Fashion books blog

Review: Fashion House: Illustrated Interiors from the Icons of Style by Megan Hess

2016-04-15T11:01:00.001-07:00

I am normally not someone that buys books solely for the illustrations in them, but when I saw Megan Hess's Fashion House I liked the illustrations so much I just could not resist getting this book.
I was not familiar with Megan Hess previously, but I do like both fashion and interior design, and she combines both those things beautifully in this book, so I knew it was a book I had to have!

(I am afraid the photos I took of the book on my kitchen table with my phone really do not do it justice!)

I am not sure the book is really useful (although I did get some ideas from it!) but if you love fashion you will definitely recognize a lot of things, and the attention to detail is really impressive.

I loved this book and it actually got me thinking:
1. Maybe I should get books just for the illustrations more often?
2. That I should check out more of Megan Hess's work. (Luckily, I just found her website, so that should not be too hard!)

So while this book is not my usual style, I am definitely glad I made an exception for it and got it!

Review: The Private Life of a High-Flying Fashion Cat

2015-07-28T03:39:00.000-07:00

Now, let me start this review off by saying I doubt anyone who is not seriously into fashion or cats, or perhaps preferably both would get this book. It is a very unusual book, with a very narrow theme, that may not appeal to most. But if you know all about Karl Lagerfeld and his cat Choupette, but would like to learn even more about them, or Choupette in particular, this book may be for you.

I actually am very interested in Karl Lagerfeld as a person, as I think he is really quite an usual, and of course very talented, person, and I do have a cat myself, so I am by no means a cat hater or anything, but I still found this book a bit too niched. And most of the advice "Choupette" gives in the book is really not that useful for anyone else with a cat, as she lives a very unusual life indeed.

I will say that Choupette is very pretty, so if you are looking for a book with photos of her, this book could be a good idea for you, but if you are looking for something else, another book about fashion or cats might be a better choice.

I do feel like I need to add that a lot of people do seem to like the book, as there is already another Choupette book in the works, but this book really was not for me and I must admit I spend very little time looking through it, that is how much I disliked it!

Review: How to be Parisian wherever you are

2014-12-16T08:44:00.000-08:00

I love the style of Parisiennes, so I have read quite a few books about their style and secrets by now. Still, whenever a new one comes out, I still feel the need to get that book too. And sometimes it actually pays off! For instance, when I got the book "How to be Parisian wherever you are", written by not one, but 4 Parisiennes (Sophie Mas, Audrey Diwan, Caroline de Maigret and Anne Berest), I was pleasantly surprised.

Here is why:
First of all, even the look of this book is very Parisian, and so are the images in it. This might sound like something you could always expect from a Paris related book, but believe me, it is very often not the case as well. So I loved the sleek and minimalistic look of this book, besides its contents, as well.

Second of all, this book is written in a format that most people who read blogs will recognize, with top lists, summaries and how to guides. Not everyone will appreciate this, but I do, since it definitely makes the book easier to read, if you don't have time to read it all in one go.

The book also touches on topics that are not always featured in Paris style book, such as:
- What Parisian men think of Parisian women
- How the most famous and iconic Parisiennes were actually not from Paris, or even French
- How to maintain an air of secrecy, even in today's social media infused world
- How to host a dinner party
- Parisian snobbisms
- What Parisiennes read
and much more.

That said, this book is not only about how Parisiennes dress, but also about how they behave in relationships, what they do in their free time and other similar topics as well. I personally like that, since only reading about their looks can get a bit boring after a while, if you've read several books on this topic, like I have.

(There is a lot of stuff about fashion and dressing, too, though, I would say around 40 % of the book is about that, so if you are only into that part, this book may still be worth getting, but there are other books that are only about that, if you prefer that)

I would definitely recommend this book to others as well, and I am pretty sure I will re-read it, maybe even pretty soon!

