French Chic Over 75!
Older French Women
Older French Women
And Skincare
- They wear neutral pastels and shades like beige, black, and camel but they add lots of colour in summer!
- They choose accessories like a scarf, necklace, or watch but keep that simple too.
- No makeup except lipstick and mascara maybe.
- They layer their clothes, wearing a nice coat, jacket, dress, or elegant sweater with a skirt or pants and a scarf of course.
- They spend money on a flattering, often luxury brand bag to accent their wardrobe.
- They wear pretty shoes that are also comfortable.
- They feel they are never too old to wear jeans but they must be set off with an elegant top or the ubiquitous white T-shirt or blouse.
Note on Featured Image
at the Top of the Blog
My Latest Addition to
The Paris Book Club
I have added a new memoir to my Paris Book Club list!
It’s called Pais My Sweet, A Year in the City of Light and Dark Chocolate!
I have never HAD a sweet tooth but I melted into raptures of unrequited love for the sugary delights described in this memoir by Amy Thomas.
Thomas, a copywriter by trade, heralds from New York City where she has also built a reputation on the side as a “viennoiserie” and “pastry” connoisseur. That is, she searches and writes about all the best places and pastry chefs, sampling their cakes, pastries, macarons and so much more. Great work if you can get it eh?
Thomas then scores a dream job in Paris writing for luxury brand Louis Vuitton where she ramps up her passion in the world’s pastry Mecca and helps us sample vicariously everything from the best croissants to pain au chocolats to petits gateaux, and delicate madeleines.
I never wanted this book to end. Check it out by CLICKING HERE!
Level Three
Paris Fan Club Member
Chooses a Memoir
Members of my Paris Fan Club (Level Three Pain au Chocolate Members only) each receive a book of their choice from my Book Club Page on my website www.womanofacetainageinparis.com.
There are lots of books to choose from including this new one above and I have personally read and reviewed them. All are memoirs written about Paris and France by women.
Recently Pain au chocolat member Kathy Wosnick from Richmond Hill, Ontario made her choice — A Letter From Paris by Louise Deasey which I sent off to her toute de suite!
Good one Kathy. Enjoy!
A Letter From Paris is the story of Australian Louisa Deasey who receives a message from a French woman called Coralie. Coralie has found a cachet of letters in an attic, written by Louisa’s father. Neither woman can imagine the events this will set in motion.
The letters, dated 1949, detail a passionate affair between Louisa’s father, Denison, and Coralie’s grandmother, Michelle, in post-war London. They spark Louisa to find out more about her father, who died when she was six.
What follows is a trail of discovery that leads Louisa to the libraries of Melbourne and the streets of London, to the cafes and restaurants of Paris, and to a poet’s villa in the south of France.
You can also find this book on my Paris Book Club Page by CLICKING HERE and scrolling down until you find it!
TWO Last Things!
In my last blog about my walk down Les Champs-Elysées, I promised a special bonus gift to one of you who left a comment.
The Winner is Catherine Keller who was the first person to leave a comment, and she received a FREE annual Level One membership called Baguette to the Paris Fan Club which allows her to attend all 5 of my annual workshops, plus receive monthly Parisian Toolkit resources about how to be more French, along with my own Personal Paris Map with great places to visit in Paris!
Congrats Catherine and welcome to the Paris Fan Club!
Giveaway Draw!
In the next blog, I will announce the winner of the Third Giveaway Draw for this year. Level Two and Three Members of the Paris Fan Club are eligible. And I think this third Gift is pretty cool. Stay Tuned!
Not a Member of the Paris Fan Club Yet!
Check out The Three Levels of Membership by CLICKING HERE!
A la prochaine mes amis!
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Disclosure Policy: This site uses affiliate links that may generate small commissions based on clicks and purchases. The commissions help in a small part to pay for the expenses for this blog and website. So I appreciate it when you buy books through my book club page for instance. Any products that I giveaway are personally purchased by me unless otherwise specified. I respect my subscribers’ privacy and do not share their information with any other party or organization.
Diana Bishop the founder of The Success Story Program and A Woman of a Certain Age in Paris as well as a well-known correspondent with over 25 years working for CTV, CBC News, and NBC News. She loves travel, writing, and all things Parisienne.
I so look forward to your blog. As for dressing up. I love to feel pretty, tidy and clean. I like adding colour and it brightens my smile. So dress up ladies. You will always look fabulous!
Thank you Diana.
Me too Twink!!!
Thank you..for I’m English 70 on Tuesday. Trying to find what to wear. And look elegant.
As a petite
Vienne,
Thank you for your comment. I think it is all about where what makes you feel good and is comfortable. Simple and Elegant as the French say. I find I have certain things that look nice on me and I just keep buying those type of tops and slacks. Everytime I veer off it doesn’t work.
I like that older French women are more accepting of their age and confident in their bodies. In the US it seems to be more prevalent to get Botox, or wear a ton of poorly matched foundation to hide wrinkles. Or a certain 80 year old celebrity posing for a magazine spread and she looks like a 20 year old because of all the airbrushing! It is great to see French women dressing in classic, flattering styles with a bit of color. Thanks for checking on the lady on the bench! 🙂
Paying attention to one’s wardrobe each and every day, no matter what your age, is important. It’s like “using the good dishes” every day. Don’t save that colourful scarf or new blouse for a “special occasion” …. every day is a Special Occasion – to be enjoyed to the fullest!
You are soo right, Gretchen. But we do get lazy sometimes don’t we? Especially when you don’t have to go out anywhere. In Paris, people live in such small apartments that they go out much more than we do … and that lends itself to dressing up even for the baker at the corner!
Best to you, Diana
From my observations , the more mature woman in Paris is either all about understated elegance OR quirky and ” out there” ! I love both looks and the confidence that emanates from both !
Great photos, Diana and I can only imagine the stories that these women must have for us !
Thank you for this lovely article! It’s so true that elegance has no age limit. Putting a little effort n your appearance every ordinary day lifts your spirits. And yes, leating oads of vegetables makes wonders to your skin 🙂
I so agree Tiina! Thank you so much for sharing your comment!
Agreed!
We live part time in France . Looking forward to hearing from you
Janet, great to hear from you. Sounds like you are a full-fledged francophile! Love to hear about your adventures in France! Thanks for leaving a comment, Diana
Does anyone know where I can get those jeans in the picture. I love the very wide hem. The jeans hang so beautifully.
Jamela,Thank you for your comment. Sadly I do not know where to get these jeans, and I wasn’t about to wake up this lady to find out. She was dead to the world asleep! In France however, lots of jeans to choose from I would think …. Diana