---
product_id: 1453812
title: "A Guide to Elegance: For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions – The Classic Style Bible from a French Guru on Chic, Grace, and Poise"
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---

# A Guide to Elegance: For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions – The Classic Style Bible from a French Guru on Chic, Grace, and Poise

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A Guide to Elegance: For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions – The Classic Style Bible from a French Guru on Chic, Grace, and Poise [Dariaux, Genevieve Antoine] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A Guide to Elegance: For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions – The Classic Style Bible from a French Guru on Chic, Grace, and Poise

Review: Come back to this little volume again & again - I used to live in a country where Paris runway show videos were regularly part of prime time viewing! Women were very fashion conscious, and being bombarded I learned how to distinguish quality & style from passing fad. This book is a wonderful guide to that "something" that makes someone stand out even in today's atmosphere of bling, ka-Ching, and dah-ling. Ms. Dariaux's references can be a little quaint, & yes dated (but not without charm) and beyond most people's milieu - in giving wardrobe advice she refers to clients' selections in the very rarified haute couture house in which she was director. But it's these very glimpses on how people who know about quality, and who have the best to choose from, that will guide you in making confident, hell-to-high water wardrobe choices. Think timelessness, quality and über style. If you are into the latest anything, this book may not be for you, unless you wish to change. It appears everyone now wants to capture the refinement of "Grace, Audrey & Jackie"; this book is of that mindset. Ms. Dariaux charmingly & sensibly offers precise commentary & guidance towards this end. Interesting note: Ms. Dariaux doesn't mention money/budget/brands, but says 'buy the best you can afford, & good cut/silhouette/color over other considerations'. Spoken like a true haute couture insider. Not a long book; topics/apparel categories impeccably organized A to Z. Year after year this book has been an inspiration. Not surprising, I check out fashion publications often - this volume holds its own against newer style/fashion books - aptly titled.
Review: A ...C L A S S I C...O F...T H E...O L D...S C H O O L.... - I found an original edition of this book in the library years ago and fell in love with it. Many years later, I spotted a copy of the same original, 1964 edition at a book-sale, and bought it forthwith! Sadly, though -- influenced as I was by "politically correct" ideas --I felt guilty about liking this book......and THREW IT OUT! (This was before I got a computer and found out about desertcart.com, obviously....) Well, I began thinking about it, somehow, just last week....and that was when I looked it up on desertcart. I was amazed (!), and totally delighted to find that the book was still in print! And I bought a copy! I just received my copy today, in fact -- and was both delighted and disappointed. The new edition is a great deal smaller than the older one -- this one looks almost like a guide-book. No-where on the cover is a picture of Mme. Dariaux--but it is mentioned that she "now lives in the south of France." (Hooray -- she's still alive!) The paper of this second edition is, at least, much better than the paper in the first edition. It seems that this second edition has been edited. Another reviewer mentions that subtle references are made to Princess Diana. I myself an omission...which has probably been "politically correctly" taken out. But I remember it, even though the last time I looked at the original edition was over ten years ago. The ommission was under either "Age" or "Models": The story is told of a model who kept her age a secret. Until several of the models of her fashion-house, travelling together, had to show their pass-ports to the officials. The poor girl, (or woman, actually), then could not prevent it being known that she was, (gasp!!) 33 years old! The tale is then told that she committed suicide soon after!!!!! Mme. Dariaux either rightfully was aghast at this act....or said that, thank goodness, people no longer acted that way. This is a horrifying example of what ageism can do....and should have been left in, both to show how much we have advanced, and so people could site this terrible loss in theses! I looked up the original edition on a rare-book site on the internet. Three copies were available there: ranging in price from $175 to over $500! Trying to find a less expensive first edition, (which I haven't, as yet), I found that the republication of "Elegance" by Ms. Dariaux, is due to the fact that a novel, also called "Elegance", has been written by another, younger authoress, which tells the story of an American woman who finds a copy of the original book and tries to pattern her own life on it. Hmmm... A fascinating premise, and a very tempting book to buy! However, I had wished that the reason that Mme. Darieux's book had been reprinted was that the world was, indeed, returning to elegance....so slowly that I wasn't aware of it. Well, maybe the republication of Ms. Dariaux' "Elegance" will start this "counter-revolution", anyway! I, for one, hopes so. Having "fashion" now full of torn jeans truly upsets me. If one says that torn jeans as a fashion is a social equalizer, one is vastlty mistaken: some of these "fashionably" torn jeans can' cost $200 or more! Spending that amount of money -- or far less -- on a pretty dress or suit makes much more sense to me! Although Mme. Dariaux's advice may seem arbitrary to some, and infuriating to others, there is still much to be learnt here, even in the newer edition. At the very least, all this fashion advice -- listed alphabetically, from "Accessories", "Adaptability", "Age" (with No mention of the aforesaid model story), and "Bargains" to "XMas", "Yachting", "Zippers", and "Zoology", (the care of pets, and the wearing of animal prints) -- and all that is in bewtween -- gives much food for thought. (Does this make "Elegance" the thinking person's fashion guide?) The most important part of this book, I think, are the very last words in the very last part of it: the Acknowledgements. The very last person to be acknowledged is a certain "Madame G. L." (name given in the book). It is stated: "...whose elegance of heart matches her elegance of appearance." Perhaps, at every age, in every era, and at every income level, it is the combination of the two that true elegance is really all about.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #148,469 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #43 in Style & Clothing #54 in Etiquette Guides & Advice #308 in Fashion Design |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 405 Reviews |

