Paris, je t'aime

Parisian Chic with some other books that were, just, you know, lying around.

Look what the mailman brought for me today! In what I considered to be a very appropriate use of the Amazon gift card sent to me by my Francophile aunt, I ordered Ines de la Fressange's Parisian Chic last week.

I leafed through it while drinking tomato soup through a straw (my jaw's wired shut. I don't want to talk about it). Un-chic? Yes. Oh well.

If you don't take it too seriously, it's a fun book, complete with sketches of pencil-thin girls in drapey sweaters and photographs of de la Fressange's obscenely gorgeous daughter. The writing is, for the most part, witty and easy to read ("Matching tights, shoes and bag -- no, you can't") but occasionally goes over the top ("The Parisian may be a petite size 2 [rest assured, I do know a few size 4s...]"). The photos of cafés, bookstores and boutiques had me wanderlusting for Paris, but if I'm not allowed to binge then maybe I'll go to Rome instead.

Quips aside, I do still love Parisian dressing, so I've compiled a wish-list of some basic pieces from the book (within the college girl's [sometimes imaginary] price range).

Silence & Noise Boyfriend Blazer (Urban Outfitters, $78)

Classic trench (Banana Republic, $198)

Cashmere V-neck (JCrew, $148)

1x1 ribbed tank (Ann Taylor Loft, $14.50). The book says Abercrombie & Fitch, but I am NOT going in there. One, it's so dark I can't even see where I'm going. Two, the sales people seem to have adopted the belief that anyone less hot than they are should not be alive.

Little Black Dress (Gap, $59.95)

Belstaff bomber jacket (JCrew, $1,195). Okay, so it's just a dream.