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A Guide to Elegance: For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions by Geneviere Antonine Dariaux |
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'a fantastic book... funny, moving and most importantly its tongue is firmly planted in its cheek regarding fashion. Enjoy!' Cat Deeley
This charming debut novel will make most women savour the story as they would a box of chocolates. It follows the fortunes of the unhappily married Louise, who finds in a second-hand bookshop an escape route from all that makes her anxious about life: a faded volume entitled Elegance. Written by a French fashion expert from another era, it fills Louise with hope that if she follows its advice on style, she, too, can be transformed into a graceful and poised grown-up woman. What makes this book such fun to read is not only Louise's contemporary quest for herself but also the timeless advice for budding Audrey Hepburns: 'It is the height of negligence to wear a white brassiere with a black girdle or the reverse.... If you are extremely refined and rich, your underclothes might match the colour of your outer ensemble.' There are similar gems throughout the book and they have the effect of lifting this tale of a young woman in search of true love to a new level. Tessaro's characterizations are well rounded and sympathetic enough to elevate them from the stereotypes (ex-model mother-in-law, gay man as best friend, dizzy workmates and so on) that can too often make up the casts of other, more frothy novels. A terrific read with a happy ending. (Kirkus UK)
Dowdy wife gets dolled up. Louise Canova is dimly aware that her marriage has grown cold-her husband Colin, a successful but dull actor, calls her Pumpkin, or, less kindly, Ouise (pronounced "Wheeze"). He doesn't even care when his mother-in-law, a still-glamorous former model, is icily condescending toward his unhappy wife. Oh, what can this little brown wren do? (She has no idea.) Then, dawdling in a secondhand bookstore in London, Louise comes across a slim, jasmine-scented volume from 1964, penned by the ineffably soignee directress of a French couture house, and she experiences an epiphany. In A to Z format, the very grand and deeply conservative Madame Genevieve Antoine Dariaux offers advice on all aspects of dress and fashion, which Louise takes quite seriously. Fur-trimmed suits with gloves for afternoon? Six-acre peignoirs for those intimate evenings? Maybe her husband, if only she could afford such sartorial splendor, would notice her. But Colin seems, well, embarrassed that she would even want to change. And he knows perfectly well there's nothing at all wrong with their relationship. On the other hand, if Louise wants to see a marriage counselor by herself, he sees nothing wrong with that. Now, if she would just listen to his remarkable plan for organizing the kitchen garbage: big bits of rubbish in the big bin, small bits in the small bin . . . . Louise's thoughts are understandably elsewhere as she remembers ill-fated shopping excursions with her mother in Pittsburgh. Her mother was a little brown wren, too, a scientist who cut her own hair and wore frumpy clothes (never mind her intellect or education: this trite tale never questions why appearance is so important-it just is). Perhaps, muses Louise, that's why she never thought about taking care of herself, remaining now unlovely and unloved. It's all very sad-until other men begin to notice her. Oh, dear: Should she let Oliver take her out for a drink? Should she spurn the attention of the much younger Eddie? Familiar fare, and stale indeed. (Kirkus Reviews)
Product Description
An enchanting novel brimming with poignancy, humour, enchantment and insight, this is a stunning debut. Imagine an Audrey Hepburn film in the present day...When Louise discovers an old book called Elegance in a second-hand bookshop, it's a blessing from above. She has long been experiencing the rumblings of discontent; her marriage is in tatters, she's become a middle-aged frump and her self-esteem is at an all-time low. So the book, an A-Z of how to be elegant and stylish by a renowned Parisian socialite, is just the boost she'd been searching for. Read a letter a time, Louise finds the life lessons she needs to restore her self-esteem and the courage to leave her unhappy marriage and move on.
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'a fantastic book... funny, moving and most importantly its tongue is firmly planted in its cheek regarding fashion. Enjoy!' Cat Deeley
This charming debut novel will make most women savour the story as they would a box of chocolates. It follows the fortunes of the unhappily married Louise, who finds in a second-hand bookshop an escape route from all that makes her anxious about life: a faded volume entitled Elegance. Written by a French fashion expert from another era, it fills Louise with hope that if she follows its advice on style, she, too, can be transformed into a graceful and poised grown-up woman. What makes this book such fun to read is not only Louise's contemporary quest for herself but also the timeless advice for budding Audrey Hepburns: 'It is the height of negligence to wear a white brassiere with a black girdle or the reverse.... If you are extremely refined and rich, your underclothes might match the colour of your outer ensemble.' There are similar gems throughout the book and they have the effect of lifting this tale of a young woman in search of true love to a new level. Tessaro's characterizations are well rounded and sympathetic enough to elevate them from the stereotypes (ex-model mother-in-law, gay man as best friend, dizzy workmates and so on) that can too often make up the casts of other, more frothy novels. A terrific read with a happy ending. (Kirkus UK)
Dowdy wife gets dolled up. Louise Canova is dimly aware that her marriage has grown cold-her husband Colin, a successful but dull actor, calls her Pumpkin, or, less kindly, Ouise (pronounced "Wheeze"). He doesn't even care when his mother-in-law, a still-glamorous former model, is icily condescending toward his unhappy wife. Oh, what can this little brown wren do? (She has no idea.) Then, dawdling in a secondhand bookstore in London, Louise comes across a slim, jasmine-scented volume from 1964, penned by the ineffably soignee directress of a French couture house, and she experiences an epiphany. In A to Z format, the very grand and deeply conservative Madame Genevieve Antoine Dariaux offers advice on all aspects of dress and fashion, which Louise takes quite seriously. Fur-trimmed suits with gloves for afternoon? Six-acre peignoirs for those intimate evenings? Maybe her husband, if only she could afford such sartorial splendor, would notice her. But Colin seems, well, embarrassed that she would even want to change. And he knows perfectly well there's nothing at all wrong with their relationship. On the other hand, if Louise wants to see a marriage counselor by herself, he sees nothing wrong with that. Now, if she would just listen to his remarkable plan for organizing the kitchen garbage: big bits of rubbish in the big bin, small bits in the small bin . . . . Louise's thoughts are understandably elsewhere as she remembers ill-fated shopping excursions with her mother in Pittsburgh. Her mother was a little brown wren, too, a scientist who cut her own hair and wore frumpy clothes (never mind her intellect or education: this trite tale never questions why appearance is so important-it just is). Perhaps, muses Louise, that's why she never thought about taking care of herself, remaining now unlovely and unloved. It's all very sad-until other men begin to notice her. Oh, dear: Should she let Oliver take her out for a drink? Should she spurn the attention of the much younger Eddie? Familiar fare, and stale indeed. (Kirkus Reviews)
Product Description
An enchanting novel brimming with poignancy, humour, enchantment and insight, this is a stunning debut. Imagine an Audrey Hepburn film in the present day...When Louise discovers an old book called Elegance in a second-hand bookshop, it's a blessing from above. She has long been experiencing the rumblings of discontent; her marriage is in tatters, she's become a middle-aged frump and her self-esteem is at an all-time low. So the book, an A-Z of how to be elegant and stylish by a renowned Parisian socialite, is just the boost she'd been searching for. Read a letter a time, Louise finds the life lessons she needs to restore her self-esteem and the courage to leave her unhappy marriage and move on.
See all Product Description
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?
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62% buy the item featured on this page: Elegance £5.99 |
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20% buy A Guide to Elegance: A Complete Guide for the Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed for Every Occasion £7.80 |
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8% buy Things a Woman Should Know About Style £6.49 |
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7% buy The Little Black Book of Style £7.14 |
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