Simon Doonan's ECCENTRIC GLAMOUR is intended as an antidote to the epidemic of slutty dressing and porno-chic which has taken over since the arrival of Paris Hilton and Tara Reid. In Simon's utopian world, conformity is the only crime and dressing down is the only faux-pas. Doonan believes that eccentric glamour is every woman's birthright. While the typical TV boobs 'n' botox make-overs force Everywoman to look the same - exhibit A: "The Real Housewives of Orange County" - the transformations which he strives to provoke in this book are the very opposite. Developing a glamorously eccentric style involves revealing and magnifying everything which is distinctive and idiosyncratic about you. This book is by no means a typical style advice manual. In ECCENTRIC GLAMOUR you will find a unique mixture of cultural commentary and personal disclosure, generously seasoned with gushings of wildly dictatorial, provocative and reckless style advice and evenly sprinkled with one-on-one interviews with some the World's most glamorous eccentrics, including Iman, Lucy Liu, Tilda Swinton, Malcolm Gladwell, Chloe Sevigny, and Dita Von Teese.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Entertaining and bitingly witty, Doonan (Confessions of a Window Dresser) calls upon the women of America to embrace their inner potential for dressing idiosyncratically, conventions be damned. But in making clear his fondness for vulgarity and bits of bad taste, he is clear about the downright hideous: fannypacks, for instance, are close to blasphemy. Doonan is uninhibited in revealing certain truths many outside the fashion industry tend to throw in its face: yes, there is more to life than clothing, and yes, the world of high style is often "depressing." Before one praises him for single-handedly unveiling the dirty underbelly of Fashion Week, it's worth noting his reliance on heavyweight figures such as Iman, Isabel Toledo, Lucy Liu and Hamish Bowels to provide their own insights via mini-surveys. Entertaining anecdotes from Doonan's life pepper the text, though his own style can at times be flippant or offensive (as when musing on how he would dress were he a butch lesbian).
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"Simon Doonan is a modern Noel Coward with a dash of Auntie Mame and Liberace thrown in for good measure!"
--Michael Kors, "Project Runway"
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I adored this book and was sad when I read the very last page that my time in the company of the wonderful Simon Doonan was coming to a close. Rarely have I literally burst into laughter while reading a book (causing quite a commotion on the airplane!). This is not the book to pick up if you're looking for a list of must-haves for your wardrobe. Instead, it celebrates those glorious creatures who throw fashion advice to the wind and unabashedly embrace their own unique, personal style--whether Vogue agrees or not. A true delight!
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By squalorholla
Format:Hardcover
Simon Doonan is clearly dealing with a minor bat infestation in his flawlessly-haberdashered belfry, but the man can write. I don't think there's one clunky sentence in this book. It's also hysterically funny and subversive, and the brilliance of the writing elevates the material to no end. I'm indifferent to fashion and I'm still buying this thing in hardcover -- and now that I am armed with my diagnosis of Existentialist with Gypsy overtones, shopping has even become more enjoyable.
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By S. Lake
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm going to flat out admit it, I'm an eccentric
nut.I talk to the cats I meet on my morning walk,
I still play records on a record player,and I find
it much easier to shop in thrift stores vs. regular
retail.I still gravitate towards the same kind of
pieces I went for in my younger days.I usually wear an
effortless "uniform" of a black blazer jacket,black jeans or pants,
Black t-shirts or sweaters, & Converse lowtops.( I do a lot of walking, I need comfy shoes.)
I love this book because it's not the usual bourgeois style guide.
It's given me the guts to be okay with myself, goofy quirks & all.
I'm "a dyed in the wool Existentialist".I like to get a lot of value for what I spend on clothing
so I'm not into overly expensive clothes.I only own two purses-one black, one brown, bought at
The Thrift.I'm "50 plus" I gave up on being "sophisticated" years ago.I'm into accepting myself as
"immature" as I'll always be and will eternally stay. :)
If you do own this book hang onto it and refer back to it from time to time, especially
in times your self esteem takes a bit of a knock.There will always be people
out there who can't quite grasp the concept of "just being yourself", they can't leave well
enough alone, and they are just itching to get at you and tear you into little bits. Don't listen
to them. If you can stay true to "yourself" you are on the right track.
Just follow your own path and be the interesting, quirky person you were
meant to be,and always keep "a young spirit" no matter what!
nut.I talk to the cats I meet on my morning walk,
I still play records on a record player,and I find
it much easier to shop in thrift stores vs. regular
retail.I still gravitate towards the same kind of
pieces I went for in my younger days.I usually wear an
effortless "uniform" of a black blazer jacket,black jeans or pants,
Black t-shirts or sweaters, & Converse lowtops.( I do a lot of walking, I need comfy shoes.)
I love this book because it's not the usual bourgeois style guide.
It's given me the guts to be okay with myself, goofy quirks & all.
I'm "a dyed in the wool Existentialist".I like to get a lot of value for what I spend on clothing
so I'm not into overly expensive clothes.I only own two purses-one black, one brown, bought at
The Thrift.I'm "50 plus" I gave up on being "sophisticated" years ago.I'm into accepting myself as
"immature" as I'll always be and will eternally stay. :)
If you do own this book hang onto it and refer back to it from time to time, especially
in times your self esteem takes a bit of a knock.There will always be people
out there who can't quite grasp the concept of "just being yourself", they can't leave well
enough alone, and they are just itching to get at you and tear you into little bits. Don't listen
to them. If you can stay true to "yourself" you are on the right track.
Just follow your own path and be the interesting, quirky person you were
meant to be,and always keep "a young spirit" no matter what!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Glamour, L'amour and Zsa Zsa Gabor
A hilarious, irreverent romp. Take a tip from Le Divine, Doonan, to reveal the inner peacock beneath your pigeony feathers. Fly, my darlings, fly!
Published 2 months ago by FemmeNoir
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good distraction
Though lacking depth and soul, dear Simon takes us by the hand, and with all good intentions, gives the advice of the gay big brother we've always wanted. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Christina E. Heflin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous!
I bought 2, one for me & one for my best friend--she loved it as much as I did!
Good advice all around and lots of humor.
Perfect entertainment for the right woman!
Good advice all around and lots of humor.
Perfect entertainment for the right woman!
Published 4 months ago by Dorian Dvorak
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it!
I adore Simon Doonan and will read anything I can find that he has written. I often find myself giggling out loud when reading his books.
Published 4 months ago by C. Gardiner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read
Simon Doonans books are the funniest books .if your feeling down they definitely will brighten your day
I love them all
I love them all
Published 5 months ago by Ma
4.0 out of 5 stars
keep it coming, Simon!
Oh, Simon, to be as witty and fun as you! One of my favorite 'men of the fashion world' knows a thing or two about style, and how a woman should wake up in the morning and feel... Read more
Published 7 months ago by ssanderson
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fun book on style
This is a fun book and a quick read. It's a good alternitive to all the boring style advice out there.
Published 20 months ago by alison
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it! Very Funny, affirming, self-esteem boosting, empowering
I thought this was very affirming and self-esteem boosting, especially as being hounded as a "WEIRDO" by my very conformist family for the last 48 years. Read more
Published on January 25, 2011 by MontezumesRevenge
5.0 out of 5 stars
WHAT CAN I SAY
It is a good book to give u fashion ideas, identify yourself and just plan have a good funny read. Plus there is a slight shocker at the end
Published on January 20, 2011 by S. Farquharson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still Simon, but this ain't no wacky chicks
I love Simon Doonan - he's funny, charming and his books have made me laugh out loud so hard that random passersby have asked me if I am okay. Read more
Published on February 5, 2010 by Sizzalean
