Lessons from Madame Chic

Every once in a while you come across an idea that just makes perfect sense. It clicks in your mind and you can't help but feel excited that someone else out there just gets it. When I first came across Jennifer L. Scott's book 'Lessons from Madame Chic - 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris' I sat with bated breath while it downloaded to my Kindle, hoping that it would keep my inner Francophile satisfied. It is safe to say that I sat nodding along through the entire book and suddenly felt that I wasn't alone in looking for what is essentially a better quality of life without having to make any major changes, just those little things that make your day run smoother and leave you feeling more relaxed and satisfied at the end of the day.

Split into three parts and then broken down further into the 20 'secrets' this book encompasses all aspects of everyday life inspired by Scott's stay in Paris encountering two very different, yet very typical French women, Madame Chic and Madame Bohemienne who were her main inspirations. The three main sections of the book are Diet and Exercise, Style and Beauty and How to Live Well. From eating with pleasure but not to excess to ensuring that you look presentable everyday this book gives you the necessary tools to make living an art as the French do so well. 

My biggest takeaway from this book, as you may recall from earlier in the year, was the 10 Item Wardrobe (here and here). While I do have more than 10 'key' pieces in my wardrobe I have to say that taking the plunge back in March to seriously streamline my clothing has made a huge difference. I have attended weddings, been to parties and moved house (and decorated) and haven't once felt the need to buy something new in order to attend an event or to be comfortable, and more importantly, I have stopped buying for the sake of it. I know my wardrobe. I know what I have suits me, fits well and is my signature style and on the rare occasion that I do buy something, it compliments my other items well. I have to thank Jennifer for enlightening me to this mindset, because I just adore it.  

The French do a lot of things well, but let's face it, living well is the thing that they do best. I feel that Scott has tapped into their cultural habits perfectly in order to adapt them to life outside of l'hexagone. If you haven't already, pop this book on your Christmas list. It is a must read if you are a Parisian at heart like me.  

Quality Over Quantity - Changing Your Mindset

As you may have already read, I have taken inspiration from Jennifer L. Scott and have embarked upon my own '10 Item Wardrobe' experiment (I don't like the word 'journey', it makes me feel like a reality show contestant!). As you can read here I didn't quite make the number 10, but as explained in Jennifer's book, there is no hard and fast rule for the number of items. It is all about changing your mindset and not having excessive amounts of clothes. 

Something which I quickly took notice of while going through my clothes and deciding what to keep and what to donate was the labels on everything. If you know me, then you know that I am not a label snob by any stretch of the matter so this even surprised me. I wasn't looking at the labels and then deciding whether to keep the item, I was assessing the quality, the fit, the colour and the condition. After I decided if it was staying or going I was then looking at the label. 

What did I notice? More items from so-called 'throw-away' fashion brands were being added to my donation pile. Why? Because they were of lesser quality than my other items. Taking the time to assess each piece showed me that although I may like the look of the item, upon closer inspection the colour may have faded, it had lost its shape slightly in the wash or I wasn't sure how much longer it would hold up. 

These are not the kinds of items that you want in your wardrobe because they won't last as long as more quality pieces. I am not suggesting that you go out and exclusively shop with Armani or Ralph Lauren (I certainly couldn't afford to do this) however it is worth investing in the best quality that you can. A lot of the items which remained in my wardrobe are still from high street brands such as Next and M&Co. Which are generally a higher quality and are a bit more expensive than say, New Look or Primark but are still friendly on your purse strings.

As for my future purchases? I have stopped buying sale rack items and items that I see as I am passing the shop window. I have a note on my phone where I am recording all of the 'I wish I had...' thoughts that I have come across in the mornings when I am getting dressed so that I can review and see if it was a fleeting desire or a serious gap in my wardrobe. If it is a genuine gap, I am not going out and buying the first item which fits the bill, I am taking my time to find the perfect one which will last.

I am not going to lie, this has not been an overnight or easy change. I work in a massive department store so I walk by temptation several times a day. I follow copious amounts of blogs which make me want to go out and shop. The temptation is still there, I am just asking myself three key questions when the urge to spend rises, they have really helped me so why don't you try them too?

Do I need this?
When I say need, I mean really need. As in, you have one pair of jeans and they are ripped to shreds. Not as in 'I need these skinny jeans in my life now!' for you to probably wear them once and then for them to join the denim pile.

Will this compliment my wardrobe?
Does this piece go with what you already have, will you be able to mix and match it, dress it up or dress it down. Do you have shoes and handbags that go with this or would you need to shop for those too? If you can wear it straight away without further spending then it most likely will compliment your wardrobe.

