Customer Reviews

Big City Look: How to Achieve That Metropolitan Chic

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm an Atlanta business woman who ended up in Washngton D.C.--and I thought I knew everything but I didn't. My whole look was wrong--I could FEEL it. I wore pastels and shorter skirts--perfect for SAtlanta but washington called for dark clothes and longer skirts--not to mention pin stripes. This was a wonderful book that really gives a reader an idea of regional dressing. I threw out all my headbands--and how did he know how many I had in my drawer?

I recommend it thoroughly--and I plan to give it to my friend who is relocating to New York.

Boy the reader from "fashionable Washington, D.C." hit the nail right on the head. This book is definitely for the over 60 crowd. Vincent's fawning prose over his "It Girls" of today were funny and puzzling. Kathie Lee Gifford? Claire Shipman? Liz Smith? These women often look like they need grooming tips and a good bath. Others like Julia Ormond, Adrienne Vittadini, Isabella Rossellini, or Nina Griscom do indeed have that extra something, but Vincent didn't really manage to define it. The tips on dressing were okay, but nothing that most mothers haven't already taught their daughters. The only real thing that elevates this book and makes it partially worthwhile, is that Vincent is donating his portion of the profits to charity. Next time either he or Sherry Suib Cohen write a book, they should also scan the pages for really glaring glamour discrepencies, like showing Diane Sawyer's or Phyllis George's fillings, either edit them out or have these women close their mouths. I also think that the women presented seemed like mindless sheep, and that their cities and fashion codes which they live by were stereotyped and parodied. While this book is an okay general guide to give the reader a feel for how a certain portion of the population looks and dresses, I'd recommend watching CNN Style, or Fashion File and simply paying attention.

I'm 17 years old and rarely find beauty books that TALk to me. I love Mr. Roppatte's book and I tried almost everything (which worked, incidentally). I also loved hearing the little gossipy stuff about the stars he "does." This is a wonderful and original beauty book--now, when I travel, I'll know how to change my hair!!!!! What fun!

I bought this book for my mom and my daughter--I'm in the sandwich generatyion! It's funny and fabulous and informative and I've never quite seen a beauty book like it! It;s actually a style book--a strong, directional look at the way the stunning women get the big city look. I got it!

If you do not know all of the old tips and fashion tricks in this book, you either care nothing about fashion or you have been living on another planet. This is the most superficial look at regional dressing I have ever seen. Espeically galling to me as a Southern woman is the pat look that is supposed to be considered a "big city" or "sophisticated" look for Atlanta. Sorry, but the most fashionable and sophisticated women in Atlanta, those women so chic that other women constantly turn to study their look after they walk by do NOT wear headbands or anything else that could be described as "sweet". For anyone who really wants some information, I suggest Secrets of a Fashion Therapist, or Dayle Haddon's book which focuses on many health issues Agesless Beauty. In the U.S., the big city look is always a New York look, or a version of it suited to the climate.

Big City Look is somewhat limited in for those who don't live in or regularly visit any any of the big cities mentioned. However, it does give some interesting insights into social life here, there, and everywhere, making it a pleasant and informative read for someone who enjoys paging through fashion magazines.

Thjis book is not only chock filled with fabulous celebrity pictures, it speaks to ME. It's warm and engaging and tells me how to look sophisticated--a look that's always eluded me. I love the inside stories and Vincent's specific tips on products. It's a marvelous book--a great gift!

Vincent ought to get off Capitol Hill and away from the WhiteHouse (get real -- the dowdy and masculine Clare Shipman as stylemaven!? -- PLEASE!!) and head over to Georgetown or Adams Morgan or the up and coming Gallery Place area . . . where women are a little more adventurous than the helmet headed blondes in knee length skirts that he seems to think epitomize Washington. Aack. His ideas are fine for the over 60 social arbiter types (who not only would not need his help but who now exist only as figments in the minds of those with pretensions to Camelot), but are wholly inappropriate (to the point of being hilarious) for the hordes of 20 and 30 somethings that actually live here. On the other hand, his section on New York style and his hair and makeup advice seem quite sound; perhaps he should have left it there, rather than trying to cover fashion in regions where he obviously spends very little time. And, at the risk of sounding irritatingly PC, I could not help but notice that he did not offer any advice for non-white women: particularly strange for a city that is nearly 2/3 black.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, except his last chapter which is on attitude. It is one of the best beauty books I've read and I've read several!

This is a wonderful book with practical advice on how to get that polished look that most women covet. An added perk is getting the chance to peak into the world of celebrity--the author provides interesting tidbits of information about favorite celebrities with lovely pictures to match. This would be a wonderful gift.