A HOPELESS FRANCOPHILE
I have been obsessed with Paris since I was a little girl.
As soon as the internet and online research became accessible, I'd spend hours researching and staring at photos of the City of Love!
As I approached adulthood, I found myself filling my time and my home with everything Parisian. LaTrec posters, butter bells, skincare products, and anything I could get my hands on.
Visiting Paris was my dream. So I built an event planning business turned consulting company and worked my way to Paris! Standing in front of the Eiffel Tower for the first time was life-changing. I'd made it!
And as they say... Paris lives within you! The obsession hasn't stopped! Being in Paris many times has only led me to become more and more intrigued with the French Art of Living (art de vivre).
Paris is the place where I feel as if I am home. This is why I've spent hours researching, cataloging, and combing the streets and the internet for hidden gems, cultural knowledge, artisan creators, and uniquely Parisian experiences.
Frou la la is a combination of all of my favorite things. Paris, French culture, art, music, legacy, aesthetics, food, writing, reading, style, and planning. This is more than a passion project. This is how I live. This is my fancy and frugal French life. It's a practice by which I aim to make every day feel a little more French.
The Fancy and Frugal Philosphy of Frou La La
Everyday Elegance
Fancy and frugal living allows you to embrace small pleasures and experiences that excite you. French living teaches refinement is a way of being—rooted in tradition, care, and effortless style—not a dollar amount. Everyday elegance is a practice not a performance.
Purposeful Indulgence
A truly fancy life is not about wealth but about curating meaningful experiences and beauty within your means. By investing in what truly brings joy and purpose, every decision becomes a celebration of what matters most.
Endless Possibilites
Frugality is not about limits or restrictions but about thoughtful choices. Anything is possible when you prioritize what matters most, proving that a life of abundance and joy can be achieved without limits.
EMPOWERED FRUGALITY
It's time to redefine the word frugal! To be frugal is to spend with intention, prioritizing impact and satisfaction over quantity or excess. Frugality is the key to making empowered choices and getting exactly what you want.
THIS IS HOW THE FRENCH LIVE
Have you ever tried to decode the French 'je ne sais quoi"?
That magical thing about them, their culture, and their values you just can't find English words for?
My family has always called me "frou frou". Sometimes it was fancy pants. The frilly lace socks tucked into my Payless Mary Janes made me feel so pretty. I'd spin in my most fluffy skirt for hours just to see it billow around me like a blossoming flower. I've always been what they now call extra. I love making a place setting thoughtful, using authentic ingredients, gorgeously wrapping a thoughtful gift, and loving people with intention. This isn't exactly the norm here in Midwest America. Yet, I've never been able to understand why putting intention and energy into elegant experiences is so controversial!
Then I learned that 'frou frou' is a French word used to describe the sound 19th-century gowns made when they swooped across the floor of the chateau. It was only American history that shifted the etymology of the word to indicate something negative about a person who was 'frou frou'. That's when I realized that fancy and frugal living or 'frou la la' is the definition of French living.
It's about attention to detail. It's caring about the way something looks.
It's about doing something well. It's about upholding tradition.
It's about quality over quantity. It's about reverence for history and artistry.
It's about owning things that matter.
It's about slowing down. It's about noticing. It's the Art of Everything!
PARIS TRAVEL
If there is ever a hill... this is the one I will die on!
Traveling to Paris is beautifully and financially accessible!
Luxury travel is absolutely available in Paris but it's not the only way to have a luxurious experience in Paris! That is why I help fancy and frugal friends like you to plan an elegant and memorable trip to Paris that allows them to invest in the most important experiences. My goal is to connect you with the information, resources, and support you need for planning your perfectly fancy and completely frugal trip to Paris!
The information, links, and resources here are from an obsessed Francophile with the skills of a professional project and event manager. I've gathered all of the resources I've collected throughout my visits and years of francomania into guides, pre-made itineraries, and custom itinerary creation. I'm not a travel advisor. There are no kickbacks or commissions. There are no rules for how you curate your time in Paris. I'm just providing fancy and frugal resources to help you use your money and live your life more intentionally!
I would love to help you create a custom itinerary for your upcoming Paris trip. Learn more about working with me HERE.
ON GENERALIZATIONS
Throughout these pages, I will walk you through the best fancy and frugal ways to experience Paris. We'll discover the art of all things French. We'll learn about French artisan, effortless style, and everyday French living. Our mission is to bring the French way of living a little closer to our everyday American lives. This is my practice. A daily quest to live more like the French!
In doing so it will be impossible not to stumble into generalizations. This will happen. Just as Americans have their stereotypes (which I fit very few of... if any) so do the French. In the book Demystifying the French by Janet Hulstrand, she says "it's important to remember that generalizations are of little value and that wherever you are in the world you are dealing with individuals, and that individuals tend to stubbornly refuse to conform to stereotypes."
For everyone effortlessly chic, classically dressed French woman rushing into the Metro, there are just as many trying to break out of the "French woman" trope! My experience and knowledge is limited to observation and research. But stereotypes aren't created in a vacuum. As I shed the conformity of American stereotypes, I hope to exchange them for the beautiful, sophisticated, moisturized, aesthetic, imaginary woman the French woman stereotype has created. I know I'll step in merde on the way... but maybe you'll learn a little about me while I learn a little about you!
