Customer Reviews

Creole Thrift: Premium Southern Living Without Spending a Mint

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm not sure who in the marketing dept. decided on this as a great title for this book, but, um, thrift must mean something quite different to a southern woman who grew up with servants on a plantation than it does to me, pigeonierre-less as I am in Minnesota where I work for a living. She is long on charm & the book is full of pictures of her in non-thrifty shoes and non-thrifty skirts looking non-thriftily adorable. Her ideas are creative and good, and I could do them in a pinch myself if only I had, let's see now, my own seamstress, my own gold-leafer, my own ironworker, my own silkscreener, -- am I forgetting anyone? Then I have pressing needs such as: I simply must redecorate my sunroom, as it has already been photographed in a major spread by one magazine. And, of course, I must needs take trips to the Hamptons, Paris, New York, etc. etc., to bring back trims and silks. Honestly, to be fair, it does mention in the book the fact that Ms. Parlange does not subscribe to the NY Times but rather reads a friend's copy on Tuesdays: this is useful and thrifty. And don't get me wrong: if I could buy enough turquoise silk to make floor to ceiling curtains and enough white marabou to trim them, that would be my first choice. And, putting my cards on the table, I am a self-proclaimed title bitch.

Good parts about the book: Absolutely creative ideas. And, really quite well written; the author comes across as somebody I'd like to have lunch with (though she probably wouldn't like to have lunch with me since I'm so damn crabby).

Now, supposing I did have a few coins to rattle together & wanted to purchase, say, the author's trademark Madame X fabric: where the heck is it available? Why isn't this information available and easily stated?

What can I say, the thrift part started me drooling & then I was so bitterly disappointed.

Whiningly,

Miss Ford

I agree with many comments left by reviewer "Miss Ford".

I paid full price for this book and was disappointed.Sorry to say.

First, the title "Creole" is quite deceptive, in my opinion. Truly, I have no idea why the author chose to use "Creole" in her title. I realize that her plantation is located in the South, but the term 'Creole' in the title, made me think that the book was going to include many unique "Creole" ideas, --ideas never seen before. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Second, the author gave a few "transformation recipes" but not enough "recipes". I had expected to see so many more "transformation recipes" but did not. In a way, this book reminded me of some of the later "Shabby Chic" books (not the earlier "Shabby Chic" books, but the later ones). This can be a good thing if you like the Shabby Chic's (book) format, but bad if you wish to buy this book in order to get some inspirational & unique Thrift ideas.

Third, even though the photos were bright and colorful, there were not enough photos of her transformations or her Thrift store excursions. Many,many photos of the author were included, that is for sure, but not enough photos of her step-by step projects. Example, I saw 2 photos of the author holding a few "thrift" items, but no mention as to how she used them in her transformations(eg:there's one photo in the book of the author holding a big brown foot stool. Why?) (Confusing).

Fourth, as mentioned by other reviewers, the author failed to state where most of her "finds" or her papers and fabrics could be found. (example: are the products only available via her site...if she even has one?).

I did like the (sepia) vintage photos the author used, especially the before-and-after photos of her plantation. But I wish she would have included some before-and-after photos of her remodeling projects too.

I live in New Orleans. I decorate in New Orleans. I shop in New Orleans. I love New Orleans.

I was wildly anticipating this book, knowing of Angele and of her family home Parlange.

The production and photography is flat.

Angele's stories are typical of many folks who live here, no more no less.

Her how-to's are easy if you have a gold leaf artist and a few sewing ladies at your beck and call, as she does.

I'm not saying she's not creative, or cute, or has a good story to tell. There are dozens of gals (and guys) like her here in New Orleans.

I expected her book to be extraordinary, because New Orleans is extraordinary and it does have a unique visual IQ.

Angele has all the advantages of being from an old family with old things to influence her.

Maybe she needed a better art director and stylist and photographer and book designer to do her world justice.

I also beg to differ with her Oxford dictionary definition of Creole. The Creoles in New Orleans defy that definition.

This book was listed as selling for 29.99 originally; I ordered it brand-new from [...] for $[...] and now I know why.

As others have stated, the "thrift" in the title is completely misleading. This is the tale of a pampered, heiress type with money enough to have her own seamstress, ironworker, gold-leaf expert, etc. The ideas are clever, but not startlingly original by any means.

