Author Jennifer L. Scott lugged two overstuffed suitcases to France when she was a foreign exchange student, only to realize she had nothing to wear.

That’s when she discovered the beauty of the 10-item wardrobe.

The author of the recently released book “Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris” (Simon & Schuster) noticed that each member of the chic, aristocratic family she lived with wore a few beautifully tailored, classic pieces in heavy rotation. They always looked elegant and polished.

Scott’s mishmash of unflattering sweaters, sloppy sweats, tees and ill-fitting pieces didn’t measure up.

“I came to realize French women have a capsule wardrobe,” Scott said in a phone interview from her home in Santa Monica, Calif. “With them, the goal is always to have higher quality clothes and less quantity. And they can get dressed very easily. It was life-changing for me.”

Scott’s book encourages American women to live simply and beautifully by eating well, slowing down, simplifying their lives and enjoying life. She wants us to give up the Carrie Bradshaw/“Sex in the City” ideal of a packed closet of underused clothes.

“Your ultimate goal is to create a wardrobe that you love, in which every item of clothing speaks to who you are,” she writes, “and to create a space for your clothes to breathe by eliminating clutter.”