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barbaradc's review against another edition
2.0
The characters and the story itself are plain and unoriginal like a cheap chick lit novel, but It gives you an insight about how fashion REALLY works.
Spoiler: Fashion is not real, they are just trying to find another way to sell you stuff and make money.
Spoiler: Fashion is not real, they are just trying to find another way to sell you stuff and make money.
adamren's review against another edition
4.0
Well written and surprisingly engaging, endearing almost despite for me not really caring much for fashion types and those that put on airs and do drugs etc.
Suggested this book to a designer and was dismissed, 'No not interested', 'But it's not gossipy, well it sort of is but it's still a good read, the author is quite good' hmmp! 'No it's just not for me' or something like that. Oh well maybe it's too close or just a personality trait that repels them from reading about fashion and gossipy stuff and that's cool.
So it's hard to tell whether others like me or the designer would enjoy it. Perhaps if you already know fashion you won't learn much. I had read [b:The End of Fashion: How Marketing Changed the Clothing Business Forever|271509|The End of Fashion How Marketing Changed the Clothing Business Forever|Teri Agins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386920699s/271509.jpg|263225] an interesting book by [a:Teri Agins|158283|Teri Agins|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1442458015p2/158283.jpg] and found it eye-opening. I've read a few other similar books and have thought a lot about the business and marketing of fashion, plus on my bookshelf there is a copy of [b:Genuine Authentic: The Real Life of Ralph Lauren|813828|Genuine Authentic The Real Life of Ralph Lauren|Michael Gross|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1423980755s/813828.jpg|799764] by [a:Michael Gross|4849300|Michael Gross|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1305234677p2/4849300.jpg].
Based in the UK, so it will require some basic Pommy slang.
I have wanted to read all the other books by the author [a:Imogen Edwards-Jones|7503|Imogen Edwards-Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1496034824p2/7503.jpg] and will definitely get them now, though I wonder if there is a political one, say the UN HQ in NYC or the Beltway scene in Washington, D.C. that would be wild. The hotel and cruise ship ones will most anticipated. Though I might read then in chronological order.
*Oops turns out I assumed there was a cruise ship one due to a plethora of them here (so maybe 10 wouldn't constitute a proliferation but given how they were lowly-rated and self-published because they just seemed to be about sex and how seedy it is) oh well, there is the airline one, which is the second one (2005, a year after the hotel one). There is a restaurant one which should be interesting given that I liked [b:Sirio: The Story of My Life and Le Cirque|1121816|Sirio The Story of My Life and Le Cirque|Sirio Maccioni|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1360056461s/1121816.jpg|1108898] (even though it's a vastly overrated restaurant with a snobbish attitude where you're given smaller servings and less attention unless you're a celeb or a billionaire with some fame/power). [b:Kitchen Con: Writing on the Restaurant Racket|1522476|Kitchen Con Writing on the Restaurant Racket|Trevor White|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1184674955s/1522476.jpg|408507] by [a:Trevor White|58420|Trevor White|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] is an underrated book that will help you lose or lower your respect for the ubiquitous Zagat guides and the restaurant business in general.
Suggested this book to a designer and was dismissed, 'No not interested', 'But it's not gossipy, well it sort of is but it's still a good read, the author is quite good' hmmp! 'No it's just not for me' or something like that. Oh well maybe it's too close or just a personality trait that repels them from reading about fashion and gossipy stuff and that's cool.
So it's hard to tell whether others like me or the designer would enjoy it. Perhaps if you already know fashion you won't learn much. I had read [b:The End of Fashion: How Marketing Changed the Clothing Business Forever|271509|The End of Fashion How Marketing Changed the Clothing Business Forever|Teri Agins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386920699s/271509.jpg|263225] an interesting book by [a:Teri Agins|158283|Teri Agins|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1442458015p2/158283.jpg] and found it eye-opening. I've read a few other similar books and have thought a lot about the business and marketing of fashion, plus on my bookshelf there is a copy of [b:Genuine Authentic: The Real Life of Ralph Lauren|813828|Genuine Authentic The Real Life of Ralph Lauren|Michael Gross|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1423980755s/813828.jpg|799764] by [a:Michael Gross|4849300|Michael Gross|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1305234677p2/4849300.jpg].
