A trend I've noticed among fabulous women (read: those of us over 40) is a penchant for all things French. Trips to Paris. Books on how we American women can be more like French women. And, of course, French fashion.
Why all the hoo-ha (as Mom would say) about les trucs francaises? It's simple: the French love their women--no matter what their age. And French women, being so honored, never stop being sexy. They also dress stylishly at every stage of life; they never give up and give in to elastic waistbands, figuring "why bother?"Why? Because sooner or later, you're going to run into a reflective surface somewhere, and you want to like what you see. That goes for any age, but especially when your looks are changing. Becoming more mature doesn't necessarily mean losing your looks; I, for one, think I'm far cuter now than when I was younger.
I spent my 40th birthday in Paris, and if there's anyone under 40 reading this, I'm telling you right now: book that birthday flight. To me, Paris is a not-so-young-ladies' finishing school, where I learned how to eat properly--i.e., avec enjoyment and sans guilt; to flirt without overanalyzing all the fun out of it; and how to dress.
Et voila: Straight from the best catwalk in the world--the streets of Paris--here are some fashion notes I took on my 40th birthday. It doesn't even matter that they're from 7 years ago; French fashion, like brevity to get one's point across, never goes out of style.