Is this me?
It needs to reflect who you are. I don't hide behind a persona presented by my clothes, I like to present myself through what I wear. When I get dressed in the morning I want to feel like me. I feel more confident in going about my day, there is nothing worse than feeling self-conscious in what you are wearing.

Asking myself these questions has definitely stopped me from making any unnecessary purchases and has made me change the way I view items of clothing.  Looking for quality and longevity over a short period of satisfaction. 

Are you guilty of looking for a bargain even if you don't need it? Or do you have any other questions that you ask yourself while shopping?

The 10 Item Wardrobe Part 2

You may remember that last week I posted about the 10 Item Wardrobe mindset here. I did say in that post that I was about to sift through my clothing to dramatically decrease the level of stuff that was, well, stuffed in my drawers! After finishing the post I headed to my bedroom and emptied the contents of my drawers out and went through everything meticulously. 

After lifting everything out, I put it into piles on my bed to then see exactly how many of different items I had. 

Starting from the top left and working across the way we have; cardigans and jackets, jumpers, jeans, shirts and t-shirts, blouses and dressy tops, skirts, trousers, work out gear, and two piles of dresses. 

While taking each item out, I was looking at the colour, shape and checking everything over for any signs of wear as well as thinking about how often I actually wear it and if I did genuinely like it or not (as you probably know, I love a charity shop bargain so there were a few questionable pieces in there!). So once everything was out, it was time to be very critical as to what was going back in again. Now what has gone back in does amount to more than 10 items, however since I am just starting out, I am going to work my wardrobe as it is for a month and see what I would need as 'extra' items to go along with my capsule pieces and to see how my items work together and what I wear as well as don't wear. So here is the list of everything which has gone back into my drawers.

So, in total for day to day wear (including the 'extra's' even though I'm not entirely sure as to what those are yet!) I have 33 items. I haven't included workout clothes or going out dresses in this list, however I have only left 3 dresses in my drawer for now and put the rest in a storage chest as they aren't the best for this time of year. It is a dramatic decrease from what I did have and there is a black bag waiting to be donated to charity as well as a few items which have been put away into a storage chest as I know that I won't wear it anytime soon but will do in the future. 

I have tried my best to keep the colour palette neutral (to be honest I only had a few items which are bright anyway) I always gravitate towards black, navy and camel! I have been quite happy this first week, I do have a uniform for work so I tend to change into jeans and a jumper when I get home each day anyway. the real test is going to be neck week while I am off work and I'll be out and about all week! 

So far, I am enjoying a reduced wardrobe. It has been a long time since my drawers have closed properly (I'm sure you all know that struggle!) and I can see everything that I have available easily and quickly. I did actually really enjoy going through everything too and felt great getting rid of so much! Keep tuned for another update next week!

The 10 Item Wardrobe

I can almost hear the shrieks of horror as you all read this title. I certainly winced when I first came across the concept. However upon reading further into it, I have become very intrigued. I was first introduced to the 10 Item Wardrobe in Jennifer L Scott's Lessons From Madame Chic. This is a fantastic book which I will go into in a little more detail about in another post coming soon (you can also check out her blog The Daily Connoisseur here too!). However if you don't want to read the book just yet then you can listen to Jennifer's experience and ideas in this TEDx Talks to get the gist of the concept.   

As explained in this video the 10 items does not refer to everything that you can wear, it refers to the capsule wardrobe. The key pieces. You can have a few tee shirts, a couple of cardigans and your coats as well as your capsule items. Occasion wear is also exempt from the rule. It is also important to note that there is no strict rule of 10, just as long as you do not have excessive items (as I do at this present moment) then you will be on to a winner. The idea is for the items which you do have to be able to mix and match together to give a variety of outfit options without having too many items. If you have read my blog for sometime then you may recall that we live in a little flat with next to no storage space so the idea of severely cutting my clothes but leaving plenty of outfit options sounds perfect.  

As you might have guessed, I am planning to embark upon my own 10 Item Wardrobe journey, This journey will be starting TODAY with me having a serious clear out. Ruthlessness is required. I am feeling slightly nervous at the prospect but I want to worry less about what to wear. Less options means less stress, I won't be overloaded with options and I want to be able to mix and match a little more and I want to have space.  I feel a mass de-clutter coming on, not only of my clothes but the rest of my, well, stuff. 

With regards to my 10 Item Wardrobe, don't worry. I will take photographs of the process and will be providing frequent updates as to how it is working. Wish me luck!

Would you ever take the plunge with the 10 Item Wardrobe?