Thank you so much for your incredible response to my announcement last week about the new book, At Home With Madame Chic. So many of you preordered the book and sent over encouraging words. Thank you! And I agree with you... November could not come fast enough as I can't wait for you to read it.

This week is a very casual chat discussing quality television (including a guilty pleasure admission of mine) and a story about walking out of a movie. If you are unable to see the video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

Madame Chic in the Palisades

The week before last I had the honor of being the guest speaker for Lauren Evans and Susie Gilman's Happiness Series. We gathered in the Pacific Palisades with 40 Madame Chic enthusiasts and had a lively Q&A discussion about how we can live the principles discussed in Lessons from Madame Chic and incorporate them into our lives outside of Paris.


Pictured with Lauren Evans (left) and Susie Gilman (right)


Everyone looked so fabulous! I especially loved the ladies in the Breton striped shirts!


I wore a springy DVF cocktail dress and a turquoise necklace from Bauble Bar. Ten-Item Wardrobe-wise, cocktail dresses are considered extras because you only wear them on special occasions. Remember the ten core items of your wardrobe are clothes that you wear every day. It's important to have clothes for dressier occasions (church, parties, weddings, baby and bridal showers, etc.) It's a good idea to have a capsule collection of dressy occasion appropriate clothing that you can pull from when you have a special event. I can devote a whole blog post and video to this topic if you'd like. Let me know!


Thank you again to Ms. Evans and Ms. Gilman for hosting such a lovely event.


Madame Chic Inspiring Thought



Always use the best things you have. I love this scene from a recent episode of Mr. Selfridge (which is one of the quality shows discussed in this week's video) in which the family use a beautiful set of dishes for their weekday breakfast. Using nice dishes on a daily basis feels decadent and can add a touch of elegance and ritual to your average morning routine.

This week I would love to know... what are your thoughts on the programs discussed in this week's video? Do you have any quality TV or movies to recommend? What about guilty pleasures? Have you ever walked out of a movie?

See you soon!


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Holiday Musings

I can't believe Christmas and New Year are just around the corner. I had lofty ambitions of doing seasonal posts here on The Daily Connoisseur. I was going to share with you my favorite holiday candle (which, incidentally is Voluspa Goji & Tarocco Orange). I was going to make holiday cookies and homemade fudge (I still plan on doing this- probably on Christmas eve). I was going to work on a spectacular holiday floral arrangement and perhaps shoot a YouTube video on how I did it.

Ah, these were all lovely thoughts. But the reality of this holiday season is slightly different. Our Christmas tree only has ornaments on the top half of the tree because my baby daughter has an obsession with tearing down the ornaments and eating them. Rather than making a gingerbread house we have a life sized cardboard gingerbread house where Gatsby and baby like to stash various important items (like my keys and mobile phone), and being pregnant with my second child has rendered me quite exhausted come evening so even the thought of making dinner seems daunting, throwing all rose colored thoughts of baking cookies and making fudge out the window.

Yes, the joys and chaos of daily family life have taken over! I am not going to fight the current up stream- I am letting go of the oars to join in with the blissful havoc.


Downton Abbey

Before the end of the year I wanted to mention the wonderful Masterpiece series Downton Abbey. My friend Romi turned me on to this first rate show- PBS aired it this year and the first season is now on DVD. I'm sure many of you have already seen it but for those of you that haven't- it is a must see series. It is a British period drama (which I have a particular weakness for) with an amazing cast and an even more enthralling story line. I mention it now because the second season is airing in America on PBS on January 8th. Television rarely gets me excited but I am setting my DVR and cannot wait to see what the second season brings.

And the Winner Is...

Thank you for all of you that entered last Thursday's Skindinavia giveaway. I really enjoyed reading about your favorite makeup items- what great recommendations! I wish we could give away one to each of you but there can only be one winner... So without further ado, the winner, who was picked at random by a number generator, is:

Tatiana Ch (TatiKto) from Mexico City!

Congratulations Tatiana! Please email me your shipping address so I can pass the information on to Skindinavia. Enjoy your makeup setting spray.

Lessons from Madame Chic

My book, Lessons from Madame Chic, was mentioned on two fabulous blogs this week. The lovely Fiona at How to be Chic wrote a great review. As did the delightful LR at Magnificent or Egregious. Both are wonderful blogs that are on my reader list- I hope you love them too!