Review: Bump It Up: Transform Your Pregnancy into the ultimate Style Statement

2014-03-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

I don't think this has been mentioned on this blog before (even though I have mentioned it on some of my other blogs) but I am actually pregnant, expecting my first child. This is why I have been reading slightly different books than usual lately, including one on pregnancy style and fashion, by Amy Tara Koch, called Bump It Up: Transform Your Pregnancy into the ultimate Style Statement.

This book basically shares a lot of tips regarding how you can still look cute and fashionable, even though you are pregnant, and I liked that theme. I also liked the many practical examples, this is not a general or inspirational book, you get some very concrete ideas as well, which was nice.

So I definitely think Bump It Up could be a very good book to read, especially for first time mothers, early on in their first pregnancy. I assume once you're pregnant again for the second or third time etc., you will have found your own tips to live by. But if you haven't, this book might definitely be of help!

Review: A to Z of Hollywood Style by Sinty Stemp

2013-12-09T02:01:00.001-08:00

This book is not really a style guide that explains how to achieve the look of certain Hollywood starlets, even though the title kind of gave me that impression. Instead, it's more of a collection of quotes relating to style, fashion and other related topics, from all kinds of Hollywood stars (most of them from the 30's, 40's and 50's, I would say).

So this is hardly a book for anyone looking for modern dressing or style advice, but if you have always liked Hollywood's Golden Era, this is a good buy, since this book is all about "the good old times" in Hollywood.

And while you may not learn a whole lot of new stuff while reading this book (I didn't anyway...) and might not find a whole lot of useful advice for your own style, it is kind of fun to read quotes like this, especially when all of them were said by people as glamourous as the Hollywood stars of yesterday used to be!

I think I would have liked the book slightly better with more photos of the stars in their heyday, but it's quite nice as it is too.

So I would definitely recommend this book for everyone into classic Hollywood glamour, since that is precisely what you get with this book. I'm not sure it's a great read for anyone looking for something more than a slightly glamour feel though...

Review: How to Dress for Success by Edith Head and Joe Hyams

2013-10-18T10:47:00.002-07:00

I got this book at the magnificent book store Shakespeare and Company in Paris, the first English book store on the continent (very highly recommended for all book lovers, if you go to Paris, you simply have to go there!) on a recent trip to Paris. And just like Paris, this book is a true classic. It's written by the legendary Edith Head, the costume designer who won 8 Oscars in total and dressed legends such as Ginger Rogers, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and many others, so she knew a thing or two about style as well as fashion. And luckily, she had a chance to share some of her wisdom with the rest of us in this book!

I really liked this book, which may seem a bit weird to some, since the book was originally published in 1967, but a lot of the advice in this book is truly timeless. So I find a lot of it still makes sense in a lot of ways, and is really useful to read.

The illustrations in the book may seem a bit kitschy to some today, but I quite liked those as well.

So if you are looking for a truly timeless style book, this may be what you are looking for!

The book is rather small though, so it's not the best coffee table book out there, but quite cute, and as I said, a really nice read, so I would still recommend getting it. But as an actual book, not a coffee table one!

Review: The World According to Karl by Sandrine Gulbenkian

2013-10-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

Karl Lagerfeld is a very talented designer, if you ask me, and while he has never been one of my favorite designers, he certainly is the most entertaining one. I am pretty sure everyone who is even slightly into fashion has heard some of his rather controversial and unusual statements in the past, but as far as I know, the book The World According to Karl is the first collection of interesting Karl Lagerfeld quotes.

Gathering all these quotes into one single book is a fun idea, and I am happy to say that this book is just as fun as it sounds! I think most people, even hardcore Karl Lagerfeld fans will read some quotes they haven't heard before if they pick this book up, because there is a lot of them!

I also like the design and look of the book, it feels very Karl Lagerfeld somehow, which is important, at least to me.

So while this book is not much more than a collection of quotes, it's still a both fun and interesting read. I am definitely glad I got this book!