## Images

![A Guide to Elegance: For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions – The Classic Style Bible from a French Guru on Chic, Grace, and Poise - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61kQzf9QxaL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Come back to this little volume again & again
*by O***M on February 10, 2013*

I used to live in a country where Paris runway show videos were regularly part of prime time viewing! Women were very fashion conscious, and being bombarded I learned how to distinguish quality & style from passing fad. This book is a wonderful guide to that "something" that makes someone stand out even in today's atmosphere of bling, ka-Ching, and dah-ling. Ms. Dariaux's references can be a little quaint, & yes dated (but not without charm) and beyond most people's milieu - in giving wardrobe advice she refers to clients' selections in the very rarified haute couture house in which she was director. But it's these very glimpses on how people who know about quality, and who have the best to choose from, that will guide you in making confident, hell-to-high water wardrobe choices. Think timelessness, quality and über style. If you are into the latest anything, this book may not be for you, unless you wish to change. It appears everyone now wants to capture the refinement of "Grace, Audrey & Jackie"; this book is of that mindset. Ms. Dariaux charmingly & sensibly offers precise commentary & guidance towards this end. Interesting note: Ms. Dariaux doesn't mention money/budget/brands, but says 'buy the best you can afford, & good cut/silhouette/color over other considerations'. Spoken like a true haute couture insider. Not a long book; topics/apparel categories impeccably organized A to Z. Year after year this book has been an inspiration. Not surprising, I check out fashion publications often - this volume holds its own against newer style/fashion books - aptly titled.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A ...C L A S S I C...O F...T H E...O L D...S C H O O L....
*by P***A on December 11, 2005*

