Genevieve Antoine Dariaux
http://www.amazon.com/Guide-El.....gy_b_img_a
Firstly Angie, my apologies for my absence from the blog this week, life has been hectic and I WILL catch up asap.
secondly if you do not already have this book please take a look, here are some of the pearls of wisdom:
On Age
there is a saying France, 'Elegance is the privilege of age' - and thank heaven it is perfectly true. Between childhood, youth, maturity, and old age, there are no particular birthdays on which a woman graduates from one to another. And she generally retains her youth to the same degree that she retains the same interests as young people.
One should of course defend oneself vigorously against the attacks of extra pounds, wrinkles and double chins, but it is a battle that should be undertaken philosophically, for even the most skillful plastic surgery cannot recapture our youth. It is far better to settle down without vain regrets to a life filled with the rewards of past efforts.
On Elegance
Elegance can be acquired only at the price of numerous errors that are best remembered with good humour. And in the end, it is in the moments when we forget ourselves entirely that we are most beautiful.
On Comfort
The idea of comfort has invaded every domain; it is one of the categorical imperatives of modern life. We can no longer bear the thought of the slightest restriction, physical or moral, and many of the details which were considered the mark of elegance some years ago are condemned today for reasons of comfort.
However, if women continue to seek comfort above all twenty four hours a day, twelve months a year, they may eventually find that they have allowed themselves to become slaves to the crepe sole, nylon from head to toe, pre-digested meals, organised travel, functional uniformity, and general stultification. When comfort becomes an end in itself, it is the Public Enemy Number One of elegance.
Please pardon the long post, I just had to share this wonderful nostalgic book which is still full of wisdom.