Review: I want to be her! by Andrea Linett

2013-09-27T06:48:00.002-07:00

The full title of this book is actually I Want To Be Her - How Friends and Strangers Helped Shape My Style, which I thought was a very interesting idea for a book, because haven't we all been inspired by those around us when it comes to how we dress?

However, I don't think that the idea translates so well into a book. I think it would have been a nice idea for an article in a magazine, or a column, but since most people Andrea Linett is writing about in her book are not known to me (there are some exceptions, though), I find myself rather bored by some of the stories. Also, a lot of the stories revolve around fashions from the 1980's, which makes sense, due to Linett's age, but it's not something that really inspires me as a reader today, I am afraid.

The book is also more of an autobiography in a way than I expected it to be.

That said, it's not a bad book in any way, there are many fashion books out there with much less substance, and it does have an interesting topic, unlike many other similar books, but I guess my main issue is that the book was not what I expected it to be, more of a guide to how everyone can find inspiration around them, than Andrea Linett's autobiography of style. I can honestly say I won't be using any of the tips (if there were any...) in this book in any way, and I wasn't really inspired.

Review: Fashion Insiders' Guide to Paris by Carole Sabas

2013-08-10T01:18:00.000-07:00

I am travelling to Paris soon, so I am reading up on this mythical city at the moment. And when I saw that there is actually a fashion themed travel guide book to the city, written by Carole Sabas, I knew I had to get that, on top of the other Paris guide books I had already gotten.

And I am glad I did. Not only is this the prettiest of all the Paris guides I have (although the photos don't really do it justice, I think), it's also perfect for anyone into fashion like me. It has a lot of anecdotes about fashion designers, models and other people anyone into fashion would know about it. The topics covered are also ones that interest me, which is not always the case when it comes to all other guides.

You'll learn where to get facials, where to work out, where to shop, where to eat, where to stay and much more in this book, and all the recommendations are written in an interesting way, that really makes you want to go to all the places mentioned. Which might be a bit of a problem, since I will just be there for a week, but it's still a good sign!

Carole Sabas has also written a similar guide to New York City and I would definitely consider getting that too, if I have a trip to New York planned in the future, that's how much I liked this one!

Review: The Beauty Experiment by Phoebe Baker Hyde

2013-08-09T06:11:00.005-07:00

I'm quite into all kinds of beauty products (you can read more about some of the beauty products I use and like over at my beauty blog, if you want), so to imagine not using any beauty products at all for over a year is really hard for me. But Phoebe Baker Hyde decided to do just that, and she also wrote a book about it, called The Beauty Experiment.

I must admit I haven't really been tempted to try anything similar myself, but I still wanted to know what that must be like, so I decided to read this book, which wasn't really only about swearing off beauty items, but also fashion, accessories and such, so it turned out to be a much bigger process for Mrs. Baker Hyde than I thought at first.

It was definitely an interesting read, but it didn't really convince me of the necessity for such a project, and I can't say that it was one of the more memorable books I've read. But that may very well be because I wasn't really into the idea of such a project to begin with. So I guess I would recommend the book to others who might be interested in scaling down on their beauty and fashion habits for whatever reason, but if you love beauty items as well as clothes and accessories as much as I do, this might not be a book that changes your perspective that much.

But I actually didn't get the feeling that Phoebe Baker Hyde wanted to convince others to go through the same process as she did, more that she wanted to describe what it was like for her. And I think she did a marvelous job at that!

I also liked the parts of the books where she described what it is like to be the wife of an expat in Hong Kong. Being an expat myself, I do enjoy reading about the experience of others, in other countries where I haven't lived myself.

In my opinion the book is not as on topic as you might have expected, given the topic of it, but I actually thought that was a good thing, since I liked the personal anecdotes and "off topic" stories quite a lot too.

