Parisian Chic

Eat, shop and dress like a Parisian.

Margaret Ambrose has a degree in journalism and editing, and has concentrated her career on magazine feature writing. She has written for magazines in the US, Europe and UK, and was one of the founding journalists and editor of the successful Australian women's magazine, theLounge.com.au. Margaret is obsessed with all things French - from cheese to men - and proudly speaks the language with an Australian twang.

How did French girls get so damn lucky? It's not enough that they speak in sexy accents, have spent their lives in the most romantic cities, and have all the yummiest designers at their doorsteps. No, they also get to enjoy some of the richest cuisine on earth, wash it down with champagne, finish with a cigarette or ten – and still stay slim and lead long lives?

Why is it that some women are able to waltz into any restaurant, five nights a week, wolf down a huge meal and still look great? These women rise to any occasion involving dining out--compared to the rest of us, who feel like we have to diet for a week before we can consume a forkful of that prawn risotto.

Admit it. At some stage in your life you've stood in front of the bathroom mirror, lifted the corners of your eyes with your fingers and thought, "Wow, this is what I'd look like if I had a face lift." (Shame on you.)

Maybe you had a broken heart, perhaps you needed a pick-me-up, or possibly you just became over-enthusiastic when you saw a fabulous style on a model in a magazine.

Optical illusion has been in style for years in the ready-to-wear and is now starting to influence the swimwear as well. Vertical stripes make you look slimmer and taller. Diagonal stripes takes away those extra pounds.