I found an original edition of this book in the library years ago and fell in love with it. Many years later, I spotted a copy of the same original, 1964 edition at a book-sale, and bought it forthwith! Sadly, though -- influenced as I was by "politically correct" ideas --I felt guilty about liking this book......and THREW IT OUT! (This was before I got a computer and found out about Amazon.com, obviously....) Well, I began thinking about it, somehow, just last week....and that was when I looked it up on Amazon. I was amazed (!), and totally delighted to find that the book was still in print! And I bought a copy! I just received my copy today, in fact -- and was both delighted and disappointed. The new edition is a great deal smaller than the older one -- this one looks almost like a guide-book. No-where on the cover is a picture of Mme. Dariaux--but it is mentioned that she "now lives in the south of France." (Hooray -- she's still alive!) The paper of this second edition is, at least, much better than the paper in the first edition. It seems that this second edition has been edited. Another reviewer mentions that subtle references are made to Princess Diana. I myself an omission...which has probably been "politically correctly" taken out. But I remember it, even though the last time I looked at the original edition was over ten years ago. The ommission was under either "Age" or "Models": The story is told of a model who kept her age a secret. Until several of the models of her fashion-house, travelling together, had to show their pass-ports to the officials. The poor girl, (or woman, actually), then could not prevent it being known that she was, (gasp!!) 33 years old! The tale is then told that she committed suicide soon after!!!!! Mme. Dariaux either rightfully was aghast at this act....or said that, thank goodness, people no longer acted that way. This is a horrifying example of what ageism can do....and should have been left in, both to show how much we have advanced, and so people could site this terrible loss in theses! I looked up the original edition on a rare-book site on the internet. Three copies were available there: ranging in price from $175 to over $500! Trying to find a less expensive first edition, (which I haven't, as yet), I found that the republication of "Elegance" by Ms. Dariaux, is due to the fact that a novel, also called "Elegance", has been written by another, younger authoress, which tells the story of an American woman who finds a copy of the original book and tries to pattern her own life on it. Hmmm... A fascinating premise, and a very tempting book to buy! However, I had wished that the reason that Mme. Darieux's book had been reprinted was that the world was, indeed, returning to elegance....so slowly that I wasn't aware of it. Well, maybe the republication of Ms. Dariaux' "Elegance" will start this "counter-revolution", anyway! I, for one, hopes so. Having "fashion" now full of torn jeans truly upsets me. If one says that torn jeans as a fashion is a social equalizer, one is vastlty mistaken: some of these "fashionably" torn jeans can' cost $200 or more! Spending that amount of money -- or far less -- on a pretty dress or suit makes much more sense to me! Although Mme. Dariaux's advice may seem arbitrary to some, and infuriating to others, there is still much to be learnt here, even in the newer edition. At the very least, all this fashion advice -- listed alphabetically, from "Accessories", "Adaptability", "Age" (with No mention of the aforesaid model story), and "Bargains" to "XMas", "Yachting", "Zippers", and "Zoology", (the care of pets, and the wearing of animal prints) -- and all that is in bewtween -- gives much food for thought. (Does this make "Elegance" the thinking person's fashion guide?) The most important part of this book, I think, are the very last words in the very last part of it: the Acknowledgements. The very last person to be acknowledged is a certain "Madame G. L." (name given in the book). It is stated: "...whose elegance of heart matches her elegance of appearance." Perhaps, at every age, in every era, and at every income level, it is the combination of the two that true elegance is really all about.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ LOVED IT!
*by Z***S on January 5, 2006*

I really loved this little book. I think women and girls of all ages should read it. It's fairly complete in spite of being a tiny book and goes over lots of common fashion do's and don'ts. I found it to be an easy read, though I DO wish it had pictures. Keep in mind it's an older book so a few suggestions are outdated but for the most part, like good clothing or hair, the advice is timeless. I think it would make a very cute gift, especially for someone who is young or clueless about fashion. A lot of this seems like common sense to me and is stuff my very old-school European Grandma told me as a teenager but judging by all the badly dressed women in the world, "common sense" might be uncommon these days! Even for those of us who consider ourselves stylish already, it never hurts to learn a few extra tips! In my opinion, being elegant is NOT about looking stuffy and rich or looking like a celebrity, it's about finding what works best for you, regardless if you are 70 years old, or a 20 year old tattooed collage girl...Either way, I think elegance is possible and this book can be of help.

## Frequently Bought Together

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*Last updated: 2026-03-05*