Review: Lessons from Madame Chic by Jennifer L. Scott

2013-07-11T00:06:00.001-07:00

Ok, so this is a review about another French style and lifestyle book, just like Ooh La La in the previous post. But this book is actually written by a blogger whose blog I had been reading for quite some time before I got the book, Jennifer L. Scott, who writes the excellent blog The Daily Connoisseur. And I have to say that when I started reading the book, I did recognize some of the things in it from the blog, but there was also plenty of new stuff in it. So I was definitely wrong to put off getting this book for quite some time, because I thought it would be too similar to the blog!

I liked how the book covers a lot of aspects, not only fashion or diets or something like that, but a whole lot, and it is also very personal, which is something I really appreciate in these types of books. Some people have complained that Jennifer writes too much about her current life in the book, but I personally thought the balance was just right.

I also think that a lot of the tips mentioned in this book are more detailed and practical for every day life than advice in many similar books. So if you find other books about French style and living like the French a bit too impractical and judgmental, Lessons from Madame Chic is definitely worth taking a look at!

All in all, Jennifer L. Scott has manage to convince me, not only as a blogger, but as an author too, and I do think this book is one of the better ones in it's genre, just like Ooh La La (reviewed yesterday).

Review: Ooh La La - French Women's Secrets to Feeling Beautiful Every Day by Jamie Cat Callan

2013-07-10T11:33:00.001-07:00

I love French style and lifestyle books, as you may have noticed if you have been reading this blog for a while. (Ines de la Fressange's Parisian Chic is an excellent introduction to these types of books, for instance)
I also really enjoyed Jamie Cat Callan's book Bonjour Happiness! (reviewed here), so when I saw that she had actually written more books besides that one, I knew I had to get the other ones too. The next Jamie Cat Callan book I got was Ooh La La - French Women's Secrets to Feeling Beautiful Every Day, because who doesn't want that?

And I must say that like Bonjour Happiness!, Ooh La La is also a very well written book, I guess I like Jamie Cat Callan's style in general, and it had a lot of little useful tips that I really enjoyed reading about, and that I think I will be useful for me. Some of the advice in the book, however, were things I already do, or just don't fit my general lifestyle, so I guess most people will not be able to use all the advice in this book, but hey, even if just some of it comes in handy, that's pretty good, no?

Some of the advice in the book are about lingerie, choosing perfume (and why perfume is important in the first place!), aging gracefully and taking time to relax and spoil yourself a bit, but a lot of other topics are covered too. One of my favorite pieces of advice in the book was how guilty pleasures are fine, if you only indulge in them occasionally, but if you make them a very big part of your life, be it a reality tv-show, chocolates or something else, they are actually bad for you, and won't feel special or indulgent after a while. So true, yet it's easy to get carried away when you have a guilty pleasure you really enjoy...

But the book is also filled with personal anecdotes from Jamie's own time in France, which I think makes this book way more interesting than just a regular "rules" book.

So I was definitely just as pleased with Ooh La La as with Bonjour Happiness, and would definitely recommend this book to all Francophiles or anyone who is a bit curious about French women in general.

And needless to say, I will definitely see if I can get my hands on more books by this author as well!

Review: You Know You Want It by Eric Daman

2013-05-10T01:22:00.004-07:00

I actually really liked Gossip Girl as a show, as well as the fashion on the show, so when I saw that Eric Daman, the head Costume Designer for the show (as well as a previous staff member on Sex and the City!), had written his own style guide, I knew I had to get it.

Sadly, this book had nothing at all to do with the show, and while Eric Daman is obviously very good at his real job, writing books is quite obviously not for him. The advice in the book is extremely basic, almost juvenile even, as are the illustrations, so unless you are a pre-teen with any former knowledge on fashion, I think it's rather unlikely that you would learn much from this book.

