Customer Reviews

The Little Black Book of Style

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This book is quite a fun and informative read. Nina Garcia keeps her voice light throughout, with a few funny moments that genuinely surprised me. Though I am a huge fan of the 'Project Runway' judge, I had honestly expected her book to be dry and even condescending -- this is the infamous Nina Garcia, after all.

But I was quite surprised. Especially around my first laugh-at-loud moment, when she discusses the importance of buying shoes that actually fit your feet and not just your budget: "Toes spilling out of a pair of strappy, sexy sandals is a very painful sight. I do not wince out of sympathy for your feet. I side with the shoes."

The rules of style never really change. But Nina Garcia does a great job at giving you the tools to edit your closet, your shopping habits and helping you discover and create your own style.

Aside from the usual advice one gets from style manuals, she provides a chapter on finding your fashion inspiration, complete with bulleted lists of movie and rock fashion icons. She also has an entire chapter of quick question and answer sessions from fashion professionals such as John Galliano, Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera, Oscar De La Renta, etc.

The only issue I had with the book was that it was too short. I wanted to read more of her own experiences with style and fashion. These moments in the book were by far the high points. While I did like the inclusion of so many lists, her voice was lost sometimes among all of the bullet points. Which is a shame, because some of her life stories are truly unique, such as the one about her mother's live-in seamstress.

Overall, this book was a fun, informative read that left me smiling for the rest of the day. I highly suggest it, no matter what your level of fashion or style experience may be.

Not having seen "Project Runway", I didn't know what to expect from Nina Garcia's style book. It is, itself, a sylish little tome with drawings, no photos, and six chapters entitled, "Be Your Own Muse", "The Basics", "Inspirations", "What to Wear When...", "Insider Tips and Tricks", and, "Fashion Cliff's Notes, Decade by Decade".

One of my favorite parts of the book is chapter five, with the insider tips and tricks. The insiders include Diane von Furstenberg, Zac Posen, Ralph Lauren, Marherita Missoni, and Elle Macpherson, among (many) others. Questions were posed to each--questions such as "What do you find eternally stylish?" to "What is the secret to style?" Answers were short and direct and helpful.

Another favorite chapter is "The Basics". It includes 10 basic "rules" to guide the reader to his or her unique style. It begins with the simple dictim to "Edit" and how to do so, and ends with the lovely "Be Imperfect", which lets us all breathe a little.

A more unusual addition to "The Little Black Book..." is the "What to Watch and What to Watch For" section in the Style and Film part of Chapter 3, "Inspirations", which I found useful, followed by Style and Music, which I did not.

This little book was fun to read, a little sassy and a good deal of information that can be used to put the reader in style. Two (well manicured) thumbs up!

Nina Garcia's prose is amusing, but there is very little substance to be gleaned if you are like most women - not connected with the fashion industry. Most of us have non-fashionista day jobs in addition to other activities that require different looks. We turn to fashion magazines and books for tips on finding an individualistic style that maximizes one's options based on a few well-chosen key pieces. The trick is to develop a flattering, cohesive, modern style that is versatile enough to be adaptable to many events without make one look schizophrenic, all the while hopefully remaining solvent.

Garcia's most important fashion tip is about getting your clothing altered so that they fit better. If you are somewhat fashion savvy, the advice given - such as the importance of altering looks with accessories, paring down your wardrobe to essentials - is nothing new. Most of the book is filled with fashion industry and personal anecdotes and descriptions of looks that are simply neither practical nor affordable for most women.

If you are looking for some light reading on fashion, go ahead. If you were looking for practical advice or secret insider information on any aspects of style, I suggest looking elsewhere.

As Nina points out "confidence is captivating, powerful and it doesn't fade, and that is endlessly more interesting than beauty."

Her book is all about developing that confidence with clothing, which is part of a person's overall impression, the package they present to the world, and upon which they are judged.

You never do get a second chance to make a first impression. It is a faster paced society, people move in and out of contact with each other in brief seconds, and this means the impression you leave says more and more about you, as we talk less.

I've read my way thru decades of fashion magazines, rarely finding much of value. They are all about finding this season's "it" bag while Nina explains why you might not want to look for this season's "it" bag, why finding your own style might work better (and be cheaper and more satisfying too).

I am not a Project Runway viewer, never saw it, not interested in the life of a fashion model in the slightest but I love dressing well.

This guide transcends current fashions, and gives timeless advice.

Yes, some of it we've all heard before, but then again, not everyone who buys this book will be fluent with Vogue, Elle, Lucky, Harper's Bazaar and the like.

Some things bear repeating.

The most useful sections I found to be the first part on finding your confidence and projecting style. She has a list of basic concepts in there that are worth the price of the book in my opinion.

