I have recently come across a rather elegant word: quaintrelle. I was instantly intrigued by the daintiness of the word. Its origin surprised me; after the descriptive word dandy meaning, “unduly devoted to style, neatness, and fashion in dress and appearance” became exclusively associated with men in the 1800s, women reacted by developing a similar word pertaining to femininity: quaintrelle. This French rooted word simply means: a woman who emphasizes a life of passion, expressed through personal style, leisurely pastimes, charm, and cultivations of life’s pleasures.

After defining the word, I started to wonder how one goes about living a quaintrelle lifestyle. I decided the best way to find out was to break apart the definition.

• Emphasize a life of passion.
• Express your personal style.
• Engage in leisurely pastimes.
• Charm.
• Lastly, cultivate life’s many pleasures.

Being passionate about something is more than just liking it; passion is a strong and almost uncontrollable feeling -- something you simply cannot live without. In my opinion, finding what your most passionate about in life should be a goal of utmost importance.

Your style is what makes you who you are. Aside from the clothes you wear, which is obviously more noticeable, the way you go about doing things or even the way you handle certain situations contribute to your overall style. Therefore, having good style is more than just wearing the latest fashion trends. On the other hand, expressing yourself through fashion is a unique way to display your style to others.

Some people may consider playing a nice round of golf a leisurely pastime, while others may receive the same pleasure from reading in a quiet room. Whatever it is, making time for yourself to enjoy the little things in life that bring you happiness is crucial.

Having charm is always a useful quality to have in many aspects of life. Charm can come in handy in many situations such as job interviews, persuading others, or simply being an overall likable person. There are some people who merely lack charm, so if you have it, use it to your advantage.

Cultivate means to develop or acquire. One must learn how to acquire such pleasures in a way that betters them as a whole. Finding a person who shares the same indulgences may also contribute to finding wholeness in your life.

Following a quaintrelle lifestyle is more than just being able to pronounce the sophisticated word; it is analyzing your life and knowing when to put yourself first. Finding your passion, expressing your style, enjoying leisurely time, acquiring charm, and developing new pleasures along the way, combine to create the ultimate quaintrelle lifestyle.

On the bright side, you now have a new, fancy word to describe your highly sophisticated lifestyle.