That is all until Thursday when Gatsby has a special holiday wish for you...

I would love to know... is your holiday season going as planned? Or have you given up like I have? :)


Our favorite Christmas nutcracker is pictured above.

The image of Downton Abbey is courtesy of www.monstersandcritics.com


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Hello dear readers...

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer- and that you are having a chance to rest, relax and rejuvenate.

I will be spending the next month in jolly old England (which wasn't so jolly last week with all those riots but hopefully things are on the mend!)

While I'm there I will continue to blog but might not be as punctual with my posts and videos so thank you in advance for your understanding. I'm really looking forward to going to England again, seeing family and hopefully do a bit of traveling while there. I will, of course, keep you updated on all my adventures and observations.

Speaking of England, this week's video is called The Neutral Dress. Inspired by the Duchess of Cambridge and her love of neutral, subtle glamor, I show you my favorite neutral dress and the many ways in which I wear it. To see the video click here, look in the sidebar of this blog or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

And now for this week's post on a Trio of Discoveries:

Film:

Midnight in Paris by Woody Allen
Woody Allen’s latest film Midnight in Paris is not really a discovery as most of you have probably seen this already! But oh what a wonderful film it is so for those of you that haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it- especially if you are a Francophile like me. This is the first film I’ve seen in the cinema since having my baby. My husband stayed home with the baby and I met a girlfriend at our local theater. I got a hot tea and some nachos (don’t ask- I wanted to be naughty at my first cinematic experience in a year) and we settled in for the ride.

I knew I had made a good choice in movies right from the opening scene which is a musical and visual love letter to Paris. Seeing so many of my favorite old haunts brought back a painful and delicious nostalgia. The opening sequence is set to a highly moving saxophone piece (see second discovery below) and then the movie begins.

I do not want to give too much (or anything really) away but can tell you a brief and vague synopsis. Gill Pender (played by Owen Wilson) and his fiancé Inez (played by Rachel McAdams) are in Paris for a short holiday before going back to the states to get married. Gil is a writer who is fascinated by nostalgia and the time period of 1920s Paris- the age of Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Picasso and Gertrude Stein (amongst others). Not quite satisfied in his current relationship, Gil goes on midnight walks in the city of Paris when a mysterious event keeps occurring…

Do go see Midnight in Paris to find out what happens!

Music:

Sydney Bechet Petite Fleur Album

As mentioned above the opening sequence in Midnight in Paris is one of the best I’ve ever seen in a film and part of it was due to the melodious and moving saxophone song it is set to. After seeing the film I searched high and low for the artist (Literally. It took me forever to find this guy) as there is no Midnight in Paris soundtrack available. But eventually I cracked the case (and thank you to all of my twitter friends who helped me along the way!) The opening song in Midnight in Paris is Si Tu Vois Ma Mère by Sydney Bechet.

I immediately looked up the song on iTunes and came across Mr. Bechet’s incredible album Petite Fleur. Sidney Bechet was not only a highly talented African American saxophonist who often collaborated with Louis Armstrong- but was also one of the first prominent jazz soloists of his time. His album Petite Fleur (which includes the great song Si Tu Vois Ma Mère) is like melodic sunshine. If you love Art Deco music with a French twist you must listen to this album. It is only $5.99 on iTunes. I listen to it while making breakfast in the morning and it starts off my day very pleasantly indeed. As a side note- this would also be excellent to play at your next dinner or cocktail party.


Television:

Tommy & Tuppence

Speaking of Art Deco… Have you all seen the Tommy & Tuppence series from the 1980s starring Francesca Annis and James Warwick? You all know that I have a borderline obsession with everything to do with Art Deco England (have you seen or read Mapp & Lucia yet?). I never quite got into the Tommy & Tuppence books by Agatha Christie as I was more of a Poirot person myself but this series is so delicious I will have to give the books a try again.

Tommy and Tuppence are a high class crime fighting duo that have an eccentric approach when it comes to solving crimes. Start with The Secret Adversary movie to see where it all began and then watch season one and two of Tommy & Tuppence Partners in Crime.

