Lessons From Madame Chic : My Thoughts, Pt. 2

When I was in junior high, other girls snubbed me and talked rudely about me behind my back, for lots of reasons, but I unfairly blamed my clothes. There was one winter when I had only 4 or 5 tops and a couple pairs of jeans. I think a ten-item wardrobe was even more than I had to work with!

Now, as a 20-something, I'm thinking about scaling back my clothes to not much more than that again, but this time it's my own choice. For one thing, my closet is full to the point that I feel like throwing my clothes on the floor when I take them off at night, rather than hanging them up; that's a sign that something is out of balance. In general, I want less waste to be produced in the world- and waste is what a lot of that stuff in my closet is. I can live without it. I believe amazing clothing deserves to be worn as much as possible, and if I'm wearing that, then the other stuff serves no purpose at all.

So I enjoyed Jennifer L. Scott reinforcing my feelings. Here are my notes on Part 2.

Part 2 // Style And Beauty

• Chapter 4 // Liberate Yourself With The Ten-Item Wardrobe
• Chapter 5 // Find Your True Style
• Chapter 6 // Perfect Le No-Makeup Look
• Chapter 7 // Take Care Of Your Skin
• Chapter 8 // Look Presentable Always
• Chapter 9 // Practice The Art Of Femininity

Part 2 // Style and Beauty

• 4 // Limit yourself to 10 spring/summer everyday clothing items and 10 fall/winter everyday clothing items. (Not including outerwear, special occasion dresses, accessories, shoes, and tees/camis that you only layer under other items.) I love clothes, and French dress was the whole reason I got this book, so I'm going to ramble a bit about this. ///// A small wardrobe makes perfect sense to me. I don't understand girls who have 50 pairs of jeans; how many days are in a year? When are you going to wear all that? Most Americans think that you shouldn't wear the same outfit twice. Ridiculous. Why should you wear that skirt with a different top each time if there are only two or three tops that really look good with it? What a shame to discover an amazing outfit combination and then never wear it again! ///// She suggests wearing 10 items for two weeks or a month, to test it out. Some people's perfect "10" may be closer to 20 or 25. All of your 10 items must be able to be mixed and matched with each other and of good quality (but not necessarily expensive). This will force you to only buy things that you really love and that really fit you. You will always look good and you won't waste time deciding what to wear. ///// Every season, you can buy a few new things to supplement what you already have or replace those things that will need to be retired soon. She suggests splurging on the following things  (mostly accessories): coats, shoes, sunglasses, handbags, cocktail dresses, jeans, watches, and jewelry. These will last you a long time, and they can dress up the less expensive items. The way I treat my sunglasses, though, I don't think I want to spend too much on them! I would have to get a protective case for an expensive pair, but I don't know that I'd use it! I don't think I would spend much on jeans either... They seem to wear down faster than just about any other clothing. I'm going to sew my own jeans from now on anyway!
• 5 // Name your signature look. Then, only buy things that fit into that sort of collection. Every several years, you can assess your wardrobe, and if you have grown in sophistication, it is time to change.
• 6 // Look as though you're not wearing makeup, even when you are. I am clueless about makeup, so I paid attention to this chapter. It turns out I pretty much have the au naturel look down pat! The au naturel look that many French women have on any given day includes a light foundation (powder or a tinted moisturizer), blush, mascara, and a neutral lip color. The even more au naturel look is just concealer, mascara, and lip color. Define your eye with eyeliner when you want to look playful, edgy, or artistic. Define your lips with a bold color when you want to look feminine. Spritz on a finishing spray so that you don't have to think about your makeup for the rest of the day.
• 7 // Drink a tall glass of water in the morning and another in the evening- and more throughout the day as you remember. Get regular massages to combat stress and clear toxins from the body. (Where have I been? I did not know massages could do that!) Designate a towel just for your face to keep residues off your face. Your ring finger is the weakest digit; use it whenever you need to go gentle on your skin, on your eyelids for example.
• 8 // This could be the day you first meet someone who will one day be one of your best friends, or maybe even your spouse; you should always be dressed for it. Throw out any worn-out or unflattering clothes; if you don't have them you can't wear them! Don't save your best clothes for special times; you can wear them then, but wear them now too! Choose an easy hairstyle (It's nice to know that free-flowing and simple is the Parisian way, but I already fall too far onto the messy and undone side. My hair answers will not come from this book.) Wear nice pajamas, even if no one will see you in them.
• 9 // Beautiful surroundings make you want to sit up, so if you want good posture, buy furniture that demands it. Find a signature fragrance for yourself, and wear it every day.