Marie-Anne Lecoeur - How to Be Chic and Elegant

Tips from aFrenchwoman

By Marie-AnneLecoeur

Copyright 2011Marie-Anne Lecoeur

HOW TO BE CHIC ANDELEGANT:

TIPS FROM A FRENCHWOMAN

Cover design CanStock Photo Inc. / (Oksvik)

Book design byMarie-Anne Lecoeur

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No part of thisbook may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic ormechanical means including information storage and retrievalsystems, without permission in writing from the author. The onlyexception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in areview. Marie-Anne Lecoeur

Visit my websiteat http://www.howtobechicandelegant.com

email:marieannelecoeur@yahoo.co.uk

SmashwordsEdition

First PublishedNovember 2011

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A ma chreMaman

Chic. What is it?It is not about trends, being fashionable and spending vast amountsof money on ones wardrobe. It is about knowing what to wear foreach occasion, how to accessorise the outfits, the dos and don'tsof dressing well.

Chic is aboutsimple lines, great cuts and classic clothes that we can wear foryears. It is about understatement and simplicity.

Elegance. What isit? Elegance is about how we wear our clothes. It is about how wetalk, how we walk and how we act in public. It is a wholeattitude.

Chic and elegancego hand in hand in my book. We could be well-dressed but if weslouch, eat with our mouth open or swear a lot, sorry, but we willnot be elegant. Elegance is the opposite of vulgarity. It is anattitude that keeps a bit of ourselves undiscovered. Who wants toknow all the details of the last hangover? Keeping a bit of mysteryis elegant. Too much familiarity is not.

What we wear canreflect our lack of taste and this will be emphasised if ourpersonality clashes with our clothes. It is important to harmoniseour look with our personality. For instance, if we wear clothesthat are on-trend but better suited for a woman thirty years ourjunior, we will jar with our clothes and the total look will notwork. We all know good and bad impressions are made in the firstfew seconds. So, it is important to give some thought to ourappearance if we wish to make that all important, first impression,a good one.

It is amazing howwearing the right outfit can make us feel fantastic. It is a wellknown fact that when we feel good, we look happier and moreattractive, bien sr. This, in turn, will have a positive impact onour self-esteem. In our professional life, looking the part willhelp us boost our confidence. Improving our self confidence willhelp us to achieve more.

Chic and eleganceare not the prerogative of the rich. There is no point in spendingvast amounts of money trying to emulate pop stars outfits andachieving only one thing: a total lack of taste. At the other endof the spectrum, many women of modest means look absolutelystunning in elegantly cut clothes, bought in the sales.

Enough of theplatitudes and down to business. How do French women look chic andelegant?

They do notadorn themselves like a Christmas tree.

They do notwear overworked garments and clothes that scream tasteless.

They do notwear too many colours at once.

They do notoverdo the girly look either. You know the one, too much hair, toomuch makeup, too many frills, too much of everything.

They do go forclassic styles, always.

They do chooseclassic colours, like black, navy, dark red, camel and white.

They do have aknack of looking well-dressed simply and effortlessly.

The following tipsare not rocket science. They are borne out of my own experiencegrowing up in France or picked up along the way while living inJersey, in the Channel Islands.

Believe me, theyare all tried and tested. I hope that they will help you avoid manystyle faux-pas and ease you into chic and elegance simply andeffortlessly.

Tip 1:Mirrors

Please, please,please invest in mirrors, especially a full-length one. It is anABSOLUTE ESSENTIAL. This is the only way you can judge at a glancewhether your look is well coordinated from the top of your head tothe tip of your shoes. Small mirrors will only show part of you:what you see may be great, what you do not may be a disaster. Donot leave your final check to the last minute in case you need tochange your jacket, coat or shoes.

Tip 2: Leavingthe house

It is importantthat you give yourself a final check before leaving the house. Havea full length mirror in the bedroom and, if you can afford it,another by the front door. If your intuition says something iswrong, go back and get changed. Sorry if this sounds too drastic,but why step out looking less than great? Always listen to yourintuition, it is never wrong. When it speaks to you, listen. Ioften change elements of my outfit, sometimes even the wholeensemble because it was not quite right. Nurturing a critical eyewill ensure you do not commit a crime against good taste.

Tip 3: Size

How can you hopeto look great if your outfit is not comfortable, your trousers aretoo tight or your bra is squeezing your breasts so tightly thatthey are popping up to say bonjour? Your clothes have to fit yourbody shape and your size. Fidgeting with your clothes and notfeeling at ease is not elegant. Elegance dictates that you knowenough to wear the correct size.

Tip 4:Weather

How can you hopeto look chic in only a little top and skirt, with bare legs, infreezing temperatures? I do not know anyone who would find bluelegs and chattering teeth a good look. Put your coat on.

Tip 5: Do notlet an outfit wear you

You should notdisappear behind your outfit. You will never see a garish,multicoloured, over-the-top outfit on any French woman. We prefersimple, timeless styles. Less is definitely more, and that is ourmotto. I subscribe to the KISS principle: Keep It SimpleSister.

Wearing anover-the-top outfit can show a lack of confidence by hoping thatthe personality of the outfit itself will speak for you. By wearingan outfit more suited to your personality, your confidence willincrease and shine through.

Tip 6:Confidence

If you wear theright outfit that shows your shape at its best, then you are boundto feel confident. Have no fear of being noticed. People will lookat you because you are chic or elegant, and hopefully both.Hollywood stars look good on the red carpet because they paystylists to choose the dress that will enhance their shape.

Bad bits! We allhave them. Learn to play them down and make the most of what youhave. There is no perfect body, but you can make yourself looksensational.

Tip 7: Simpleslines

Please keep yourlook simple. Always. Leave frills and froufrous for lampshades andbedsteads. Do not adorn yourself. Adornments will add inches toyour size and make you look overdone. Stick to simple clean lines.Let the tailoring do the talking and let everyones eyes do thelooking. Every day is an occasion: dress for it.

Tip 8: RoleModels

To help youvisualise chic and elegance, why not build up a portfolio ofphotographs of style icons? Coco Chanel who created the simple andchic look at a time of froufrous and frills, Audrey Hepburn and hertimeless look, Katherine Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Jackie Onassis toname but a few. I know that in the above list only Coco was French,but you get the picture. These women are all icons of chic andelegance, long after their deaths. Study their photographs and tryto emulate their look. The idea is not to become their double butto understand why they became the epitome of style. Even thoughthey are from another era, their style is timeless.