I have actually used the phrase, "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear" to refer to paris's changing look.
It means if something isn't very good to start with, you can't do much to improve it.
This is an English corruption of a French word. In old France the peasants would keep their money in a purse called sousier (from the old French coin the Sou). There was no way to make a fine silk purse from a tatty, rough cloth Sousier.
It means if something isn't very good to start with, you can't do much to improve it.
This is an English corruption of a French word. In old France the peasants would keep their money in a purse called sousier (from the old French coin the Sou). There was no way to make a fine silk purse from a tatty, rough cloth Sousier.