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gillsbooks21's review
5.0
Not only do I enjoy reading on the lives of the royal family, but also what they wear (or wore). Elizabeth Holmes does an excellent job in recognizing the purpose of the wardrobes of the Queen, Diana, Catherine, and Meghan, and also how their fashion contributes to their unique personalities. In the end, Holmes wants us to think about the clothes we wear and what we want our clothes to say about us. What’s sad is that we probably won’t see much of Meghan’s royal style because of her departure from royal life. Meghan did a fantastic job in displaying pieces by women designers from all cultures and backgrounds, but this will sadly be diminished as her public appearances decrease. At least we will witness the coming fashion of the future Queen consort Catherine!
rebeccagroche's review
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
4.5
Really lovely deep dive into the style and clothing choices of the female British monarchy
lovelyday2day's review
4.0
A perfect companion for watching the Crown. A very beautiful book - definitely recommend the physical book for this one. Really enjoyed learning more about fashion in the royal context.
stephaniesteen73's review
4.0
This is definitely a "print copy" book to check out - the photographs are absolutely gorgeous. So interesting to read about the lives of Queen Elizabeth, Diana, Kate, and Meghan, and see how fashion plays (played) into their story and public persona. Especially a good companion if you're watching The Crown!
julieburleson's review
5.0
Fun if royal fashion interests you. Not life changing but certainly enjoyable!
bluestjuice's review
2.0
I'm not anything of a Royal-chaser and I wasn't previously familiar with Holmes' Instagram account (or is it a Twitter or a blog? SEE I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW). I can't even remember exactly where I read about this book originally. All I remember is that I thought it might be interesting to see a thoughtful analysis of the ladies' fashion in the House of Windsor, and in a moment of serendipity the library got me a copy at the same time that I ended up doing a deep-dive into seasons 1 and 2 of The Crown.
This book frustrated me because it felt... too journalistic, I suppose? That feels like an unfair criticism because the author is a journalist, but her attempts to give overviews of the historical context for each of her four featured Princesses felt forced and simplistic, even for someone who isn't well versed in the specifics, and I was hoping for more exclusive access research and information about the various ladies' style priorities, outfit choices in specific moments, etc. etc. Some of Holmes' analysis seemed worthwhile, but other comments seemed off-base or painfully strained. I can give this work credit for liberal application of photos to accompany her thoughts, but often an outfit referenced on one page was illustrated on another page, leading to frustrating searching as I tried to piece together what was being discussed. Short features on specific topics, such as some of the family's vast collection of tiaras, could have been developed into whole segments, but were not.
Ultimately I think I was just looking for something much deeper and more comprehensive, while this was a fleshed-out blog theme or an expanded version of a glossy magazine spread. I could also have used less authorial swooning overall.
This book frustrated me because it felt... too journalistic, I suppose? That feels like an unfair criticism because the author is a journalist, but her attempts to give overviews of the historical context for each of her four featured Princesses felt forced and simplistic, even for someone who isn't well versed in the specifics, and I was hoping for more exclusive access research and information about the various ladies' style priorities, outfit choices in specific moments, etc. etc. Some of Holmes' analysis seemed worthwhile, but other comments seemed off-base or painfully strained. I can give this work credit for liberal application of photos to accompany her thoughts, but often an outfit referenced on one page was illustrated on another page, leading to frustrating searching as I tried to piece together what was being discussed. Short features on specific topics, such as some of the family's vast collection of tiaras, could have been developed into whole segments, but were not.
Ultimately I think I was just looking for something much deeper and more comprehensive, while this was a fleshed-out blog theme or an expanded version of a glossy magazine spread. I could also have used less authorial swooning overall.
ifyouhappentoremember's review
2.0
I had thought this book was going to have more fashion history and analysis then it actually did. It’s actually more of a light royal biography combined with the author’s opinion on various looks. There isn’t anything necessarily wrong with that, but it didn’t feel like book material. I’m not surprised to learn that the concept originally started on Instagram (which I’m sure works much better).
It’s a quick read. I didn’t get much out of it though.
It’s a quick read. I didn’t get much out of it though.
cstoeger's review
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.5
I have been a avid royal watcher since Catherine and William's wedding in 2011. I am pretty familiar with Catherine and Meghan's styles, so it was very interesting to get the deep dive about Diana and Queen Elizabeth II's fashion choices.
This book had so many beautiful photos to showcase the ladies' fashion style. I loved Holmes' review of the different outfits, and I hope to see more of her writing in the future. I do follow her on Instagram and I love seeing the little snippets of fashion commentary periodically.
This book had so many beautiful photos to showcase the ladies' fashion style. I loved Holmes' review of the different outfits, and I hope to see more of her writing in the future. I do follow her on Instagram and I love seeing the little snippets of fashion commentary periodically.
jenontheshelf's review
3.0
Gorgeous photographs, but as many reviews noted the book is very light on fashion commentary. It was also confusingly organized with little rhyme or reason to each section and jumped around in a weird way.
ltsakmann's review
5.0
Loved this book! It provided a more in depth explanation of royal fashion than I was expecting.