I'd even go as far as saying that this is one of the worst celebrity style books I've ever read, so I really would advice anyone thinking about getting this towards getting another, similar book instead, like Amy de la Haye's A to Z of Style, Ines de la Fressange's Parisian Chic or Edith Head's The Dress Doctor, because You Know You Want It is really a waste of money if you are looking for a serious style guide!

Review: City of Style - Exploring Los Angeles Fashion from Bohemian to Rock by Melissa Magsaysay

2013-04-02T14:18:00.001-07:00

Los Angeles style is something a lot of people are familiar with, since a lot of celebrities embrace the different styles in LA whole heartedly. But what separates the style in Los Angeles from other cities in the States, or the fashion in Europe? That's what former WWD editor Melissa Magsaysay tries to explain in her book City of Style - Exploring Los Angeles Fashion from Bohemian to Rock. And I must say this book was a very interesting read, even though I have never seen myself as someone who strives for a typically LA sense of style (not being from LA, I mostly associated it with Nicole Richie, whom I like, but whose style might not work that well in my day to day life, and surfers, to be honest).

Because there are so many typical LA styles to choose from, first of all!
The styles presented in the book are called Romantic Bohemian, Glamour, Skater and Surfer, Rocker, Chola-Style, Indie-Eclectic, and Casual Chic, and they are all explained pretty thoroughly and Melissa Magsaysay also shows real people who fit the descriptions, and interviews them about their style, which makes the book a nice combination of interviews and Melissa Magsaysay's own thoughts.

If you are going to LA, you will also find a lot of useful shopping tips on where to get some covetable items in the book, but I didn't read those parts as carefully, since I am not going to LA any time soon, as far as I know.
Several celebrities and designers have their say in the book too, including Monique Lhuillier, Trina Turk, Georgina Chapman and Cynthia Rowley, just to name a few.

I quite liked the book, but I must admit I found some of the chapters a bit too lengthy and detailed, which is not that common when it comes to fashion books. So if you think most other fashion books are too shallow, you might find this book really interesting, but some of the chapters seemed a bit boring for me for this reason, I am afraid.

I do like that Magsaysay's passion and love for LA fashion really shows throughout the book though. And she's not even a LA native herself!

So I would recommend this book to anyone interested in LA fashion in particular, but if Melissa is thinking of writing another book, I would highly suggest shorter chapters or breaking the chapters up somehow.

2012 recap

2012-12-30T10:49:00.002-08:00

So now that the year is ending, I figured it might be interesting for those of you who follow this blog to have a small recap of what has happened on the blog during the past year.

First of all, I only wrote 13 reviews of fashion books this year, which is not very impressive, but I do think I have actually read more fashion books during the year than that. I guess I just didn't think they were all interesting enough to blog about?
Also, I must say my interest in books has shifted more into business books and history books lately, so while I do still read fashion books, I do think I read less of them generally.

I also recall some technical issues with the blog during the year, so that could be partly to blame too.

The 5 most popular reviews of the year were:
Trinny and Susannah's Who do you want to be today?
Amy de la Haye's A to Z of Style
Carrie McCarthy's and Danielle La Porte's Style Statement
Kira Jolliffe's and Bay Garnett's Cheap Date Guide to Style
and
Natalie P McNeal's Frugalista Files.

And the main keyword that brought people to this blog was "fashion book blog", which makes a lot of sense, I guess.

Happy New Year to all my readers, looking forward to 2013 and many new and amazing books (and hopefully more blog updates than 13!) already!

(pic from The Cube)

Review: Sleeping with the Enemy - Coco Chanel's Secret War by Hal Vaughan

2012-12-21T05:14:00.000-08:00

I must admit I haven't read many Coco Chanel biographies, which is kind of weird, I guess, but I think it's because I've read her life story in so many magazines and also seen at least 2 movies about her life, so I never really thought a book about the same subject would interest me a lot. But Hal Vaughan's Sleeping with the Enemy - Coco Chanel's Secret War tells a different story than the one we are used to hearing about Chanel, namely that she was in fact a Nazi spy and had a very long and passionate affair with another Nazi spy, living in France for parts of the Second World War. So this sounded like something a bit different, and I decided to read Vaughan's book for that reason.

I must say the book changed the way I think of Chanel. I never thought her to be a saint, I did know she grew up in an orphanage and stuff, after all, and things like that are bound to affect you in one way or another, I think, but if even half of the stories in the book are true, she was a much, much worse person than I ever could have imagined!

This being the first Chanel biography I've ever read, I am not sure if this part of her life is covered in other similar books as well, but Vaughan does dig quite into the subject of Chanel's war time activities. He does write about other aspects of her life too, so the book is not all about the war by any means.

So I can definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good Chanel biography! I must warn hardcore Chanel fans that the book paints quite a negative picture of Chanel, though, so if those are things you'd prefer not to hear, this book might not be to your liking (especially if you've spent tons of money on Chanel items in the past, I was actually really happy that I haven't after I read this!).

Looking for some great fashion books to give away as presents?

2012-11-30T01:30:00.000-08:00

Well, in that case the fantastic website Fashionista has compiled a list of 25 hot fashion books right now, which is well worth looking into for some present ideas. You can see the list here, and I know I want several of the books featured in it!

Review: Amazing Face by Zoe Foster

2012-11-07T04:18:00.000-08:00

While I love make up, I must say that I am not an expert on applying it and trying new styles, since when it comes to beauty, I tend to focus on skin care instead. I've always kind of wished that I could create amazing looks by myself, and I also have to admit I've learned everything I know (or think I know) about beauty products by trial and error, and to some extent from blogs. So I decided a while ago that I should get some beauty books, in order to try to improve my knowledge on the matter.

The first beauty oriented book I got was Amazing Face, written by an Australian beauty journalist called Zoe Foster, who has been working in the industry for years, which means she has worked with a huge amount of cool make up artists and has tried most talked about beauty products. So I figured she would know what she is talking, ehm, writing about.

And it turns out she does! While beauty is a huge interest for me, I still found plenty of tips in the book that I found useful, and Zoe has a really cute way of writing too, since she mixes some short jokes with actual tips, and the book covers everything from skin, make up, eyes, complete looks and much more, so if you want to improve your knowledge on everything related to beauty, you can really get started pretty well just by getting this one book.

I also liked that Zoe actually gives tips for actual beauty products to try. Because what good does all this theory do if you have no idea on how to try it yourself? So not only will you learn, for instance, how to apply foundation or eye shadow in the best possible way, you will also get advice on what kind of foundation or eye shadow you might want to consider buying to do so.

Oh and by the way, this is a book to fit all ages, since she gives tips based on your age too. So no matter if you are young or a bit more mature, you'll probably find this book useful! Highly recommended!

Review: Normal Gets You Nowhere by Kelly Cutrone

2012-11-07T03:58:00.003-08:00

I am not very familiar with Kelly Cutrone, besides knowing who she is and what she does, that is. I haven't watched any of those reality shows she's apparently on, for instance, and I also haven't read her first book If You Have to Cry, Go Outside, but when I saw her second book Normal Gets You Nowhere, it seemed interesting, so I picked it up and got it.

And despite not being a huge Kelly fan (because I simply don't know enough about her to be a fan), I really like the book. It's basically about being yourself, instead of striving for being normal, since Kelly believes normal people are less interesting than people who are really unique, a statement I would have to agree with. Kelly also gives you tips on how you can reinvent yourself, become your own brand and she also promotes being a good person and caring for others, which is just wonderful, and probably not something that is very common in other books written by celebrities in the fashion industry.

So this book is well worth reading, but I think you might enjoy it even more than I did if you are a fan of Kelly Cutrone, since the book includes a lot of anecdotes from her own life as well.

