piperhudsburn's review
5.0
This was a lovely book. Sometimes you need someone to remind you of the obvious- especially in a world where so many things are happening at once and over and over again. My point is: life's confusing, and finding ways to express yourself in a clear, chic way via your closet is a great stress relief.
My mother gifted me this book when I was around 14 or so? It was basically an attempt to teach me the basics of fashion and style since the I was living away from home. To be completely honest, while my mother has excellent taste I do not. This book was such a blessing.
The first part consists of lots of awesome tips on pretty much each area of fashion: organization, necessary items, and finding inspiration. The parts that follow are little anecdotes on what to wear and when to wear it, movies to watch and be inspired by and such... And the ending consists of wonderful q & a with fashion's biggest names.
I am so thankful for this book. It really helped teach me to put decade over designer/brand and be confident in my style choices.
Every women is her own fashion icon!
My mother gifted me this book when I was around 14 or so? It was basically an attempt to teach me the basics of fashion and style since the I was living away from home. To be completely honest, while my mother has excellent taste I do not. This book was such a blessing.
The first part consists of lots of awesome tips on pretty much each area of fashion: organization, necessary items, and finding inspiration. The parts that follow are little anecdotes on what to wear and when to wear it, movies to watch and be inspired by and such... And the ending consists of wonderful q & a with fashion's biggest names.
I am so thankful for this book. It really helped teach me to put decade over designer/brand and be confident in my style choices.
Every women is her own fashion icon!
librarian_nic's review
fast-paced
2.0
If you read any part of this book, let it be chapter three, inspirations.
The rest oft his read like a contradiction of dressing for yourself and name dropping designers, not to mention throwing hate at PETA through all the talk of wearing fur, wool and animal skin.
Note: I identify as a vegan and wear wool and leather purchased secondhand.
Audience: Largely, dressers who have a more classic/elegant/traditional/old money vibe will find ideas here.
As someone with natural/dramatic/creative essence tips for honing my style came few and far between. Took notes of the snippets discussing vintage, pattern mixing, and the like.
The rest oft his read like a contradiction of dressing for yourself and name dropping designers, not to mention throwing hate at PETA through all the talk of wearing fur, wool and animal skin.
Note: I identify as a vegan and wear wool and leather purchased secondhand.
Audience: Largely, dressers who have a more classic/elegant/traditional/old money vibe will find ideas here.
As someone with natural/dramatic/creative essence tips for honing my style came few and far between. Took notes of the snippets discussing vintage, pattern mixing, and the like.
rakishabpl's review
3.0
An excellent little fashion-style manual. It's not wordy nor very flashy. It is a slim, quick, and helpful style book. The guide on using cult fashion movies (i.e.: Breakfast at Tiffany's; American Gigalo; Belle du Jour) and music stars was very helpful, especially if you're too young (chronologically or fashionista-ly) to know the connections & influences. The movies and rock stars listed were obvious. Like most fashion/style guidebooks, I did find this one to aslo be a bit snobby. Not everyone can afford a 100% (and long lasting) cashmere sweater to be worn casually to supermarket. A nice arclyic and cotton blend sweater can look just as nice in both professional and personal settings.
caitlin_89's review
3.0
This book made me want to throw away everything I own that doesn't make me feel glamorous. Unfortunately, I can't afford to do that right now. haha
viktoriya's review
1.0
This book wasn't what I was expecting it to be. The so-called fashion advises from the expert are nothing more than common sense.
flappermyrtle's review
2.0
This is certainly an interesting little book on style, though it is a pity it is very repetitive (though it might be I noticed because I read it in one day). I liked the different chapters on travel, history, and key pieces for one's wardrobe. I don't really care for famous fashion people, so the chapter dealing with them didn't interest me that much. One thing annoyed me terribly, though: Garcia keeps talking about furs and skins as if everybody ought to own these, whereas I think that in the current situation, this is not at all an assumption to automatically make, as many people consciously refuse to wear such fabrics for moral reasons (myself included).
brinnet's review
3.0
I thought this was a decent (but not amazing) book on fashion. It's a good primer, if you've never thought about style (expressing your own personality) vs. fashion (what's popular at the time). Mostly, I like that Nina Garcia is very secure in herself and encourages women to express themselves and not mindlessly follow what's "fashionable".
One of my favorite parts of the book was actually her mini interviews that she publishes, which asks people in the fashion industry who is the most fashionable woman they know. I went online and looked up these different women that I didn't know and found myself inspired by some of them -- always love new inspiration! She also includes a list of movies with great fashion moments in them, which I took note of (lots of classics, like Breakfast at Tiffany's, but certainly some you haven't seen yet!)
I don't think it's worth buying this book new, but if you want to pick up a used copy (or better yet, stop by the library), it's worth a quick look. Took me probably an hour or so to go through it and now it's back to the library with it.
Happy reading :)
One of my favorite parts of the book was actually her mini interviews that she publishes, which asks people in the fashion industry who is the most fashionable woman they know. I went online and looked up these different women that I didn't know and found myself inspired by some of them -- always love new inspiration! She also includes a list of movies with great fashion moments in them, which I took note of (lots of classics, like Breakfast at Tiffany's, but certainly some you haven't seen yet!)
I don't think it's worth buying this book new, but if you want to pick up a used copy (or better yet, stop by the library), it's worth a quick look. Took me probably an hour or so to go through it and now it's back to the library with it.
Happy reading :)
ubalstecha's review
3.0
Nina Garcia tries in this book to lay out some simple, general rules that any woman can following in building and maintaining a wardrobe. At time contradictory (be your own muse, look to others for inspiration), Garcia still manages to boil down fashion into manageable tidbits. You need a LBD, a trenchcoat, a good pair of ballet flats and a good pair of pumps are among what every woman needs.
What I did need were the little tidbits from fashion greats. Yes their advice on their area of expertise (a shoe designer talks about shoes) were useful, but do I really need to know who Michael Kors thinks is an elegant woman? (Spoiler: He says the same as most, a woman who is confident is elegant. So remember that when you are in your dirty jeans covered in baby vomit and cat hair. Wear it with confidence!)
What I did need were the little tidbits from fashion greats. Yes their advice on their area of expertise (a shoe designer talks about shoes) were useful, but do I really need to know who Michael Kors thinks is an elegant woman? (Spoiler: He says the same as most, a woman who is confident is elegant. So remember that when you are in your dirty jeans covered in baby vomit and cat hair. Wear it with confidence!)
rebecanunez's review against another edition
4.0
Interesante libro sobre estilo y moda. Aporta interesantes datos históricos y complica información que seguro hemos escuchado o leído, pero eso no le quita mérito.
dei2dei's review
2.0
Not bad, but not great either. If you're looking for genuinely useful tips on style, this is not the book to head towards.