I have a friend who is quite critical of the “French Girl” trend and I can see why. It’s not the most inclusive, can be quite shallow, and Jeanne Damas quite literally monetized her entire business out of the Parisian/French Girl mold. In reality, French women come in all different shapes and sizes, and is not a one size fits all mentality.

Trends aside, there is more to be desired through quiet observation of what the French lifestyle represents.

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Many, many years ago, I’d stumbled upon Jennifer L. Scott’s Lessons From Madame Chic on Amazon. The book details the lessons she had learned studying abroad in France as a college student. The first couple of pages got me hooked, and the rest was history. She even has a Youtube channel where I am a proud member of. There is something so thrilling, yet emotionally intimate about following an author through her successes.

I whole-heartedly recommend all the books in this series. Jennifer is an amazing writer with lots of thrilling insight, and her principles have aged so well throughout the years. I’d first discovered her books when I was a late teenager, and now I am well into my mid-twenties. Even so, I often go back to her books and give it a re-read. I am always amazed to discover that her stories still resonate so well with me, even after time has passed.

Though there are many books about the French lifestyle, I will say Jennifer’s are the best. They’re whimsy and humorous, but practical and straight-forward. The balance between creativity and practicality will always be a win-win in my book.