What is Elegance?
It is a sort of harmony that rather resembles beauty, with the difference that the latter is more often a gift of nature and the former the result of art.
The origin of elegance is easily traced. It springs and develops from the habits of a civilized culture. The word comes from the Latin eligere, which means ‘to select’.
A Guide to Elegance: For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions
by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux