"You can do anything you want in life if you dress for it," says Edith Head in How to Dress for Success. Would you like to look younger, prettier, slimmer? Would you like to attract a new man and hold on to the current one? Would you like to get a better job and earn more money? Then this is your book. Edith Head (1897-1981) dressed stars from Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor to Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn. This reprint of Head's 1967 tome serves as a timeless reference to looking your best. Head offers no-nonsense, and often hilarious, fashion advice. Illustrated with Head's original black-and-white line drawings and packaged with a chic cloth cover, this pocket-size guide is packed with smart tips on how to accessorize, dress for all occasions, and develop your own personal style.
Praise for How to Dress for Success:
"While much of Head's advice seems from a bygone culture (whatever happened to hostess pajamas?), her basic ideas are timeless. If you are willing to follow her occasionally rigid prescriptions, you will look good."
-The Wall Street Journal
"The advice is nearly half a century old but still right as rain . . . The circa-1967 tome has been reprinted by book publisher Abrams in a snazzy, lavender cloth-bound cover that matches the book's snappy but ladylike tone."
-The Los Angeles Times
"Legendary costume designer Edith Head dressed everyone from Audrey Hepburn to the recently departed Elizabeth Taylor in her heyday, and the sartorial wisdom she picked up along the way still has surprising resonance decades after the Mad Men era. The recent re-release of her style book, How to Dress for Success, is full of amazing advice that's as useful in 2011 as it was when it was first published in 1967."
-Glamour.com
| ||||||||||||||||||
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Edith Head (1897-1981), a doyenne of motion-picture costume, was famous for her remarkable career that spanned fifty years and earned her eight Academy Awards, more Oscars than any other woman has won. She was responsible for some of the best-known Hollywood fashion images of her day, with her costumes being worn by the most glamorous and famous actresses in films. Recently, Edith Head's likeness inspired the beloved Pixar character Edna Mode in The Incredibles.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
When famed and revered costume designer Edith Head's book How to Dress for Success was originally released in 1967 it became a classic resource for women of all ages as they navigated the professional world whose doors were beginning to open ever wider for females who wished to partake in creating their own independence.
Released just recently on April 1, 2011, in its iconic lavender clothbound cover, readers will discover her advice to be timeless:
*Ignore "faddy" here-today-gone-tomorrow styles for things that reflect quality and taste
*Building a proper wardrobe is somewhat like building a home
*Wear accessories to "spice up" your wardrobe, but don't overdo it
*Wear colors that are complementary to your skin tone and flatter your figure
*Choose clothes that serve you
With specific and detailed guidance for all body types and lifestyle activities, Head expertly takes the reader through each chapter with details, specific direction and examples and concludes each chapter with a check-off list of principles to follow.
One of the greatest take-aways that is practical and effective for building a successful wardrobe is her suggestion to create a "blueprint plan". Beginning with a list that charts the activities you are involved in on any given day or special occasion (doing business, grocery shopping, formal affairs, sporting events, dinner at restaurants, trips, etc), she asks each woman to write the degree (everyday, frequently, quite often, rarely, hardly ever) in which each activity takes place.
By going through this process, the correct types of outfits are blatantly clear and the unnecessary shopping of items that tend to only see daylight when the closet door is open is eliminated.
While there are noticeable references that are outdated (viewing middle age at 35), I found it a history lesson in how far women have come. In fact, as it was just released in the 2010 US Census that 37% to 33% of women to men have a higher education degree, this is but one example of how far women have come in taking a step forward toward living their best life and discovering success - the success Edith Head initially hoped to assist us all in achieving when she sat down more than 40 years ago and shared her sage advice garnered from years of of helping the stars (Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophie Loren, Audrey Hepburn) look their best. Head states repeatedly, that she has never worked with a woman who didn't have something that needed camouflaging which is evidence to the fact that we all have potential if we know how to play up our strengths and reduce the appearance of our not-so-beloved areas.
From the first line, Edith Head states very candidly, "This book is addressed to women who want Success. And that means all the women . . . who are both old enough to know what they want and energetic enough to go after it."
Direct and confident, Edith Head's passion for the world of design is electric, yet grounded in femininity and determined to help us all acquire success starting with one of the things we have complete control over - our wardrobes.