Watch it for the beautiful Art Deco costumes and styling (although I will grumble that they put far too much makeup on the beautiful Francesca Annis in the series- If you watch it you’ll see what I mean- a le no makeup look was definitely in order there!) Watch it for the dashing James Warwick who is the quintessential English gentleman (and whom I have a hopeless crush on- don't tell my husband). And of course watch it for the intriguing casework that only Agatha Christie could cook up. The Tommy & Tuppence movies and TV series are available on Netflix.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my trio of discoveries this week.

Gatsby is pictured above :)

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This past Thursday I had the good fortune to attend the West Coast Red Carpet premiere of Project Runway- one of my favorite reality TV shows. I love this show in particular because it is not just mindless "reality" fodder- but a brilliant way to showcase unknown designers. And based on some of my past posts- we all know how much I adore Tim Gunn- who acts as mentor to the designers on Project Runway. My good friend "R" (a young Hollywood starlet) was invited to walk the red carpet and I was thrilled to be her plus one.

The night was a hit- champagne, fashion and fabulous people go very well together and soon I was meeting a bevy of interesting sorts: up and coming designers, portrait photographers, writers and socialites. Of course the most important aspect of the evening was what (or more appropriately who) every one was wearing. R wore an adorable confection by English Clientele- a modern day party dress fit for Marie Antoinette- with a tight bodice and poofed tulle mini skirt attached. There were a lot of independent designers being showcased as well. I noticed a lot of floral print dresses and purple seemed the color du soir. I wore a fabulous dress by one of my favorite designers, Alexander McQueen. Black, with beige detail- my dress was Gothic, flapper and art deco all rolled in to one. It was the perfect dress for the occasion- a fashion-forward moment in my book- and I was grateful to have it!

Now as for the show itself? I will have to catch it on my DVR- the party was too loud and hopping to watch the premiere!

Project Runway airs on the Lifetime network Thursdays at 9 / 8 central.

I am very humbled to have received two awards for "Your Blog is F@*%^$&# Fabulous" by two of my favorite bloggers: Rose from A Rose Beyond the Thames and Jenavira from Scent of Abricots. Thank you ladies- both of your blogs have provided endless moments of pleasurable, thought-provoking reading.

Because I have won this award, I am now going to follow the rules (posted, in full, below), list my top five addictions and bestow the award on five of my favorite blogs.

For my top five addictions:

1. Books by Alexander McCall Smith. I know I reference Mr. McCall Smith all the time in my blog and it is for good reason. His books are the literary equivalent of a perfectly made cup of tea enjoyed by the fire on a chilly afternoon. I find them to be humorous, philosophical and endearing. Every single one.

2. Chanel eyeshadow. Chanel does so many things right: perfume, clothes, sunglasses but I personally cannot live without their eyeshadow sets: les 4 ombres. I find that the sheer quality of the color, pigmentation and sparkle factor (yes, that is a scientific term) is unparalleled. My favorite two right now? Beiges Velours and Variations.

3. Essie nail polish in Mademoiselle. This is the perfect neutral shade for a manicure. I love love love it!

4. Television shows on etiquette. I've mentioned them in the past and they continue to be an addiction. Right now I am thrilled that the Sundance channel is airing the third season of Britain's Ladette to Lady. Bring on the manners!

5. Backgammon. This is an old fashioned game that my husband introduced me to. We play a minimum of three games a day. It is a game of strategy and luck. And there is something, I feel, so romantic about staying up late to play a game of chance with your guy.

And now for my Blog Awards.... drumroll please!

1. Juliana from Dining on Deals. Juliana is a connoisseur of deals. She goes in search of the best restaurants in Los Angeles and finds out what specials they offer. Her reviews are descriptive and honest. A fabulous new blog!

2. Cashmere Librarian at Chez la Vie. This lady has style and a blog to prove it!

3. Here, There, Elsewhere and More. A beautiful blog with poetic words and images. An inspiration.

4. Vicki at French Essence. Vicki leads a fabulous life and documents it on her blog in all its glory.

5. Scentscelf at Notes from the Ledge. Scentscelf has an unconventional approach to perfume and I am a huge fan...

Congratulations to the winners! If you are so inclined to keep these awards going, the rules are as follows:


1. You pass it (the award) on to 5 other fabulous blogs in a post.

2. You list 5 of your fabulous addictions in the post.

3. You copy and paste the rules and the instructions below in the post. (easy Below)

Instructions: On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them. When you post your five winners, make sure you link them as well. Also, don’t forget to let your winners know they won an award from you by emailing them or leaving a comment on their blog.

