books Archives - Page 4 of 4

Some of the advice was timeless, and some of it is quite dated, but it was a delightful blast from the past to thumb through this again...

My favorite bits from this book were always the "15 ways to wear a ______".  Below is my take on the 15 ways to wear a tee shirt.  Note that I've not bothered with the last 3 suggestions, as 2 of them were to wear a tee shirt over a swimsuit, and the last idea was to wear tee shirts for sleeping.  I think you don't need to see that one illustrated... ... View the Post

If you're only every going to read/own one book to help you define your personal style, this is the one. This isn't just personal style as in "I wear black rather than brown" or "I prefer silk to cotton", although those kinds of considerations are addressed.  This is personal style writ large - the kind of basis for personal expression that can affect and influence every aspect of your life.  Seriously!  And it's a book well worth revisiting at any point in time when difficult decisions are to be made; it serves to remind you of what really matters to you (or at least what you THOUGHT mattered at the time you originally read the book).

I have never been one of those people who really liked books that had lots of "self-help" ... View the Post

September 20, 2011

  Yes, it means “the perfect wardrobe for lazy women”!  It’s part of a series of whimsical little paperbacks for “desparesseuses” that includes things like cooking, dieting etc.  But this one is particularly appealing; while some of the suggestions aren’t really appropriate for everyone, there are enough thought-provoking ideas in here to leave one feeling that the time reading was well spent.  And practicing my reading in French is never a waste of time!

As with almost any “wardrobe” book, this one has “the ultimate check-list” for the perfect wardrobe.  I list them here without comment; I fully intend to debunk at least some of these in my series “Customizing the Classics” when I have a ... View the Post

Thirty years ago (heavy sigh) this book was released, and this is where it all began for me - the whole fascination with French wardrobe planning, the idea of a minimalist, well-chosen wardrobe that would take me anywhere.  The following images that delineate the possibilities inherent in seven pieces of black clothing were revolutionary to me.  Up until this time, I was very stuck in the "gray suit, navy suit, white shirt, red bow tie, black pumps" aesthetic of the time (thanks for nothing to the Dress for Success theories).  

Breaking out into black opened my eyes, changed my self-image, and finally gave me the excuse to spend a lot of money on clothes that I actually really liked.  I know that this idea resonated ... View the Post

One of my very favorite bloggers, the beautiful Caramel Cupcake (http://cupcakecaramel.blogspot.com/) has been analyzing her style books, and it prompted me to pull some of mine off of the shelf and look them over again.  And first would HAVE to be Working Wardrobe, which came out the same year I graduated from college.  (yes, that would be 30 years ago...)

For someone coming out of college with a wardrobe utterly unsuited to the business world, and a job in government waiting for me, the idea of building one of these capsule wardrobes was intoxicating.  I still find these illustrations by Christine Turner to be sort of rivetingly elegant.

Forgive the blurry edges of the scans - I was unwilling to squash the book flat in ... View the Post