Based in the UK, so it will require some basic Pommy slang.
I have wanted to read all the other books by the author [a:Imogen Edwards-Jones|7503|Imogen Edwards-Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1496034824p2/7503.jpg] and will definitely get them now, though I wonder if there is a political one, say the UN HQ in NYC or the Beltway scene in Washington, D.C. that would be wild. The hotel and cruise ship ones will most anticipated. Though I might read then in chronological order.
*Oops turns out I assumed there was a cruise ship one due to a plethora of them here (so maybe 10 wouldn't constitute a proliferation but given how they were lowly-rated and self-published because they just seemed to be about sex and how seedy it is) oh well, there is the airline one, which is the second one (2005, a year after the hotel one). There is a restaurant one which should be interesting given that I liked [b:Sirio: The Story of My Life and Le Cirque|1121816|Sirio The Story of My Life and Le Cirque|Sirio Maccioni|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1360056461s/1121816.jpg|1108898] (even though it's a vastly overrated restaurant with a snobbish attitude where you're given smaller servings and less attention unless you're a celeb or a billionaire with some fame/power). [b:Kitchen Con: Writing on the Restaurant Racket|1522476|Kitchen Con Writing on the Restaurant Racket|Trevor White|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1184674955s/1522476.jpg|408507] by [a:Trevor White|58420|Trevor White|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] is an underrated book that will help you lose or lower your respect for the ubiquitous Zagat guides and the restaurant business in general.
silverfush's review against another edition
Ok, not as great as the other babylons, but maybe it is because I'm not overly into fashion that I feel this way.
margocandela's review against another edition
3.0
So very dishy! Lots of insider gossip punch up a fast moving story. This was a fun read to sneak in while prepping and recovering from a Christmas. I look forward to reading the authors other books and almost don't mind that I'll have to work to find some of them as they aren't in print in the US. But when I do find them, I know they'll be perfect for a long weekend or vacation read.
genevievefarrell_'s review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Very fun read! A tabloids style tell all about the 2006 era UK fashion world. With lots of information about how the industry works as well as the gossip. Very enjoyable and entertaining.
fireth's review against another edition
3.0
Towards the end of the book, can't help but root for the 'good' guys.
capricioustrout's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.5
giselav's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting book for people who are interested in the behind the scenes of fashion. Feels a little outdated, in particular with the rise of social media and how much it’s changed the industry, though then again I’m sure a lot of the core stories remain the same.
Sometimes a bit too descriptive, like reading a receipt instead of a story.
Sometimes a bit too descriptive, like reading a receipt instead of a story.
ury949's review against another edition
4.0
I was really into it; a lot of info about the fashion industry and a fun sassy story to go with it.
kingfan30's review against another edition
4.0
Really fascinating read and insight into the fashion industry, glad I'm a magazine designer and not a fashion designer, far too much pressure!! Some funny moments throughout and are models really that dippy?
The passage that stick in my mind is this one which is a theory of one of the characters - "The year you become famous is the year you stop growing as a person. Like, Michael Jackson became famous at five. He wants to play children's games, hang out with kids, build a fun fair in his backyard and eat sweeties. Robbie Williams was sixteen, which is why he is always shagging girls and behaving like a teenager. George Clooney, on the other hand, was nearly forty, which is why he is such a delightful, well-rounded individual."
The passage that stick in my mind is this one which is a theory of one of the characters - "The year you become famous is the year you stop growing as a person. Like, Michael Jackson became famous at five. He wants to play children's games, hang out with kids, build a fun fair in his backyard and eat sweeties. Robbie Williams was sixteen, which is why he is always shagging girls and behaving like a teenager. George Clooney, on the other hand, was nearly forty, which is why he is such a delightful, well-rounded individual."