I'd like to consider myself a sort of coloring book enthusiast/ fashion designer halfway hobbiest. I have no formal art training, but those who frequent this site or others who know me personally is I am a sucker for a creative outlet, so when I had an opportunity to interact with this particular coloring book I was ecstatic! Audrey has had an obsession with Paris these past couple years, which made it all the more appealing.
However, Paris Street Style, by Zoe de las Cases, may be my first book review that is not glowing with enthusiasm. I do not write this entry to recommend nor to discourage one from purchasing it, however, as it depends largely on taste and what you are looking for in a coloring book. Part of my hesitation to completely discourage it is that I recognize the power of expectations. As mentioned above, my expectations were romantic street scenes, extravagant elegance and perhaps some simple glamour as well. What I got, however, were much like the cover itself. There is not a single face in the whole book. The designs contain people hiding their faces or from the back, if it contains people at all. There are pages that contain just underwear (and by underwear we're basically talking granny panties), socks, purses or accessories. The clothes are much like what is demonstrated on the cover, so if that's your style, I imagine you would love it. I did love the scenic pages, but was also disappointed that even those didn't demonstrate the beauty of Paris to the extent that I would have hoped. These scenes could have been drawn from just about anywhere. The pattern pages were my favorites, which could also be redeeming. I myself decided after looking through the book and showing it to my daughter that a friend of mine could best appreciate it, and appreciate it she did. She loves fashion, culture and would like to visit France some day. She was very excited even as she flipped through the pages, so I would recommend to those considering this book that you might give it a chance by going to Amazon's page (see link below) and checking out the "See Inside" option to decide if this is what you are looking for. Sometimes our opinions are tainted by our expectations, and I believe for me this was the case, because the book itself is made of great materials. It is a unique and chique look for a coloring book externally and internally holds lots of room for your own creativity to run wild. Take a look! Now that you know what to expect, you may really enjoy this!
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Disclosure: I recieved this book from Blogging for Blooks. This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a percentage of each sale when you make a purchase using these links or that I received this product in return for the ; however, I fully support and recommend each of these products. You can view my full disclosure policy here.