Things like; How to edit (your wardrobe, your buying habits), How not to be a fashion victim, Buying Drama, How to mix it up, How to be imperfect. That last one is a bit tricky. On first glance most women groan that they've got that nailed!

But here she is talking about the kind of relaxed imperfection that comes across as simply stunning. And she gives guidelines!

Her list of the classics is fun. She includes the ubiquitous little black dress, the classic man tailored white shirt, cashmere (turtle neck or cardigan, trench coat, jeans, a man classic styled watch, diamonds, ballet flats, high heel pumps and a great handbag.

This is a great current guide on the lines of the classic book A Guide to Elegance by Genevieve Dariaux. Buy both.

And those illustrations are wonderful. I've so enjoyed that artist's work in Vogue. Great book all round.

i bought this book only because nina garcia is amazing on project runway. being a shopoholic i really didn't think i needed any "style" help. but after reading it i feel inspired and am digging deeper in my fashion arsenal everyday to make each outfit stand out. i also did a huge purge after reading this. she helped me part with a lot of items that for one reason or another i couldn't seem to get rid of in the past.

two thumbs way up nina!!!

This book does NOT give advice on:
1) what to wear for your particular body shape (e.g. double or single breasted coat; above, at or below knee length hem; straight leg or flared pants); or
2) how to work the reveal and conceal tricks (e.g. emphasis your small waist; make your legs appear longer, your breasts smaller or bigger etc...); or
3) what colour suits you best, i.e. cool or warm tone; or
4) what are the fundamental pieces in every woman's wardrobe.

The book does give some ideas on:
1) how to dress for different occasions (e.g. weddings, cocktail party, interviews etc...), only very briefly;
2) where to look for style inspirations. It gives you lists of movies to watch (e.g. Pulp Fiction for the white shirt; Breakfast at Tiffany's for the LBD), what musicians/singers to research (e.g. Modonna).

Personally, I do not find the lists very inspiring, and since this is very much what the book is all about, I find it almost useless.

I will recommmend The Science of Sexy by Bradley Bayou if you want advice on how to dress for your particular body shape (this book is absolutely the best on this subject), and Nina Garcia's other book The One Hundred for wardrobe inspirations. The Pocket Stylist by Kendall Farr is also pretty good.

Lucy Chen

Once you start reading this book you are trapped by the fluent and fun to read language. The advice she gives are practical, easy to follow, and mainly she helps with this book to build your own fashion style. However this book is not only about fashion but about self-confidence, and self esteem. She makes us learn that the best way to build a style is to feel o.k in your own skin. Its worth reading. I read it in only one afternoon.

Dear Nina Garcia, Fashion Director of Elle Magazine,

I just wanted to drop you a quick note about your new book, The Little Black Book of Style.

First, can you and Tim Gunn stop feeding my Project Runway addiction? I'm having a hard enough time concentrating on my work as it is, now I'm wondering when Season 4 will start.

Having said that, I appreciated the nuggets of encouragement in The Little Black Book of Style. When it arrived in the mail, I thought - Hey, where is all the usual advice? But then I realized this wasn't meant to be a `usual' book. In addition to some concrete advice about white shirts and how to look elegant, you gave me a little pep talk which I clearly needed.

Thanks for letting me feel good about my H&M habit and for encouraging me to think a little longer about buying a pair of Manolos! I feel so schlubby day in and day out.

My life wasn't always like that. When I worked in an office, I had some good clothes. But, since my daughter came along and I sit in my home office in front of the computer all day, the "fashion" in this house has reached a sorry state. So I'm going to try to find an excuse to get those shoes, clean out the closet and look like me again.

I will start to "treat [myself] like a goddess," and focus more on the fact that style is an attitude that "comes from knowing [who I am]."

Yes, I admit, that I was just the tiniest bit jealous that you know all those cool designers who answered your Q&A's, but, as it turns out, we're connected with fewer than Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon - my stepdaughter works for one of those designers, so maybe I'll have her say `hi' to you next time you're in that office!

While it's hard to arrive for school pick-up in something other than the standard mommy uniform (since it just makes everyone comment about where I've been or what I've been up to), I'm going to try it again.

And this time, I'll just say, "Oh, my friend Nina said this would make me feel great."

Sincerely yours,

PunditMom

This book was pretty unmemorable - some decent advice, but any women's fashion magazine would have similar advice. The latter half of the book was just interviews with fashion people - not incredibly interesting or informative.

There is nothing in this book that will help you dress or style better. I dont understand why is so difficult to write tips that can help women learn and understand how to dress according to their body type.

I mean, the reason why Im buying this book is to learn how to style. Instead, she talks about designer picks, like how this designer says you should like cashmere, or the top 5 celebrities she think are stylish.. etc. Nothing really helpful.

Everything here you could've read it in any Cosmo magazine.