Review: Gunn's Golden Rules - Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work

2012-09-18T07:59:00.000-07:00

I am a huge Tim Gunn fan, I think he is amazing, and I love Project Runway as well, which is why I have read basically all Nina Garcia's books (which reminds me, I should really review those here as well), as well as at least one of Tim Gunn's previous books.

So I was super excited to find out that Tim Gunn actually had a new book come out, called Gunn's Golden Rules - Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work, and immediately got it.

And the book is definitely very Tim Gunn, with a lot of tips on how to make your life in general better, meaning the book is not only about fashion (but of course it is about that TOO). Gunn uses a lot of real life examples to illustrate his points on behaviour, attitude and more, which is nice, but at times the book is a bit too filled with name dropping, in my opinion, and not all the things Tim Gunn says about people in the book are all that nice, which was somewhat dissapointing, since he seems so nice on the show and otherwise. So I think he could definately left some of the more bitchier parts out, but as a whole, the book is really worth reading, especially if you are a fan of the show, but probably for anyone interested in manners and fashion in general too.

So I recommend the book, even though it is not my favorite book among the ones the Project Runway participants have published.

Review: The Frugalista Files by Natalie P. McNeal

2012-03-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

I like true stories, especially true stories that end well. So I enjoyed reading The Frugalista Files, about Natalie, who decided to cut her spending, while staying fabulous at the same time, after she found herself in $20 000 of debt.
In order to do this, she started a blog, still active over at The Frugalista.com and the book basically describes what happened after she started blogging.

I like Natalie's way of writing and also think the topic - spending less while getting more - is great as well, so I really liked this book (it's kind of similar to Save Karyn, to those of you who know it) and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is thinking of cutting their spending and loves fashion, manipedis and stuff like that.

The book is available over at Amazon if you want to get a copy of your own.
The Frugalista Files: How One Woman Got Out of Debt Without Giving Up the Fabulous Life

Review: A to Z of Style by Amy de la Haye

2012-03-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

If you don't know who Amy de la Haye is (don't worry, I didn't either until I read this book), she is actually a professor of dress history and curatorship and has worked at many prestigeous schools, including the London College of Fashion, so she really knows a thing or two about fashion.
That does not necessarily mean that she is well suited to write a book, of course, and actually, Amy de la Haye has not been doing a whole lot of writing for this book. Instead, she has collected useful quotes by people like Christian Dior, Claire McCardell, Caroline Herrera, Hardy Amies, Coco Chanel, Madeleine Vionnet, Genevieve Antoine Dariaux (who I loooove!), Roland Mouret, Elsa Schiapparelli, Bill Blass, Gianni Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, Diana Vreeland, Carmel Snow and many others and written short pieces herself, creating a very fun book to read, especially for anyone who is slightly into fashion to begin with.

So I would say her A to Z of Style is not a book well suited for anyone just starting to dabble in fashion or who needs serious fashion advice, instead it is a better fit for fashionistas who want to be reminded of what the various masters of fashion (see some of them listed above) had to say about accessories, tailoring, tartan, sportswear, perfume, pockets, labels and logos and much more.

I enjoyed reading the book myself, especially since it is also filled with cute illustrations by Emma Farrarons, but I have a feeling my friends who are less into fashion than me would not have enjoyed it as much. So this is a great book, but not for everyone!

You can get the book over at Amazon if you are interested and think you'd be one of the fashionistas who would enjoy reading various fashion quotes.
A to Z of Style

Review: True Prep by Lisa Birnbach

2012-03-23T08:54:00.000-07:00

The prep lifestyle has always intrigued me, even though I have to admit I am not always very prep myself. But that of course does not mean that I don't enjoy reading about this lifestyle. And one of the best books on the topics that I have run into lately is True Prep by Lisa Birnbach and Chip Kidd.

This book is half serious, half funny and has over 200 illustrations in it, and covers everything about the prep lifestyle, from the place preppy people call home, to their vacations, to their style and much more.

