A Guide to Elegance: For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions – The Classic Style Bible from a French Guru on Chic, Grace, and Poise - Hardcover

Dariaux, Genevieve Antoine

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060757345 ISBN 13: 9780060757342

Publisher: William Morrow, 2004

Synopsis

The original
What Not to Wear
from one of fashion's
most enduringly
stylish women ...

Written by French style guru Madame Genevieve Antoine Dariaux, Elegance is a classic style bible for timeless chic, grace, and poise -- every tidbit of advice today's woman could possibly need, all at the tips of her (perfectly manicured) fingers.From Accessories to Zippers, Madame Dariaux imparts her pearls of wisdom on all things fashion-related -- and also offers advice on other crucial areas in life from shopping with girlfriends (don't) to marriage and sex.

About this title

About the Author

Madame Genevieve Antoine Dariaux spent most of her life in Paris, and now lives in the south of France. Even as a child she preferred to accompany her mother to the dressmaker's rather than go to the movies. Her talent for design and making costume jewelry led her to open her own fashion house, and her success eventually took her to Nina Ricci, where she was the directrice for many years.

From the Back Cover

The original
What Not to Wear
from one of fashion's
most enduringly
stylish women ...

Written by French style guru Madame Genevieve Antoine Dariaux, Elegance is a classic style bible for timeless chic, grace, and poise -- every tidbit of advice today's woman could possibly need, all at the tips of her (perfectly manicured) fingers.From Accessories to Zippers, Madame Dariaux imparts her pearls of wisdom on all things fashion-related -- and also offers advice on other crucial areas in life from shopping with girlfriends (don't) to marriage and sex.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

A Guide to Elegance

For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed on All OccasionsBy Dariaux, Geneviere Antonine

William Morrow & Company

ISBN: 0060757345

A

ACCESSORIES

The accessories worn with an outfit -- gloves, hat,shoes, and handbag -- are among the most importantelements of an elegant appearance. A modest dress orsuit can triple its face value when it is worn with anelegant hat, bag, gloves, and shoes, while a designer'soriginal can lose much of its prestige if its accessorieshave been carelessly selected.

Very often a woman buys a coat or suit withoutrealizing that its price will be doubled if, in order toaccessorize it correctly, she must buy an entire newset in a colour that does not already figure in herwardrobe.

It is indispensable to own a complete set ofaccessories in black and, if possible, another in brown,plus a pair of beige shoes and a beige straw handbagfor the summer. With this basic minimum almost every combination is attractive. I can remember howdaring it was considered when Dior first combinedbrown and black in the same ensemble, but now thisharmony is considered a classic, as is navy blue withblack.

Of course, it would be ideal to have each set ofaccessories in two different versions: one for sport andthe other dressy. And in this regard I cannot restrainmyself from expressing the dismay I feel when I seea woman carry an alligator handbag with a dressyensemble merely because she has paid an enormoussum of money for it. Alligator is strictly for sportsor travel, shoes as well as bags, and this respectedreptile should be permitted to retire every eveningat 5 P.M.

Bright-coloured shoes are only smart when wornin the evening under electric lights with a long orshort evening dress. As for white shoes, they shouldpreferably never be seen on a city street (except, ofcourse, for tropical cities), and in any case only inthe summer-time when worn with a white dress.With pastel shades, a beige handbag and shoes aremuch smarter than white.

Personally speaking, aside from a plain or beadedwhite satin evening purse, I dislike the white handbags that some women cannot resist carrying as soon asthere is a ray of sunshine. They are fine for the beachand summer resorts, but are somehow provincial-lookingon a city street, even in the middle of August.

One of the best-dressed women in Paris, MadameBricard, who was the inspiration for many of ChristianDior's outstanding creations, never carried a bagat all. Instead, she had a series of pockets concealedin the lining of her coats. But there's no need to go tothat extreme!

And speaking of the little objects we carry in ourhandbags ... they can be charming, even more so ifthey match. So decide upon a colour and a materialand little by little try to acquire a complete set: wallet,change purse, comb case, key case, eyeglass case, etc.(An ideal theme for those little gifts!) The style ofyour compact will depend upon the depth of yourwallet. But whether it is an ordinary one or a preciousantique gold box, try to have a matching lipstickcase and, needless to add, a clean handkerchief everymorning. Personally I prefer white ones, of very finelinen, embroidered with my initials.

In short, it is necessary to give a good deal ofthought to accessories and never buy anything on animpulse that does not fit into your well-established program. The saying, 'I cannot afford to buy cheaply,'was never so true. Although I am far from rich, I havebought my handbags for years from Hermès, GermaineGuerin, and Roberta. And without exception,I have ended up by giving away all the cheap littlenovelty bags that I found irresistible at first. The sameis true of shoes and gloves.

I realize that all of this may seem rather austere,and even very expensive. But these efforts are one ofthe keys, one of the Open Sesames that unlock thedoor to elegance.

(See Handbags, Shoes)

Continues...

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Edition details

• Publisher: William Morrow
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060757345
• ISBN 13: 9780060757342
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240