This collection of 28 fashion essays previously published in "The New York Times Magazine", "The New Yorker" and "The Atlantic" examines clothing and fashion as part of a larger cultural debate and as a barometer of social and aesthetic change. In essays published during the 1980s and 1990s, the author reflects on a broad range of fashion subjects, from famous designers to designer eyeglasses, from the elegance of a Chanel suit to the decline of elegance itself in the 1990s, from Gianni Versace's legitimisation of vulgarity to the advent of athletic clothing as a fashion uniform. Longer essays from "The New Yorker" and "The Atlantic" are interspersed with 450-word pieces from the "The New York Times Magazine".
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"Once there was a little girl, growing up in a split-level house in suburban Pittsburgh, who loved clothes very much too much, some would say." Twenty-seven articles drawn from 16 years at The Atlantic, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Magazine add up to a very intelligent collection of writing by that little girl who grew up to be fashion journalist Holly Brubach. In lucid, no-bull prose, Brubach compellingly argues that clothes tell us a great deal about who we think we are and how the society around us has shaped those notions. Aptly describing herself as "perhaps slightly cynical but not entirely lacking in the capacity for romance," Brubach appreciates the appeal of the traditional bridal gown (which speaks to "the desire to create something absolute in a world where nothing is certain") but isn't convinced by it ("if weddings reflected all the ambiguities of married life, the bride would wear gray"). She writes entertainingly about models, particularly in a long profile of "self-proclaimed ugly duckling" Kristen McMenamy, without sounding like a gossip columnist; she discerns social significance in Ralph Lauren's vast popularity without sounding like a sociologist. Fashion writing is seldom this stimulating or this much fun. --Wendy Smith
From the Publisher
This collection of 28 fashion essays previously published in "The New York Times Magazine", "The New Yorker" and "The Atlantic" examines clothing and fashion as part of a larger cultural debate and as a barometer of social and aesthetic change. In essays published during the 1980s and 1990s, the author reflects on a broad range of fashion subjects, from famous designers to designer eyeglasses, from the elegance of a Chanel suit to the decline of elegance itself in the 1990s, from Gianni Versace's legitimisation of vulgarity to the advent of athletic clothing as a fashion uniform. Longer essays from "The New Yorker" and "The Atlantic" are interspersed with 450-word pieces from the "The New York Times Magazine".
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Holly Brubach writes with intelligence and wit about a subject that most people dismiss. She understands the thoughtful, artistic aspect of fashion design as well as its more ludicrous side. Designers themselves should be happy with her writing because she takes them seriously, distinguishing art from hype. But it seems that some of them have banned her from their shows for not regurgitating their self-valuations. Brubach's writing compares very favorably to current art criticism and social commentary. But the best thing of all is that she is funny and entertaining, and you don't need to be a fashion insider to enjoy this book.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Reader beware: if you buy this book expecting to find a fun, entertaining read about clothes, you'll be disappointed. However, if what you want is a book that provides insight into how fashion is a business, and the factors that influence the success of that business, then this may be the book for you. Another caution: although the print date is listed as 1999, the articles and examples were written much earlier.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Brubach's reporting on fashion is cultural as well as critical, making it some of the most intriguing writing in either the New Yorker, Atlantic, or New York Times in the last decade or more. This elegantly designed but engrossingly readable book is witty, scholarly and insightful, but still the best reason for buying this book is that it's a grand read if if you don't care about fashion as a daily fan. Like all additions to a home library, this illuminates a world from an intelligent, learned perspective. It will become a classic collection of essays.
2 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Brubach does little to convince me that fashion is not, in fact, shallow and dismissable. She comes close to an epiphany of meaning in an essay about the French and the social reading of personal appearance, then loses her ground totally in an article about large size fashions, exposing her own biases without self-awareness. I only struggled my way through this because I'd both looked forward to it based on advance press (fished in!) and spent good money on it. I don't think I'll keep it; off to Half-Price Books for Holly.
0 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I ordered the books for my boss, so I didn't actually read it. I did however meet the author!
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