Lifestyle

So there I was, in Paris, at the Ritz – home to Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Cartier, in the front row, waiting to attend my first designer runway fashion show – and my first book signing at the Paris Fashion Week launch of my book, “Creating the French Metabolism: Eat, Drink, and Be Beautiful.”

Holy cow it’s almost here! I love the holidays … it’s a time for friends, family, fireplaces, Père Noël, cookies, extra cooking, extra cleaning, shopping for groceries, shopping for presents – wow, I just made myself tired.

We all have those times, like a holiday, a wedding, or when your “special occasion” outfit doesn’t fit quite the same as when you bought it, when you just need to drop a quick pound or five.

Do we have a moral obligation to live well, and to present our best selves? Yep, I think we do. I think we have a duty to choose grown-up words, to communicate responsibly, and to think about the optics of our actions. I think telling somebody how wrong they are is...

Being a French soul trapped in a Texan’s body, I’ve been making classic French baguettes for a while. But my husband loves sourdough bread and I love my husband, so sourdough I would make.

Morning people are made, not born. I know this because I wasn’t one – until I was. I spent years as a chronic “snoozer.” Despite my many ambitious plans to get up early and get anything done in the morning, I could not control my conditioned response to hit that button and stay under the covers until the last possible instant.

The French have truly mastered the art of pleasure – preparing a simple meal, sipping a glass of wine at a café  while watching passers-by, spending an afternoon in the park, taking an evening stroll along the river.

What you wear on the outside may be for others, but what you wear underneath is all for you. Well, and maybe one other person (if they’re lucky).

Forgive me if I sound sexist – I’m not; or if I don’t sound feminist enough – I am. But I also love romance and keeping the sparks going in a relationship, and I’m pretty darn good at it.