The last few weeks for me have been very busy and have gone by in a blur. I would like to thank my readers and fellow bloggers for sticking with me as I have become less the 'daily' connoisseur and more the 'every other weekly' connoisseur. I would, however, like to report that my book is coming along swimmingly and that I am having the time of my life writing it... so thanks again for all of your support.

OK, now on to my exciting observation!

I couldn't be happier to report that etiquette has made a comeback. Over the last few weeks I have noticed an interest and resurgence in the subject (and just in the nick of time too!)

I have mentioned in past posts my obsession with etiquette. With such shows like Ladette to Lady and From G's to Gents you could keep me happily occupied all season long... but this time around there is a new show on the block...

Fresh off of the success of From G's to Gents, MTV, together with producer Donald Trump, has created a new show entitled The Girls of Hedsor Hall. This is the American version of my favorite British import Ladette to Lady- it even has the same instructors! For those of you not familiar with the format, a handful of rather undesirable young... er... women, are sent to a finishing school in the English countryside, with the hopes of polishing up their act and becoming ladies.

As in the original, the young women in the American version are given school uniforms, a strand of pearls and are launched into lessons and experiences they have never had before; such things as: flower arranging, cookery and how to hold a knife and fork. In the beginning, as is typically the case, these women are completely out of their comfort zone. Fighting, binge drinking and obscenity-laden monologues ensue but eventually the weak are weeded out and the true gems are allowed to shine.

I am not sure why I am so excited that this show is on MTV. Maybe it's because I have noticed a recent turn for the worse concerning manners and etiquette, especially from younger girls and maybe this show will reach them and help them realize that there is more to life than a fake tan and a hook-up! I know that on this subject I am no angel, but I do feel that all of this is terribly important and can lead one down the right path in life.

So in honor of The Girls of Hedsor Hall, I have re-read my favorite book on etiquette: Debrett's Etiquette for Girls, by Fleur Britten. This book is for the modern lady and is chock-full of useful information regarding contemporary etiquette dilemmas. It reads like a conversation from a very knowledgeable best friend and even had me laughing out loud at various moments. So, I invite you to raise your champagne glasses in a toast to the art of being a lady... let's hope this is a trend that lasts. Cheers!

Debrett's Etiquette for Girls can be purchased at: www.amazon.com

Image provided by www.whatagirlneeds.co.uk

To all of my wonderful readers and fellow bloggers, I am wishing you a very happy new year full of joy, good health and prosperity!

It was a quiet New Year's eve for me, spent at home with family. A healthful and delicious dinner was made... followed by a sinful dessert of crepes and ice cream... lots of laughter and the Ab Fab marathon on BBC America.

Today is a new day, a new year and I am going to go celebrate by going on a hike with husband and dog...

I hope your New Year's day is full of joy...


Image courtesy of: www.tvgasm.com

Until next time...

A few nights ago I was having dinner with two of my really good girlfriends. Enjoying each other’s company over Italian food and candlelight we were discussing the usual topics: career, men and beauty (not necessarily in that order). While discussing beauty we somehow got on the topic of how we take ourselves for granted and sometimes don’t present ourselves to our full potential.

I was telling them that earlier in the day I had worn a dress I don’t usually wear and had received several compliments from total strangers while working and running errands (granted some of those strangers were homeless- but hey, every compliment counts). This, of course, got me thinking. Why did I never wear this dress? Is it because I’m afraid that it will draw attention to me?

Incidentally, my girlfriends related. We found that we usually “play down” our beauty either because we don’t want the attention or simply can’t be bothered. What a shame! My friend J said this reminded her of the catchphrase: “don’t waste the pretty” from the bestselling book He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt. Whether stressing over a man, your career or your perceived beauty flaws, women everywhere are wasting the “pretty”- and we were some of them!

