury Digital

review 1: The title best summarizing the apparent goal of my life, How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are is equal parts armchair travel, psychoanalysis, and fashion guide. Written by a gaggle of authentic, au naturel Parisiennes, we get the inside scoop about how they think, love, dress, parent, decorate, and balance work & home. Among other things, a Parisienne is well-read, unabashedly psychotic (while maintaining a cool exterior), well-practiced at looking disheveled, and in love with being in love. She eats meat. She watches her figure (but never admits to being self-focused). She swears like a sailor to friends and her own parents, yet she would never commit the faux pas of flaunting money or fishing for compliments. She is a wine and cheese snob. She considers solitude a lu... morexury. Like many of her Western contemporaries, she worries that she is not truly chic and resorts to wearing many shades of black at soirees—always classic. However, she seems to be unique the world over in her means of achieving allure: “It’s her personality that sparkles and nothing else: the signs of intellectual wealth.”While it is fun to imagine the grass is greener in the City of Light, it truly is possible to be content in your own skin, or perhaps we should say, in one's own city, by cultivating a rich inner life and an unshakable sense of self and independence. Wine helps, too. Full of great photos and snippets of typically jaded French conversation, the final chapter also includes the best places to go in Paris for all your possible moods and rendezvous needs when you happen to be in town.
review 2: PARIS -- never been, must go! J'adore Paris ever since Carrie Bradshaw was "An American Girl in Paris" in the final two episodes of Sex and the City. Beyond seeing all the fabulous sights and wining and dining in charming bistros, I want that laid-back yet über sexy Parisienne flair to be my flair. How lucky for me that How To Be Parisian Wherever You Are: Love, Style, and Bad Habits is fresh off the press! Written by four long-time friends -- Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, Caroline de Maigret, and Sophie Mas (even their names sound sophisticated!) -- as if they were sharing secrets with you over cocktails, this book has given me the tools to let my "inner Parisienne" out until I actually make it to France. Just a few How To Be Parisian gems:* "Don't be afraid of aging. As the saying goes, don't be afraid of anything but fear itself."* "Make it look easy. Everything you do should seem effortless and graceful." (I've used this one a ton lately -- working in a hair salon during the holidays is STRESSFUL!)* perfecting the Parisienne pout* "Taking yourself too seriously" is a major faux pas. (Another tip I've been using every day!)* Start every party with champagne to kick up the festivity but add a few ice cubes to stay hydrated and nix the next-day hangover.* When dressing sexy, less is more. "The Parisienne never gives too much away. When it comes to revealing herself, she follows one golden rule: less is definitely more."* The art of being naked means "in short, you're not a slave to the cult of the perfect body -- so learn to make the best of what nature gave you."* how-tos on hair, skin, and plastic surgery for that "au naturel" look* forget perfection (a very American bad habit), play up your imperfections instead I could go on and on, but I want to leave you something to read for yourself because this book is a HOOT! Beyond the life lessons, you'll love the quirky "Scenes From Parisian Life" and candid photos that feel like you've stumbled onto your bestie's diary and sneaked a peek. If you are looking for a fun, quick read that will transport you to Paris -- and to being Parisienne -- from your favorite arm chair, you've found it! less

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