Published by Simon & Schuster
Publication date: October 7th 2014
Genres: Lifestyle, Non-fiction, self-help
I read Jennifer Scott’s first book Lessons from Madame Chic and loved her take on the way French women approach beauty and fashion. So much so that I’ve tried to emulate her credo that you only need a ten-piece wardrobe. Granted, I’m doing it because the majority of my clothes are packed in boxes while we are stuck in a small rental house but still…I tried. Fashion aside, Scott is back with At Home with Madame Chic, her take on the French way of life at home. In the book, Scott covers housekeeping and then breaks things down further into every day life and how to keep it chic.
Much of the gracefulness of At Home with Madame Chic comes from a difference in mindset often found between Americans and their French counterparts. For most of us, the house is something to be maintained and we do it with chores. Scott offers numerous ways to derive pleasure from everyday activities around the house—which is not to say she thinks every day should be spent cleaning and maintaining a home. Instead, she provides options for organizing the time needed to keep a house clean and even provides play lists and quick tips to make the time more enjoyable.
What makes the Madame Chic books so readable is that Scott keeps a lighthearted tone throughout. Despite the ‘chic’ label her books are not filled with mandates to distill your own lavender linen spray to use when you iron the sheets nor does she scold if you hit an afternoon slump. Instead, Scott offers help for women in all kinds of situations: apartment or home living, working or stay-at-home mothers, office commute or work-from-home. At Home with Madame Chic is about gracious living in a thoughtful way and who doesn’t appreciate that?
If you’d like to learn more about living chic you can visit Jennifer at her blog The Daily Connoisseur. You can also see her Tedx Talk about the 10 item wardrobe here.
Ooh, this sounds lovely!
I wish I could say I practice what Scott preaches, Leah, but while I’m great at reading about it I’m not so good at follow-through!