Then, yesterday I got my bi-monthly delivery from Amazon (I have a slight addiction and always have books on the way to my house) and was delighted to find in the stack of books I’d ordered Carmindy’s new book, Get Positively Beautiful- The Ultimate Guide to Looking and Feeling Gorgeous. Carmindy is the makeup artist on TLC’s hit show What Not to Wear and is single-handedly responsible for educating me on the application of makeup thanks to her first bestselling book- The 5-Minute Face: The Quick and Easy Makeup Guide For Every Woman.

In Get Positively Beautiful, Carmindy urges women to look at their beauty from a positive angle. Rather than looking in the mirror and focusing on what you dislike about yourself, she encourages us to focus on what’s fabulous and flaunt it- in other words, don’t waste the pretty! She denounces the unfortunate beauty standard that the industry and celebrities have placed so high. The book is filled with tips for makeup application in every season- for every type of face- and even has a section in the back with real makeovers (and we all know how much I love a makeover).

The book is also full of positive beauty mantras to say to yourself in the mirror. Call me crazy, but I believe mantras work. One of my favorite television shows of all time is Absolutely Fabulous, that whacky, farcical delight about two women navigating their way through life in a constantly heightened state. In one of my favorite episodes Edina and Patsy are in the bathroom and Edina asks Patsy: “When you look in the mirror, what do you see?” Patsy promptly replies, “Me looking Fabulous”.


Now that's the type of attitude we could all benefit from...




Get Positively Beautiful by Carmindy is available from: www.amazon.com

Image of book courtesy of: www.barnesandnoble.com

Image of Patsy courtesy of: www.bbc.co.uk

I love a good Pygmalion story. It all started for me with Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady” as Eliza Doolittle. Seeing her transformation from street to chic was the beginning of my love affair with makeovers. Who could forget “Pretty Woman” or “Gigi”? Seeing the transformation and evolution of a woman’s style never ceases to interest me. Lately, there have been a whole crop of reality shows on television transforming rowdy youths into refined beings. And I can’t get enough!

One of my favorites is a British reality series called “Ladette to Lady”, where 12 “ladettes” (read: foul-mouthed, uncultured and unpleasant young women) are sent to Eggleston Hall, a finishing school in Teesdale, England. There they are taught the basics of becoming a lady: dress, elocution, relating to the opposite sex and even flower arranging. Of course, each week one of them is expelled from the school and at the end of the series there is a debutant ball to announce the winner. This little gem of a series plays on the Sundance channel and, sadly, was only three seasons long.

The latest reality show to come out in the Pygmalion genre is MTV’s “From G’s to Gents”, hosted by Fonzworth Bentley. Mr. Bentley is the first gentleman of hip-hop and author of “Advance Your Swagger: How to Use Manners, Confidence and Style to Get Ahead”. I was really excited about this show because I’m a HUGE stickler for etiquette and manners and I couldn’t believe these topics would take center stage on MTV- a network that has, let’s face it, probably created most of the lads and ladettes of today’s youth!

The show started out very promising. There were 12 G’s (read: homeys, street criminals) that were tired of the “thug life” and wanted to clean up their act and become gentleman. They came in with gaudy bling around their necks, do rags and my personal favorite, grillz.

How on earth was Fonzworth Bentley going to turn these hopeless young men into refined gentleman? Each week, the G’s are taught a lesson in the art of becoming a gentleman. They learn how to dress, hold silverware properly and even give a business presentation. My interest was starting to wane after the first two episodes as I felt that Mr. Bentley wasn’t being strict enough. These guys weren’t in it to make a transformation- they were in it for the cash prize. Not enough change was being made. And I felt that the basic things like speech (most of them need subtitles to decipher what they are saying) and grooming should have been addressed in the beginning. They were also allowed to keep their street names (which I find ridiculous)- such names as Creepa, E-6 and D-Boy.

However, just like with my Coco Mademoiselle eau de parfum, I stuck with the show and I’m so glad I did. This week’s episode was highly emotional with reality finally sinking in for these men. Some of them were deadbeat fathers and finally broke down with the realization that they hadn’t been there for their children or their baby mama’s. Transformations were finally being made with Creepa taking off his sunglasses, bling and grillz and for the first time being comfortable in his own skin.

Now Cary Grant, these gentlemen are not, but I do think that their metamorphosis has been remarkable. Let’s hope it inspires today’s ruffians to go from street to chic!

"From G's to Gents" airs on MTV Tuesday nights at 10pm