A Femme d’Un Certain Age, Aging, Beauty, France, Tish Jett

CHIC READS

I was recently lucky enough to be gifted (by one of my most favorite, and hands down fashionable and timeless people I know – thank you Jody!) a copy of Tish Jett’s Forever Chic: Frenchwomen’s Secrets for Timeless Beauty, Style, and Substance. Tish Jett is a longtime fashion journalist and author of the blog A Femme d’Un Certain Age, She lives in France, where she temporarily located for work decades ago, but ended up permanently relocating upon finding true love and marrying her French husband.
ForeverChic
The book is an honest, sometimes humorous, and thoroughly enjoyable peak into  French women of a certain age (over forty). I started reading, and couldn’t put it down.We all know the mystique that surrounds the French woman  – they are captivating, complex, elegant, always chic, and seem to exude a confidence that escapes far too many women in America that are obsessed with avoiding the aging process. I have never been one to fear getting older, but I do want to look and feel the best I can as I age. I  love the rituals of putting on makeup before leaving the house, getting my hair done, and finding timeless wardrobe staples as much as I love going to museums, finding new adventures and enjoying wonderful food and wine – and good thing since those are some of the elements discussed in the book that make up the forever chic French!  Jett teaches us that true beauty is not about looking like a plastic version of your 20 year old self, but rather working with what the good Lord gave you and taking care of your body, mind and spirit to keep yourself vibrant and happy. You can’t beat her product recommendations either (all tested and endorsed by her).

I will close with the answer that Tish Jett herself gave when asked about her favorite piece of advice in her book : “My favorite chapter is the last one, Enduring Enchantments. This is the chapter that talks about substance. After we’ve buffed and polished the exterior, I think we all desire to be more than a fashionable facade. What really makes us ageless and, I believe, beautiful are charm, grace, poise, wit, informed intelligence, politesse and kindness. There are no expiration dates here.”