You'll also be able to read about several truly preppy celebrities, as well as about what exactly makes them prep, including Julia Child, Stockard Channing, Tory Burch, Jane Fonda, Jodie Foster, Christopher Reeve, David Hyde Pierce, Brooke Shields, Kate Spade, Meryl Streep, Oliver Stone, Vera Wang, Edith Wharton and many others.
The books also includes topics like money, where a preppy person goes to school (including lists on where famous preps studied), why they need a second home, what events are particularly important in socialite circles, prep fashion rules and much more.

So True Prep is actually not a book that focuses only on the fashion part of prep, but on the whole lifestyle. So if you are looking for a how to dress preppy-kind of guide book, this book may not be for you (it is very tongue in cheek as opposed to genuinely helpful, after all), but if you are looking for an easy book to read on the phenomenon as a whole and as a lifestyle, this is a great buy!

I really enjoyed reading True Prep and will probably re-read it again after a while. I particularly liked the fact that this book is way funnier than most other books on the topic.

(the photos in this review are all taken by me)

This book is available over at Amazon if you want to get a copy of your own.
True Prep: It's a Whole New Old World

Adorable fashion candles with a book theme

2012-03-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

Not books per se, but a must for any book loving fashionista none the less!

I personally think these quotes are just wonderful!

You can get the candles here and here.

Bonjour, Happiness! by Jamie Cat Callan

2012-03-02T00:44:00.000-08:00

If you like the French way of dressing and living (I certainly do!), there are several different books and style guides on this topic out there. I recently read Bonjour, Happiness! which is a book about "Finding your Joie de vivre" or the ability to enjoy the moment to the fullest, but also about French style, eating the French way, how to create a million euro look on a budget of just a few francs, and much more, and I have to say this is one of the better guides on this topic that I have read.

The reason is that this book actually explains how all aspects of life for a Frenchwoman are connected, so instead of focusing just on style, it also explains how she lives her life otherwise. So it gives you a more complete look on the French way of living than most books.

Some of the advice I really liked in this book include:
Minimizing the time you spend on the internet/reading e-mails and so on when you are not working. Constantly checking your Facebook/your blog stats/Twitter/the stock market or whatever it may be that you are into at the moment is a huge distraction that may prevent you from actually enjoying the moment at hand to the fullest.

Buying fresh, small quantities of food from a market or similar daily or almost daily instead of stocking up on food for weeks at a time. If you do shop for a week at a time, you often end up buying frozen/ready made/less healthy ingredients or foods, and it also does not make cooking as much fun as using only fresh, gorgeous ingredients when you spend time in the kitchen.

Making meals a priority and working up an appetite for them instead of snacking between meals or eating whenever you have the time to spare. Instead, make dinner an event and don't eat for several hours before it, so you really enjoy the meal. If you can, you should also make it a habit to eat with your family or friends so you can have interesting conversations as you eat too.

Buy delicate underwear that needs to be hand washed and learn to enjoy the process on washing your underwear and drying them somewhere in your apartment. Very French and something people who are not French rarely do. But can really make you more aware of the things you keep closest to your skin and help you pay more attention to the parts of your outfit that aren't visible to all too!

Adding small, personal and almost invisble splashes of color, such as the red soles on a Louboutin shoe or a hot pink camisole under a blazer. Makes you more interesting and your dressing less obvious!

Try to think of one way, no matter how small it may be, to make yourself feel better when you are down, and then DO IT! Even if you aren't sure that it will work, but you think it might, it is always worth a shot!

This is just a sample of the advice I personally found in this book and found useful. I mostly want you to get an idea of what kind of advice you can get by reading the book. So if these kinds of hands on tips are what you are looking for when you are looking for a book about happiness, feeling better about yourself (those are the main themes of the book, after all!) or the French, this is definitely a book well worth getting!

I've provided a link to Amazon where you can get the book if you are interested, below.