Released just recently on April 1, 2011, in its iconic lavender clothbound cover, readers will discover her advice to be timeless:
*Ignore "faddy" here-today-gone-tomorrow styles for things that reflect quality and taste
*Building a proper wardrobe is somewhat like building a home
*Wear accessories to "spice up" your wardrobe, but don't overdo it
*Wear colors that are complementary to your skin tone and flatter your figure
*Choose clothes that serve you
With specific and detailed guidance for all body types and lifestyle activities, Head expertly takes the reader through each chapter with details, specific direction and examples and concludes each chapter with a check-off list of principles to follow.
One of the greatest take-aways that is practical and effective for building a successful wardrobe is her suggestion to create a "blueprint plan". Beginning with a list that charts the activities you are involved in on any given day or special occasion (doing business, grocery shopping, formal affairs, sporting events, dinner at restaurants, trips, etc), she asks each woman to write the degree (everyday, frequently, quite often, rarely, hardly ever) in which each activity takes place.
By going through this process, the correct types of outfits are blatantly clear and the unnecessary shopping of items that tend to only see daylight when the closet door is open is eliminated.
While there are noticeable references that are outdated (viewing middle age at 35), I found it a history lesson in how far women have come. In fact, as it was just released in the 2010 US Census that 37% to 33% of women to men have a higher education degree, this is but one example of how far women have come in taking a step forward toward living their best life and discovering success - the success Edith Head initially hoped to assist us all in achieving when she sat down more than 40 years ago and shared her sage advice garnered from years of of helping the stars (Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophie Loren, Audrey Hepburn) look their best. Head states repeatedly, that she has never worked with a woman who didn't have something that needed camouflaging which is evidence to the fact that we all have potential if we know how to play up our strengths and reduce the appearance of our not-so-beloved areas.
From the first line, Edith Head states very candidly, "This book is addressed to women who want Success. And that means all the women . . . who are both old enough to know what they want and energetic enough to go after it."
Direct and confident, Edith Head's passion for the world of design is electric, yet grounded in femininity and determined to help us all acquire success starting with one of the things we have complete control over - our wardrobes.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By S. Case
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Although I knew when I purchased the book I had already been taught most of these things by my mother there is no one more knowledgeable on the subject than Edith Head. Having been a fan of old movies I have seen her designs throughout my life and couldn't have been more excited to purchase this book. This will be one that I will read again and again. Anyone who has a young daughter would defintely benefit from this book as a guiding tool not only for their child as she grows into a young woman but also for themselves. I recommend this book to every woman.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Edith Head, award-winning costumer to the stars, wrote this book in the '60s, and her advice is as useful today as it was 50 years ago. She talks about how to come across as a winner in business, in love, in life. The book is all about how to craft an image based on who you are and who you want to be. This book may have been the inspiration for "Simple Isn't Easy" by Olivia Goldsmith and Amy Fine Collins. The sketches make the book look like it's kitschy, but Ms. Head knows what she is talking about. And it's an easy read, with a nice bookmark included.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Written decades ago
It basically says dress varies depending on the event. Look around you and see how people are dressed and dress a little nicer. At a job, dress as well as your boss. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mouse1999
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty Book
This is a fun book to have on a bookshelf, it's really cute and very nicely made. The content is fun and meant to be light hearted.
Published 3 months ago by TinaTinaTina
5.0 out of 5 stars
As a gift....
I bought this as a gift for a friend. She is very lucky to have received the book! I enjoyed reading it myself before sending it her way.....shipped fast and was as described.
Published 4 months ago by D. merz
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic style
The book is a classic take on things that never go out of style. Shipper was one time and no issues.
Published 4 months ago by Courtney L. Weber
5.0 out of 5 stars
How to Dress for Success
I am very thankful for had find a book that helps on How to Dress for Success, because let's face it... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Connierod1
2.0 out of 5 stars
So Incredibly Boring.
The book is out of date enough to be insulting and boring, and yet not out of date enough to be funny and entertaining. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Toadyhead
5.0 out of 5 stars
5 Stars. Edith Head is my idol.
If you love nice clothes, and you have a girlfriend who wants you to dress well, then you buy this book, and you'll both be nicely dressed. Read more
Published on July 29, 2009 by James Blanchard
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
