My Paris Dream

Praise

“[A] glittering coming-of-age tale.”—Entertainment Weekly (The Must List)

“[Kate Betts] shares her coming-of-age in a self-assured book that should be given to every college senior with a Doisneau poster (or Chanel ad) on her wall. . . . Fashion and self-examination—froth and wisdom—might seem like odd bookfellows, but Betts brings them together with winning confidence. . . . Young worshipers of Paris—and of fashion magazines—are in for an education. Those of us who’ve been there and back will find it entertaining and sneakily poignant reading on the flight to Charles de Gaulle.”—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 as a journalist, My Paris Dream is a fun read. Kate Betts’s trajectory of inventing herself is uniquely her own but incredibly universal as well.”—Sophia Amoruso, author of #GIRLBOSS
 
“With beauty, poignancy, and stirring precision, Kate Betts describes what it means to come into your own by going far from home. My Paris Dream is a valentine to a city, a language, and the thrills and confusions of young love and young ambition. But, even more so, it’s a tribute to style itself. Betts has all the elements—grace, humor, humanity, wisdom. What a gift that she has shared them in these delightful pages.”—Meghan Daum, author of The Unspeakable
 
“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. She’s captured that youthful fearlessness and the romantic impulse we have to strike out and find ourselves—through work that inspires us, through friendships that sustain us, and through heartbreaks that help us learn about our deepest desires. This is an enchanting, magical memoir.”—Cindy Crawford
 
“When I first met Kate I was wowed by her intellect and dazzled by her style—I idolized her. Now that I’ve read her brilliant and stylish memoir of her early years breaking into fashion, it is clear to me that Paris was the catalyst that turned her into the woman she was always meant to be. And this is her unforgettable story.”—Stacy London
 
“We all have our own Paris, wherever it is—the place that made us who we are—and this is Kate Betts’s: vintage late 1980s, effortlessly stylish, a little gritty, and seductive as hell. My Paris Dream is a coming-of-age story that crackles with brilliantly drawn, larger-than-life characters, fashion-world intrigue, and a hint of bittersweet nostalgia.”—Luke Barr, author of Provence, 1970
 
“What an entertaining read this is! This is a paeon not only to the City of Light but to the pleasures—and perils—of following your heart.”—Elizabeth Berg, author of The Dream Lover