Parisian Chic - A Style Guide by Ines de la Fressange

I greatly enjoyed the book, even though I find some examples unacceptable, like leather jacket with pearls or chiffon dress with biker boots. But even though I did not agree with everything in this book, I found it a delightful read and I did pick up some interesting. One outfit in particular struck my fancy - Nine wearing navy polka dot belted dress with olive cardigan and light brown kelly bag, just like the one I have.



I will definitely give similar outfit a shot as well as navy sweater and menswear blazer with pushed up sleeves.

I loved the list of basics that is different from list of basic you can find elsewhere:
menswear blazer, trench coat, navy sweater, tank top, little black dress, perfect fitting jeans. I never owned menswear blazer or sweater in navy and now I am inspired to give them a try.



This is not your typical style book, it is a guide to experiencing Paris and I will take it with me when we will go there with my family.

The whole book has an air of effortless chic and I will definitely read it again and again.

Bohemian

Coral and turquoise by Amarillis featuring dress skirts

Miss Selfridge coral top
25 GBP - missselfridge.com

Dresses dress skirt
$70 - eshakti.com

Stephen Dweck handcrafted ring
$238 - nordstrom.com

Kenneth jay lane jewelry
73 GBP - net-a-porter.com

Generally, the term "Bohemian" is applied to people who live unconventional, usually artistic, lives. When talking about personal style, "Bohemian" is earthy, layered, loose, relaxed and natural. thnk gypsies or hippies in 60's or 70's
Essential fabrics are cotton and linen,flowing sihhouettes, mxi dresses and flared pants, with everything having weathered look, earthy colours, with lots of brown accessorized with organic jewelry.

Key pieces:

Peasant blouse
Empire waist dress with wide sleeves
Long flowing gypsy skirt
Large cocktail rings
Shell necklace
Gladiator sandals

Frumpy to Fabulous

A pretty good book to give to someone who does not know herself. Consists of 9 chapters, one talking about finding the right colors for your skin tone, another about right type of clothes for your body type, another chapter talks about building "the backbone" of your wardrobe, the basics, etc. The last chapter talks a little about finding your "uniform". If you are not a novice and know what suits you, what styles look good on you and which colors help you to bring out the best in you, this book is not for you. But it will make a good present for someone who has trouble finding their style.
The book covers the basic well and contains a lot of useful information in a very compact format, but you will not find anything new if you already know how to pull yourself together

Mod

Mod by TheClassicChic featuring turtleneck sweaters

Irwin Jordan pleated dress
165 GBP - theoutnet.com

Dorothy Perkins high neck dress
32 GBP - dorothyperkins.com

Yves Saint Laurent turtleneck sweater
$490 - ysl.com

Windsmoor black coat
99 GBP - johnlewis.com

Moschino cropped tweed jacket
402 GBP - net-a-porter.com

DKNY opaque stocking
$15 - nordstrom.com

Theory pleated skirt
$255 - theory.com

Marc Jacobs patent pumps
295 CAD - gravitypope.com

Jimmy Choo ballerina flat
$195 - net-a-porter.com

Mod is mainstream fashion style associated with the mid to late 1960s. It originated in London amongst working youth.
Mod is bold and graphic, it focuses on bright colors, exaggerated patterns, geometric shapes, and horizontal and vertical lines.
Color was used against black and white.
Think minimal, streamlined and bold. Eye popping accents like a bold-colored shoes or a simple coat topped off with a covered, oversized button, geometric cuts and boxy shapes.

Dresses, pants and skirts are a-line and slightly flared. Skirt waists were dropped to several inches below the natural waist,
and dresses often had no waist, had dropped waists or had empire styling. Wide pleats were popular on dresses and skirts,
but they always started at the hip, not the waist.

Dresses were worn with contrasting (or the ever-present black and white) opaque tights and brightly
colored shoes. The hemlines for dresses and skirts were either mid-thigh or just below the knee. Sailor-style pants were most popular.





Key pieces:

Black turtleneck with 3/4 length sleeves

Opaque tights

A-line dress with embellished neckline

Cropped and boxy or tent shaped jacket with large buttons

Bright-colored mini skirt

Sailor pants

A-line skirt that sits low on the hips

Ankle Boots

Balet flats

Round-toe pumps with chunky heel

Geometrically shaped earings and necklaces

Wardrobe staple - striped top

I have an unhealthy passion for striped tops. It comes from the time when I was skinny with narrow shoulders and only benefitted from wearing them. Now, when my body suffered a temporarily setback caused by pregnancy, I need to be more careful and so I try to minimimize the negative effect of striped tops by "breaking" the horizontal stripes by wearing either a heavy pendant necklace (like on photos 7 and 8), or a scarf, or simply a blazer to create more slimming look

Questionable versatility of black pumps

Lately I keep wondering more and more about the versatility of black pumps. it seems to me they are not as versatile as most people believe. Take for example basic colors: black does not look good with navy or brown, then if we take bright colors, personally, I'd prefer nude pumps or perhaps silver or other metallic. With white I like to take an opportunity to wear bright shoes. So that leaves a lot fewer options for pairing up with black shoes even though I love them dearly.

For example today I've worn my black pumps with white pants, black t-shirt, and camel cardigan and added a bright silk scarf in orange to liven up my face, since black near the face is not an option for my skin tone.



For example today I've worn my black pumps with white pants, black t-shirt, and camel cardigan and added a bright silk scarf in orange to liven up my face, since black near the face is not an option for my skin tone.



Camel is pretty much the only color, besides the black itself, that I like to pair up with black shoes. So, if you think about it, the versatility of a black shoe is questionable. IMO

My bone cuff bracelet

This silver bone cuff is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry. Another one I love as much is probably asscher cut diamond uternity cross.


It is so simple and classic