My Paris Dream

A charming and insightful memoir about coming of age as a fashion journalist in 1980s Paris, by former Vogue and Harper&;s Bazaar editor Kate Betts, the author of Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style&;You can always come back,&; my mother said. &;Just go.&; As a young woman, Kate Betts nursed a dream of striking out on her own in a faraway place and becoming a glamorous foreign correspondent. After college&;and not without trepidation&;she took off for Paris, renting a room in the apartment of a young BCBG (bon chic, bon genre) family and throwing herself into the local culture. She was determined to master French slang, style, and savoir faire, and to find a job that would give her a reason to stay.After a series of dues-paying jobs that seemed only to reinforce her outsider status, Kate&;s hard work and willingness to take on any assignment paid off: Her writing and intrepid forays into la France Profonde&;true France&;caught the eye of John Fairchild, the mercurial fashion arbiter and publisher of Women&;s Wear Daily, the industry&;s bible. Kate&;s earliest assignments&;investigating the mineral water preferred by high society, chasing after a costumed band of wild boar hunters through the forests of Brittany&;were a rough apprenticeship, but she was rewarded for her efforts and was initiated into the elite ranks of Mr. Fairchild&;s trusted few who sat beside him in the front row and at private previews in the ateliers of the gods of French fashion. From a woozy yet mesmerizing Yves Saint Laurent and the mischievous and commanding Karl Lagerfeld to the riotous, brilliant young guns who were rewriting all the rules&;Martin Margiela, Helmut Lang, John Galliano&;Betts gives us a view of what it was like to be an American girl, learning about herself, falling in love, and finding her tribe.Kate Betts&;s captivating memoir brings to life the enchantment of France&;from the nightclubs of 1980s Paris where she learned to dance Le Rock, to the lavender fields of Provence and the grand spectacle of the Cour Carrée&;and magically re-creates that moment in life when a young woman discovers who she&;s meant to be. Praise for My Paris Dream&;[A] glittering coming-of-age tale.&;&;Entertainment Weekly (The Must List) &;Fashion and self-examination&;froth and wisdom&;might seem like odd bookfellows, but Betts brings them together with winning confidence.&;&;The New York Times Book Review &;As light and refreshing as an ice cream cone from the legendary Berthillon, My Paris Dream evokes the sights, sounds, smells and styles of 1980s Paris.&;&;USA Today &;My Paris Dream is awesome.&;&;Man Repeller &;What was Bett&;s Paris dream? Her dream was her awakening, [which] is elegantly chronicled in these pages.&;&;The Daily Beast &;For those who are interested in the men and women involved in haute couture, Betts&; reminiscences will be a delight.&;&;Kirkus Reviews &;Full of slangy French, delectable food and swoon-worthy fashion.&;&;BookPage&;An amazing story of a young woman in Paris trying to break into the fashion business.&;&;Sophia Amoruso, author of #GIRLBOSS &;Kate Betts&;s story brought me back to my own young self and the journey I made&;in my case, from a small town in Illinois to New York City.&;&;Cindy Crawford