How to Be Parisian: Love, Style & Bad Habits

Things I’ve learned from Caroline de Maigret, Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, and Sophie Mas.

• Be aware of your qualities and your faults. Cultivate them in private, but don’t obsess
• Take time to take time, because nobody else will do it for you
• Your look should always have one thing left undone - the devil is in the details 
• Drink At Least One Glass of Red Wine a Night
• Go to the theatre, to museums, and to concerts as often as possible: it gives you a healthy glow
• No conditioner. Ever. It makes it too sleek. You wash it and then you air-dry it
• Give yourself over , but don’t give yourself away 
• Go to bed with all your jewellery on, but having taken all your makeup off
• Talk to everyone in the same tone on voice, weather its your parents, the taxi driver, your boss, a celebrity you met at a bar, or the newspaper vendor on the corner
• Be financially independent, so that you love only for love 
• Cancel your gym session to have a drink with your friend
• Wear a black bra under your white blouse, like two notes on a sheet of music

x She x 

• She wasn't born in Paris, but she's reborn there.
• She never crosses the street where she’s supposed to; she claims it’s her rebellious side. People who wait in lines stress her out. 
• She likes taking crafty detours and side roads to avoid traffic jams. Often she wastes more time then She saves, but its her way of feeling she’s mastered the city. 
• She doesn’t stop driving when her gaslight goes on. instead she prefers to play her own form of Russian Roulette. Will she make it, or won’t she?   
• She actually forgets to wear a bra sometimes 
• She manages to pay the bill before he even asks for it 
• She buys very expensive shoes but never polishes them 
• She smokes like a chimney on the way to the country side to get some fresh air 
• She’s capable of moving mountains but is in constant need of reassurance
• She spends a fortune on lingerie no one will ever see

Faux Pas

• Asking someone at a party what they do for a living. 
• Over-plucking eyebrows
• Trying too hard or wearing too much makeup 
• Using corporate jargon, even if it’s a common phrase “I can pencil you in..” 
• Taking yourself too seriously 
• Having more than two colours in your hair 

Of course you run the risk of ending up alone. And all because you were oblivious to the man who could have held you in his arms, and ignored the awkward-looking girl who could have been a life long friend. If thats the case you can always book a one-way ticket to Paris.