The writer is an egomaniac of the first class. She is featured on almost every page, posing on tire swings, old Southern patios, and in just a towel. Sometimes (as in her author photo) we see just her legs. (That's a recurrent theme.) We also are informed that she is a Leo (who cares?); that her African-American maid and childhood nanny LOVED sweeping and cleaning the ancestral manse (probably not); and that she is a proud size 2 (uh, not quite judging from the photos).

She also evinces a rather heartless streak, blithely informing us that one of the shops she frequents goes through one "pet" bunny a week. The shop owners keep a cage of pet boa constrictors onsite for their own gruesome amusement, and the unfortunate rabbits are fed to the beasts. "Ha, ha! How droll," her attitude suggests.

An earlier reviewer suggested that the author seems like she would be fun to go to lunch with. Quite frankly, I get the exact opposite impression.

On the plus side, the photos of the projects and family home are beautiful and can serve to generate some ideas for your own design project.

I'm giving this one two stars for the gorgeous photography and little else. Buy at your own risk.

Great commentary in the book, but not a lot of advice or 'how to' for those looking to implement Creole Design. Swings between ultra high-end and locally accessible items, and for the most part, her use of 'thrift' is a VERY relative term and no where near my interpretation of it. Regardless, fun family stories of the Parlange family and Angele is a riot! Good read, just not much for applicable ideas...

This book is a really fun read: I buy design books constantly, and confess that I usually completely disregard the text. This book was the exception: I found it extremely entertaining, and actually read the entire thing, cover to cover. One of the main criticisms I've seen leveled at it is that most people don't consider the ideas thrifty. As an interior designer with a busy Chicago firm, I can understand both perspectives. By "thrifty", Ms. Parlange does not mean cheap. What she writes about is achieving a luxury result with far less expense than the usual routes. What this book does is essentially walk you through the steps of contracting a custom job yourself, rather than paying a designer $150 an hour to do it for you. In that sense, it's far less expensive than a custom job could run. I would also like to note, for those of you intimidated or overwhelmed by the custom world, it's truly not as daunting, and also often not as expensive, as you might think. If you can find somebody local, particularly somebody who works on the side or out of their home, rather than a large company, custom can actually be very reasonable and accessible. For example, there are many extremely talented seamstresses who work informally while their children are at school, or once they've officially retired. Custom will almost always be more expensive than walking into Target and buying pre-made draperies, or a generic mirror. However, it can be extremely gratifying, not to mention, often much more beautiful and appropriate to the space, to design something yourself and see it brought to fruition. Although most of these projects are a little on the "crafty" side, they could easily be dressed up or down. In short, this is a great, creative book about obtaining a luxurious result in a way that brings it into the realm of possibility for people who might not otherwise have the opportunity.

This book was not what I expected. It is a book based on a woman's experience finding old southern items from the late 1800s and early 1900s and decorating her house with it. It is interesting...not something that I can use for decorating ideas though.

First off, Creole Thrift is goregeous to look at. You could use it as a coffee table book. Second, the writing is very good. Angele Parlange's stories about her colorful family made me smile. And third, I could actually pull off the projects and suggestions in the book. I plan to gather up my family photos and try to make the curtains for at least a pillow. Creole Thrift was a delight and I'm definitely going to read it again and again.

This book is not only a pleasure to look at but a pleasure to read. Parlange captures the dubious and the delicate with her witty, story-telling style and the visual presentation of her delightful home furnishing ideas are captivating. Filled with wonderful pictures and antidotes, you feel like you've met a fast new friend after spending time with this lovely book. A creative triumph that will surely be the gift item of this season. This book is a pleasure on so many levels and a cultural journey of a time quickly evaporatin from our culture.

I sat down and finished this book in 2 short days, I was so curious and interested. When I finished, I just sat

there, wondering how I felt about it!! That's where the confusion comes in . The cover photo and design (I"m an artist) were inticing. The content was a little weak. I am so in love with anything southern!! The southern ladies know all the finer things in life: how to dress, look, cook, decorate, speak, collect antiques, fine art, and more. Author's personal background interesting fairy tale like story .,.. The meat of the book was weak ... the decorating and receipes not at all at the level I was looking for ... it's more in the crafty funky catagory. It was like talking to a creative friend and a little walk thru the south, stopping and talking with her friends. Not sure if I would recommend ... altho have to say it was a different approach ... and I had a fun time reading!