Ines de la Fressange pens book on Parisian style

Since its release in France last autumn, La Parisienne has sold well over 100,000 copies. AFP/Relaxnews file picPARIS, April 23 Before anyone gets the wrong idea, Ines de la Fressange would like to point out that you cannot just spend your way into becoming a Parisian.I do think its a state of mind, says the original French-supermodel-turned-designer-and-fashion-consultant and, more recently, and much to her surprise, best-selling style book author.There are people who want to buy a lot. Im the one saying, Dont buy a lot buy the good things.Since it came out in France last autumn, La Parisienne has sold well over 100,000 copies, entertaining readers with its chummy, cheery prose and prompting an English version Parisian Chic for an Anglo-Saxon market crowded with finger-wagging what-not-to-wear guides.I didnt write it to be a best-seller, said De La Fressange, 53, who last October reappeared on the prt-a-porter runway for Chanel, where she attained iconic status as Karl Lagerfelds androgynous muse in the 1980s.French women generally say theyre not really interested in fashion, so when I was told that it had sold more than Harry Potter or Keith Richards autobiography ... it certainly was a surprise.Conceived like a Moleskine notebook with a burgundy cover, it draws on De La Fressanges lifetime in fashion and her habit of making lists for advice-seeing friends to explain what it takes to truly look Parisian.To hear her tell it, its effortless.Six rules apply: Mix styles and never coordinate. Reject bling. Explore new labels. If it feels right, wear it. Worship no fashion idols. Beware good taste.

The fashion icon says being a Parisian is a state of mind. AFP/Relaxnews file picThen stock your closet with a blazer (belt it!), trench coat (Burberry if possible, but not necessarily), navy sweater (mor! e sophis ticated than a plain black sweater) and tank top (a classy supporting act).Not to forget a little black dress (not simply an item of clothing, its a concept), the perfect jeans (like salt, they go with everything) and finally a leather jacket (guaranteed to save any overly-conventional look).From those basics, accessorise as you wish. Keep your wardrobe minimal and regularly clear out what you no longer wear. Oh, and smile. You can carry off anything with a smile, she writes.Being of a certain age herself, De La Fressange devotes a few pages to those over 40.Never neglect yourself, she writes. Dont get stuck in a style you wore in your 30s, otherwise it will age you instantly. And for those over 50, steer well clear of fur, unless you want that wrinkled trophy wife look.Ironically for a style consultant at Roger Vivier, the Parisian accessories house whose eponymous founder invented the stiletto shoe, De La Fressange favours flats over heels, and raves about Converse sneakers.There are a lot of women who think its not possible to go out without high heels, she told AFP in an telephone interview from Normandy, where she was on a pre-Easter break.Its incredible ... If they put on high heels just because they think they are too short, well, nobody cares that much.For shopping, De La Fressange name checks Monoprix, an unassuming French department store chain not unlike K-Mart or Marks and Spencer.She also recommends venturing into the menswear department its usually very good, or sometimes too much for men but perfect for us or dabbling in the childrens section.Im a shopaholic but I know you dont need that much to look good, she explained. Its better to invest in some pieces like a nice handbag and nice shoes. For clothes, you can manage with cheaper things.De La Fressange is the first to admit that her vision of Parisian style totally, absolutely reflects the well-heeled, intellectual Saint Germain des Pres neighbourhood where she lives.But she concedes that if she lived in any other city, her signature l! ook woul d no doubt be different: Personally, if Id lived in London, for instance, Im sure I would have a much more crazy style.To model the looks in La Parisienne in paparazzi-like telephoto sidewalk scenes, De La Fressange conscripted her look-alike daughter Nine dUrso, 17, a high-school senior more interested in Ancient Greek than runways.She thought I asked her only because I didnt have money to pay a real model, said the clearly proud mum, whose own mother was a model as well. Being a model doesnt interest her at all.De La Fressange herself is making a return to modelling, having walked for Jean Paul Gaultier during the spring-summer 2009 haute couture collections and then reappearing for Chanel.While holding down her day job at Roger Vivier, she is also featuring in bus-stop posters for a major Parisian department store its not Monoprix and signed a contract with LOreal.It looks like a joke but its not, said De La Frassange, who feels happier today than she did in her heyday on the runway. I told them, do you want to be politically correct and have an old lady, and they said not at all. AFP/Relaxnews