Brenda Kinsel's Fashion Makeover: 30 Days to Diva Style! [Paperback]

Brenda Kinsel (Author), Monica Lind (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 27, 2007

Brenda Kinsel is the fairy godmother of fashion. Drawing on 20-plus years as an image consultant, in Fashion Makeover Kinsel helps women over 40 catapult themselves out of fashion ruts in one short month. Real women who may feel alienated by fashion magazines get the tools they need to overhaul their lookfrom their clothes to their hair and makeup to, perhaps most important, their attitudeall while staying true to their personality and not spending a fortune. Fashion Makeover presents a four-week plan of attack with clear, attainable goals. Packed with real life success stories, style solutions for every body type, confidence-inspiring motivation, and full-color fashion illustrations, this gorgeous manual puts women on the fast track to fantastic style.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Brenda Kinsel helped me to dress and look my best, to be the person I am instead of imitating the unattainable models one sees in women s magazines. For the first time in my life, I like the way I dress." Isabel Allende, author of In s of My Soul and The House of Spirits

"As a designer, it's my mission to make women feel beautiful in their clothes. Now, with Brenda's expert advice, every woman can learn how to achieve her best look and feel great every morning. This is a must-have for every woman's closet!" Julie Chaiken, CEO and founder, Chaiken

About the Author

Brenda Kinsel has been a professional image consultant since 1985. Her business, Inside Out: A Style & Wardrobe Consulting Company, is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she lives. Her style solutions have been featured in InStyle and Real Simple and on The Oprah Winfrey Show and NPR, among others.

Monica Lind is a fashion designer and illustrator. Born in Sweden, she now lives in New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (September 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811857387
• ISBN-13: 978-0811857383
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #537,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Help This Book Has Been, November 6, 2007

By 

K. "bookkitten" (CA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Brenda Kinsel's Fashion Makeover: 30 Days to Diva Style! (Paperback)

I'm interested in the subject of style and have read or at least skim every book I can find on the subject. I hadn't purchased this author's books before because I thought they were for older ladies (i.e. a lot less cool than me!). But I decided to buy this one, thinking that I would just fly through the exercises and maybe get some tiny tidbit of out of it. Instead, there was an execise that was like a revelation and I finally figured out why I've been wearing the same things over and over again and never looking quite finished. Now I feel like I'm well on my way to looking polished all the time, and I feel that my style is still youthful and sexy. Thank you, Brenda.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring, energizing, and fun experience!, January 26, 2008

By 

P. S. Sinicrope (MN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brenda Kinsel's Fashion Makeover: 30 Days to Diva Style! (Paperback)

I had so much fun with this book! I read through the whole thing in one day and immediately started on the different exercises...using the quizzes, I was able to clarify and articulate my personal style, poring over magazines, I ripped out examples of color combinations, accessories, and textures that I am attracted to, and then I got started on my closet...cleaning, organizing, and putting together fun, layered, and accessorized outfits. I even had my son take pictures of the outfits. It was so much fun! It was just the right pick me up in the middle of a cold and dreary winter. Interestingly, I discovered that I don't need to do very much shopping...so that was a definite plus. I had most of the pieces already and also had a variety of fashion bundles already in my closet. I also have a HUGE pile of clothes to donate. I love the way the book was structured and organized. It was simple to read..no extra text, lots of use of text boxes, quotes from women. The only suggestion I would make for improvement is that I would like to see large glossy photos of women with before and after pictures as well as just inspiring photos of divas rather than boring pencil drawings! If I were the author, my second book, would take it to the next step, with the marketing of a resonance journal/workbook, that includes pockets to include inspiring photos and words, as well as before and after photos showing ideas on how to combine different accessories, colors, and textures together.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars fun to read, February 8, 2008

By 

C, - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brenda Kinsel's Fashion Makeover: 30 Days to Diva Style! (Paperback)

This book was great for expanding the imagination, setting goals, and updating your closet for YOU. If you do not already love clothes, it provides a sort of role model as to how to get in there and really have fun with them, without a lot of "shoulds." However, since I am fashion challenged I needed to get a second "should" book about how to put together an outfit and be told which are the basic pieces. If you are a mature woman, I recommend Nifty After Fifty as the antidote to this book, because it brings you back down to earth, back to basics about what to wear on what occasion, based on a few basic colors and your personal life situtaion.